Concept:
As we look at the Works of the Flesh, we 
must always keep in mind that we are a triune 
being. We are spirit, soul and body. Scripture 
also identifies my heart as being my spirit and 
soul and my flesh as being the combination of my 
body and soul. If we know that we are a triune 
being, then we also must remember that God is a 
Spirit and we will commune with Him with our 
spirit. Our spirit is like a projector that puts 
an image from the Spirit of God through our spirit 
onto our soul, then in our soul we interpret what 
the Lord is speaking to us. I am not talking about 
hearing voices, although scripture does say that 
the Lord’s sheep know His voice. The Lord will 
give us revelation of who He is and what His will 
for our life is. With my mind or soul, I 
communicate with the rational world. God has given 
us such a great mind that is capable of making 
great decisions, especially when it has been 
renewed with the Word of God. My body, of course, 
is my earth suit, which allows me to experience 
the natural things of this life through my five 
natural senses. We certainly are fearfully and 
wonderfully made! God has made us to commune with 
Him and with each other. We can receive wisdom 
from the Spirit of God through our spirit, which 
then allows me to communicate to the naturalness of 
my life in a Godly way. God doesn’t want you to react 
out of your flesh but respond as your spirit gives 
you insight into the spirit world. The Spirit world 
is where God is the King and His principles are the 
eternal principles that will bring us the success 
that we need and desire. Scripture says I must be 
led or directed by the Spirit and not influenced 
by the flesh. 

In the garden, when Adam rebelled against the Lord, 
it allowed Satan to impart his nature into Adam and 
through him that sin nature to mankind. I carry 
around in my flesh what is commonly called the sin 
nature, work of the flesh, fallen nature, lower 
nature, and probably a lot of other names that I 
am not aware exist. This propensity to do things 
contrary to the laws of God is constantly a source 
of conflict in us. My sinful nature is always trying 
to be the controlling factor in my life but by the 
Word of God we are keeping it from being a dominant 
force in our lives. It is something that I will 
always have to fight until I get my resurrected 
body, so I need to learn how to keep the flesh in 
check. 

If I give attention to God’s word and His ways, 
the flesh will be a weak influence in my life. 
However, I can choose not to give attention to 
God’s Word and Way and the flesh will rise up and 
I will be pulled into destruction by my own lusts. 
I always need the Holy Spirit to strength me through 
the inner man so I will have the inner tenacity to 
withstand the pressure that my flesh puts on me. As 
I give myself to the Word of God I will not obey the 
dictates of the flesh. 

In Romans, Paul states, what all of us have 
experienced. He discovers that there is a law 
in his flesh that wants to do what is contrary 
to the ways of God. The sin nature wants us to 
operate under the law of sin and death and the 
Spirit of God in us is leading us to follow the 
Spirit of Life that is in Christ.  We have to 
keep reminding ourselves that we have been 
crucified with Christ and sin (and the sin nature) 
no longer has any dominion over us. The Lord came 
as a man and condemned sin in the flesh. Romans 8:3 
states that He condemned sin in sinful man. He took 
the power of the flesh and nailed it to the cross. 
Obviously, we are still possessors of flesh but I keep 
reminding it that it is dead since I have been crucified 
with Christ and the life that I am living I live with 
a faith in Christ who loved me and gave himself for me. 
I draw on the power of the resurrection and keep my
mind focused on the promises of the Word of God. 
We must starve the flesh by not responding to it’s 
prompting. Each time you deny the flesh it is easier 
to do it the next time. We can access the power of God 
by acting on His Word because the Lord will strengthen
me, as I am obedient to His commands. I must learn to 
live by the Word of God and not on the natural tendencies 
in my life. 

Cain saw his fleshly nature and thought his 
punishment was more than he could stand. Ever since 
Adam’s betrayal there is this war going on for my mind 
and my responses. Life is always giving me an 
opportunity to show forth the abundance that is in 
my heart. Have you ever heard anyone say that person 
really makes me mad? Well that is not true, that person 
simply exposed what was in my heart in abundance. I need 
to be sure I am meditating and speaking the Word of God 
and getting so full of the substance of the Lord that 
any pressure will just bring God’s nature out of me. 
This is a daily determination and disciplined that I 
must be committed to make as an absolute necessity in 
my life. We are the ones that show the world that we 
are different and we act differently and walk with a 
different set of standards. Our reactions to situations 
and circumstances of life are different from the natural 
man who is operating out of the flesh, since we are 
relaying on the strength of the Spirit. 

Definitions:
    Works of the Flesh
a. Adultery: Unlawful sexual relations 
between men and women, single or married
b. Fornication: All manner of unlawful 
sexual activity
c. Lasciviousness: Anything that tends 
to foster sex, sin, and lust. Lewd emotions.
d. Idolatry: Extravagant admiration of 
the heart
e. Witchcraft: Practice of dealing with 
evil spirits, casting spells, drugs, 
enchantments, charms, inflicting evil, 
and sufferings.
f. Hatred: Bitter dislikes, ill-will against
 anyone, tendencies to hold grudges 
g. Variance: Discord, quarreling, and disputes
h. Emulation: Jealousies, striving to 
excel at the expense of others, false 
religion, uncurbed rivalry
i. Wrath: Rage, lasting anger, fierceness, 
turbulent passions
j. Strife: Angry contentions, contest for 
superiority or advantage, strenuous endeavor 
to equal or pay back
k. Seditions: Popular disorder, stirring 
up strife
l. Heresies: False religions
m. Envyings: Ill-will, and jealously at the 
good fortune at someone else, degrading and 
disgraceful passion
n. Murders: To kill, to spoil or mar the 
happiness of others, hatred
o. Drunkenness: A slave to drink, living intoxicated
p. Reveling: Boisterous feasting, obscene 
music, pleasures, carousing 



 
Scripture Application:

1. Genesis 3:4-10

2. Genesis 3:17

3. Genesis 4:13-14

4. Genesis 6:5-7

5. Genesis 8:20-22

6.  Exodus 15:22-26

7. Exodus 16:1-3

8. Numbers 11:1-6

9. Numbers 14:10-12

10. Job 15:16

11. Psalms 14:3

12. Psalms 51:5,6

13. Psalms 53:2-4

14. Psalms 78:25-39

15. Proverbs 21:10

16. Isaiah 64:6

17. Jeremiah 16:12

18. Ezekiel 9:9-11

19. Ezekiel 36:24-31

20. Matthew 23:27

21. Mark 7:20-23

22. Romans 1:24

23. Romans 6:6-10

24. Romans 6:15-18

25. Romans 7:7-12

26. Romans 7:17-20

27. Romans 7:23-25

28. Romans 8:3

29. Romans 8:4-8

30. Romans 8:9-12

31. Romans 8: 13,14

32. I Corinthians 10:6

33. I Corinthians 15:50-54

34. Ephesians 2:3

35. Ephesians 5:14

36. Galatians 5:14

37. Galatians 5:13

38. Galatians 5:17

39. Galatians 6:8

40. Colossians 3:5

41. Colossians 3:8-10

42. James 1:14

43. James 4:2

44. II Peter 2:10

45. II Peter 3:3

46. I John 1:7-9

47. I John 2:16



Summary:
After reading all of these scriptures 
that expose the nature of the flesh, I 
think all of us realize that we have a 
nature in our members that wants to 
drive us away from God and His ways. 
That is why we must know the Word so 
we can properly discern the direction 
we are going. Are we going toward God 
or are we going away from the Lord? 
Just because I don’t feel like doing 
something doesn’t mean I shouldn’t do 
it. Also, because I feel like doing 
something, doesn’t mean I should do it.
The Word of God is always my guide. I may 
not “feel” like praising the Lord but it 
is the right thing to do, so I do it in 
obedience and my “feelings” will line up. 
I might not want to love my enemies but 
that is what the Word says so I decide 
to do it out of obedience not “feeling”. 
I know all of you have had the desire to 
go away from the principles of God but the 
Word of God pulled you back into the right 
place. That needs to happen in our lives 
more and more. It is also true that I need 
to call on the power of God to help me walk 
in the right way. Some things that the Word 
tells us to do are hard and I need to 
constantly ask the Lord to put His strength 
in my weakness so I can be victorious. Only 
as I meditate the truth will I know it and 
then it will make me free. The power of the 
Word combined with the power of the Spirit 
will help us all walk in victory. Remember, 
we need to starve the flesh by not acting on 
it and feed my human spirit by meditating the 
Word of God and then you will be able to watch 
the flesh’s dominion in our lives die! Christ 
shed His blood so I could have my heart 
circumcised and have the power of the new 
creation lead me into a new quality of life 
called “eternal life”. 

Action Point:
Pick an area of the flesh that you want 
to see its dominion in your life cease. 
Begin to read Romans 6 and declare that 
you have been crucified with Christ and 
the dominion of the flesh is broken in 
your life. Expect to see change and 
rejoice about the change before it 
actually happens in the natural. Watch 
the Word of God change you into the 
image of Christ! Praise the Lord.