Crucifying the Flesh

Crucifying our flesh is a huge part of our Christian lives. It is something we should be actively working on daily. I am going to discuss what it looks like when we crucify our flesh, why it is important, results of not doing it, results of doing it, and practical tips for fighting our flesh.

What It Looks Like:

When we crucify our flesh we begin to look more like Jesus and less like the world. We should never be to the point where the world must squint to see the differences between us and them. We should stand out as different. We should look, sound, react, love, and behave differently.

Crucifying our flesh causes us to look less like who we were when we first surrendered our lives to God. If we are in the same spot, level, pattern of sin, and mindsets as when we first gave our lives to Him something is going on and needs to be addressed. We should always be growing, changing, and getting closer to Him. We are called to imitate Him and grow in maturity in our walk with Him. If we are not doing that it could be because we are not actively crucifying our flesh. This does not mean that we will get it right every single time or that we will always be moving forward. We will have seasons where we fall, get up, and fall again, but the important part is that we are always in the process of trying to become who He created us to be.

Actively killing our flesh means we are no longer driven by our fleshy desires that are in direct opposition to God, but instead we walk by the Spirit and choose to allow the fruit of the Spirit to flow though our actions, thoughts, and choices. It includes habitually putting the sinful deeds of the body to death and not allowing the flesh to drive our actions, behaviors, and choices.

Romans 8:13 for if you are living according to the [impulses of the] flesh, you are going to die. But if [you are living] by the [power of the Holy] Spirit you are habitually putting to death the sinful deeds of the body, you will [really] live forever.

Galatians 5:24 And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature together with its passions and appetites

Why it is Important:

The number one reason to actively work at crucifying our flesh is because it is pleasing to God. It is impossible to please God if we are living out of our flesh. God requires submission to Him, and the flesh is always in rebellion to God and submission to Him.

Romans 8:7 the mind of the flesh [with its sinful pursuits] is actively hostile to God. It does not submit itself to God’s law, since it cannot,

Killing our flesh also helps us in the process of becoming who He created us to be and walking in the identity that we were always meant to walk in. We cannot be who He called us to be if our flesh is calling the shots.

Crucifying our flesh also helps us in witnessing to others. Our flesh is selfish, lazy, prideful, rebellious, and it never wants us to submit to the will of God. It will continually have us focusing so much on ourselves that we can easily miss the opportunity to reach out and witness to others. We are surrounded by people who need God, and if we are living out of our flesh we can easily miss the needs of others. The flesh gets us hyper focused on self, what we need, what we want—it wants what it wants, when it wants it. Crucifying it allows us to better hear the voice of God and His calling on our lives.

It is important in the process of growing, changing, and finishing our race well. We shouldn’t just finish our race, we should finish it well.

1 Corinthians 9:27 But [like a boxer] I strictly discipline my body and make it my slave, so that, after I have preached [the gospel] to others, I myself will not somehow be disqualified [as unfit for service].

Results of Not Crucifying Our Flesh:

Romans 8:5 For those who are living according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh [which gratify the body], but those who are living according to the Spirit, [set their minds on] the things of the Spirit [His will and purpose].

1 John 3:4 Everyone who practices sin also practices lawlessness; and sin is lawlessness [ignoring God’s law by action or neglect or by tolerating wrongdoing—being unrestrained by His commands and His will].

When we do not crucify our flesh we can easily find ourselves stuck in patterns of sin that just keep repeating over and over. Which can lead to bondages that feel very difficult to break out of.

Galatians 5:16: Guided by the sinful nature [which responds impulsively without regard for God and His precepts].

If we are led by our flesh we may never reach our full potential in God, miss our calling, miss assignments from Him, miss the mark, and not have an impact on the kingdom of God for His glory. I have a friend who posts videos of her shooting her bow and arrow. She is really good, and it is so cool to watch her hit the mark. It always reminds me of our lives and how easily we can miss the mark. If we do not practice, build our spiritual muscles, and take aim we may not only miss the bullseye, but we may not even be able to hit the target. Hitting the target doesn’t happen by accident. It takes time, dedication, and work. Crucifying our flesh is not easy, but it is essential to our Christian walk.

Romans 8:8 and those who are in the flesh [living a life that caters to sinful appetites and impulses] cannot please God.

When our flesh is in the driver’s seat we are often driven by emotion. We are human and will absolutely experience all kinds of emotions. We are emotional beings. We were created with emotions, but we should not be led by our them. If we let our emotions lead the way we can often find ourselves in very bad situations that are full of pain and regret. Even though we have emotions the driving force of our decisions and what we base our actions on should be truth. That truth is found in the Word of God. Living by the Spirit requires walking by His Word and not our emotions.

The flesh will also always draw us toward sin and sinful living. It is full of itself, doing its own thing, and never stops to consider the consequences. It will make sin seem like no big deal and it will always minimize the consequences of sin.

We may encounter extended wilderness seasons due to rebellion and God trying to get our attention when we are not crucifying our flesh. We can experience cycles of going around and around. The children of Israel wondered in the wilderness for years after being set free from the bondages in Egypt. The time in the wilderness was extended by years because of their rebellion. The same thing can happen in our lives. We can be going around and around because God is trying to get us out of our flesh and rebellion.

Galatians 5:19-21 Now the practices of the sinful nature are clearly evident: they are sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality (total irresponsibility, lack of self-control), idolatry, sorcery, hostility, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions [that promote heresies], envy, drunkenness, riotous behavior, and other things like these. I warn you beforehand, just as I did previously, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God

Results of Crucifying our Flesh:

One of the results of crucifying our flesh is it causes us to be able to be an imitator of Jesus. We cannot look like Jesus and our flesh at the same time. The more we kill our flesh, the more we can look like Him.

Ephesians 5:1 Therefore become imitators of God [copy Him and follow His example], as well-beloved children [imitate their father];

1 Peter 2:21 For [as a believer] you have been called for this purpose, since Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you may follow in His footsteps.

It also causes us to be able to better witness to others about Him, lead them to Him, and be His hands and feet here on the earth. We can share His light to a lost and dying world that is in desperate need of Him. We can better step into the purposes He has created for us and be the people He has created us to be which is pleasing to Him. We can run our race and step into eternity with Him knowing we did what He called us to do.

1 John 2:3-6 And this is how we know [daily, by experience] that we have come to know Him [to understand Him and be more deeply acquainted with Him]: if we habitually keep [focused on His precepts and obey] His commandments (teachings). Whoever says, “I have come to know Him,” but does not habitually keep [focused on His precepts and obey] His commandments (teachings), is a liar, and the truth [of the divine word] is not in him. But whoever habitually keeps His word and obeys His precepts [and treasures His message in its entirety], in him the love of God has truly been perfected [it is completed and has reached maturity]. By this we know [for certain] that we are in Him: whoever says he lives in Christ [that is, whoever says he has accepted Him as God and Savior] ought [as a moral obligation] to walk and conduct himself just as He walked and conducted Himself.

It also allows us to fully walk in the fruit of the Spirit. The flesh and the Spirit are in constant conflict with each other, and we cannot walk in both at the same time. One is in the lead and the other isn’t and we choose which we will allow to lead our lives.

Galatians 5:22-23But the fruit of the Spirit [the result of His presence within us] is love [unselfish concern for others], joy, [inner] peace, patience [not the ability to wait, but how we act while waiting], kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such things there is no law.

Galatians 5:25 If we [claim to] live by the [Holy] Spirit, we must also walk by the Spirit [with personal integrity, godly character, and moral courage—our conduct empowered by the Holy Spirit].

How to Crucify the Flesh:

Matthew 16:24 Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone wishes to follow Me [as My disciple], he must deny himself [set aside selfish interests], and take up his cross [expressing a willingness to endure whatever may come] and follow Me [believing in Me, conforming to My example in living and, if need be, suffering or perhaps dying because of faith in Me].

Submitting your will to God’s in every single area is key to crucifying the flesh. We must surrender our plans, goals, callings, families, relationships, jobs, decisions, etc. We need to ask Him for His opinion on all details of our lives—His plan, His goals, and His calling. All decisions should be God approved. Total surrender kills our flesh and puts us right in the middle of God’s perfect will for our lives.

We should be ready to say yes to anything He ask of us—no matter the cost, if we want to do it or not, if we feel equipped to do it, no matter how we feel our answer should always be yes. We can always say yes to Him because He will never call us to do something without equipping us to do it. It is about His ability and not ours. When we look to our own ability or our lack it is because we are getting our eyes off Him. Keeping our eyes totally focused on Him at all times allows us to always say yes because we know nothing is based on us, but instead it is all about Him.

Walking in humility is another key to crucifying the flesh. The flesh is full of pride and self. The fastest way to deal with that aspect is to do something that humbles you. If you are driven by being accepted, your knowledge, or status you may need to take a step back. If you want to walk in humility start sharing about some of the things you don’t get right, things that you need work on, give a glimpse of what life is really like behind the scenes, let others know that you are not always right and you do not always have it all together. There are a ton of ways to walk in humility and you will need to find what works for you.

Discipline is the biggest tool for crucifying our flesh. We must disciple our actions, words, thoughts, and reactions to those around us. We really do choose what comes out of our mouths and we must choose to speak love and life, not anger, hate, and death. We may feel totally justified in our words because of how others treat us, but we are not accountable for their words, we are only accountable for our own. We must choose to walk in forgiveness and speak the way God would have us speak. Our flesh wants to be right, attack, and give it right back to others, but the Spirit responds in love, patience, and kindness. We must choose which we are going to respond out of—the flesh or the Spirit.

We must also be disciplined to turn away from sin and break sinful patterns. We may have to change the people we hang out with and the places we go, but the patterns must break. We must choose to live a Biblically pleasing life for the Lord. It isn’t easy, but if we want to crucify our flesh we must stop giving in to sin and making excuses for the behaviors. We must call it out and deal with it straight on. We must pull down every thought that stands against the Word of God and never allow them to linger in our minds.

There are many times we blame demons for our issues when it is really a discipline issue. We cannot cast out the flesh, and we cannot crucify a demon. When we are dealing with flesh issues it takes discipline to get it under control. Discipline is not fun, and it is not easy, but it is necessary. We need to make sure we are not to busy blaming demons, that we are lacking discipline.

Reading the Bible and praying must become habits that we do not neglect. Sometimes it is hard to start a new habit, but we must be people who know His Word and spend time talking to Him. The Bible is our roadmap to life, and it should be treated with immense levels of importance. Prayer is where we build our personal relationship with Him. It is two-way communication—we talk to Him, and He talks to us. We can never build any kind of relationship without time and communication. It is all about building the personal relationship with Him and including Him in every area of our lives. We must have hearts that want to please Him.

Fasting is the quickest way to get our flesh under control. It should be a consistent part of our lives. There are many ways to fast, and you should find one that works for you.

You may also need a mentor. Reach out for help if it is needed and don’t try to do life alone. We were made to be relational and sometimes we need others in our lives to help us with discipline, accountability, learning, and growth.

We must also understand our identity comes from God, and God alone. We don’t need to go on a journey, read a book, or take a personality test to find ourselves. We have a direct link to our Creator, and we can go directly to Him and ask Him who He created us to be. We need to sit with Him and ask Him to remove all lies about our identity. The lies from the enemy, situations, people, and even ourselves need to be stripped off so we can be who He has created us to be.

Final Note:

If you have done everything on this list and the struggle is just not breaking deliverance (closing doors to demons and having them cast out) may be needed. It is really important to understand the difference between a demon and the flesh.

Scriptures to Share:

Galatians 5:16 But I say, walk habitually in the [Holy] Spirit [seek Him and be responsive to His guidance], and then you will certainly not carry out the desire of the sinful nature [which responds impulsively without regard for God and His precepts].

Galatians 2:20 I have been crucified with Christ [that is, in Him I have shared His crucifixion]; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body I live by faith [by adhering to, relying on, and completely trusting] in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.

Matthew 16:25 For whoever wishes to save his life [in this world] will [eventually] lose it [through death], but whoever loses his life [in this world] for My sake will find it [that is, life with Me for all eternity].

Romans 8:6 Now the mind of the flesh is death [both now and forever—because it pursues sin]; but the mind of the Spirit is life and peace [the spiritual well-being that comes from walking with God—both now and forever];

Colossians 3:1-17 Put On the New Self

Therefore if you have been raised with Christ [to a new life, sharing in His resurrection from the dead], keep seeking the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind and keep focused habitually on the things above [the heavenly things], not on things that are on the earth [which have only temporal value]. For you died [to this world], and your [new, real] life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory. So put to death and deprive of power the evil longings of your earthly body [with its sensual, self-centered instincts] immorality, impurity, sinful passion, evil desire, and greed, which is [a kind of] idolatry [because it replaces your devotion to God]. Because of these [sinful] things the [divine] wrath of God is coming on the sons of disobedience [those who fail to listen and who routinely and obstinately disregard God’s precepts], and in these [sinful things] you also once walked, when you were habitually living in them [without the knowledge of Christ]. But now rid yourselves [completely] of all these things: anger, rage, malice, slander, and obscene (abusive, filthy, vulgar) language from your mouth. Do not lie to one another, for you have stripped off the old self with its evil practices, and have put on the new [spiritual] self who is being continually renewed in true knowledge in the image of Him who created the new self— a renewal in which there is no [distinction between] Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, [nor between nations whether] barbarian or Scythian, [nor in status whether] slave or free, but Christ is all, and in all [so believers are equal in Christ, without distinction]. So, as God’s own chosen people, who are holy [set apart, sanctified for His purpose] and well-beloved [by God Himself], put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience [which has the power to endure whatever injustice or unpleasantness comes, with good temper]; bearing graciously with one another, and willingly forgiving each other if one has a cause for complaint against another; just as the Lord has forgiven you, so should you forgive. Beyond all these things put on and wrap yourselves in [unselfish] love, which is the perfect bond of unity [for everything is bound together in agreement when each one seeks the best for others]. Let the peace of Christ [the inner calm of one who walks daily with Him] be the controlling factor in your hearts [deciding and settling questions that arise]. To this peace indeed you were called as members in one body [of believers]. And be thankful [to God always]. Let the [spoken] word of Christ have its home within you [dwelling in your heart and mind—permeating every aspect of your being] as you teach [spiritual things] and admonish and train one another with all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs with thankfulness in your hearts to God. ¹⁷Whatever you do [no matter what it is] in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus [and in dependence on Him], giving thanks to God the Father through Him.