Overcoming the Flesh by Holly D. Sands
In Ephesians 2:1–3, Paul names three enemies that once held us captive: the world, the flesh, and the devil. We’ve already looked at what it means to overcome the world, the pressure that comes at us from the outside. Now we turn to the battle on the inside, and every believer knows exactly which battle I’m talking about.
Paul describes it plainly:
“For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish” (Galatians 5:17).
If you’ve walked with the Lord for any length of time, you’ve probably been surprised by this. You expected certain struggles to fade after a few years, and some of them did. But some didn’t. Some are still knocking on the door decades later. That doesn’t mean something is wrong with your salvation. It means you’re in the fight Paul described.
So what exactly is the flesh? The Greek word is sarx, and in Galatians 5, Paul uses it to mean the fallen self, the part of us still bent toward sin and still demanding its own way.
Don't let that discourage you - you see, the war itself is evidence of life. Before Christ, there was no real fight. The flesh wanted something, and we gave it. Unbelievers can feel guilt, because the conscience sees to that (Romans 2:15), but they don’t have the Spirit of God pushing back against the flesh. That conflict only starts when the Spirit moves in. If you feel the tug-of-war, it’s because Christ lives in you. His life is pushing you toward holiness.
Already Crucified
Now here’s something Paul wants us to hold onto:
“And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires” (Galatians 5:24).
Notice the tense. Paul doesn’t say we should crucify the flesh, or that we will someday if we try hard enough. He says those who belong to Christ have.
That changes how we fight.
“There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1).
We don’t battle the flesh to earn God’s acceptance or to keep from losing it. We fight from acceptance, not for it. When you stumble, the verdict hasn’t changed. You’re still His. And that’s exactly what gives you the courage to get back up and keep going.
And Yet, Everyday
But if the flesh has already been crucified, why does it still feel so alive? This is where Paul holds two truths side by side:
“For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live” (Romans 8:13).
The phrase “put to death” is in the present tense, which means it’s ongoing, continual, every single day. The flesh was crucified when we came to Christ, and we keep putting it to death for the rest of our lives.
The Puritan John Owen spent an entire book on Romans 8:13, and he summed it up in one line: “Be killing sin or it will be killing you.” There’s no neutral ground with the flesh. It doesn’t negotiate, and it doesn’t take a day off. Leave it alone, and its strength intensifies. Owen understood that the believer who isn’t actively putting the flesh to death isn’t resting. He’s losing, and make no mistake, the flesh is winning.
How the War is Won
So how do we actually do this? Paul’s answer might surprise you:
“Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh” (Galatians 5:16).
The word for walk is peripateō, and it describes an ongoing way of life, step after step, day after day. Paul doesn’t say “try harder” or “white-knuckle it.” He says walk in the Spirit. The flesh isn’t defeated by willpower. It’s defeated by dependence.
Look at the contrast Paul draws. He lists the “works of the flesh” (Galatians 5:19–21), and then he says,
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law” (Galatians 5:22–23).
Notice that Paul calls one list (the flesh) works and the other (the Spirit) fruit. The works of the flesh are many separate things, each with its own mess. But the fruit of the Spirit is singular. It’s not nine different fruits we pick and choose from. It’s one fruit, the character of Christ, showing up in nine different ways. When the Spirit is at work, love, joy, patience, and self-control all grow together.
Walking in the Spirit doesn’t mean sitting back and waiting for holiness to fall on us, though. Paul says:
“But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts” (Romans 13:14).
The word for provision is pronoia, which means forethought, planning ahead. In other words, don’t make it easy for the flesh. Don’t leave the door cracked open. If you know what feeds it, cut off the supply line.
Years ago, I had a dream I’ve never forgotten. I was sitting in the driver’s seat of a truck with the windows rolled up. A strange man stood just outside my window, and he kept wanting me to roll my window down. I knew I’d be in danger if I did. But he wouldn’t leave, and the longer he persisted, the more I wavered. Finally, I gave in and cracked the window about an inch, just enough to hear what he wanted.
He never said a word. He reached into his pocket, pulled out a cigarette, and lit it. Before I knew what was happening, he had shoved his whole hand through that one-inch gap and pressed the burning cigarette against my head. The pain was so terrible it jarred me awake.
I’ve thought about that dream for decades now, because that’s exactly how sin works. It doesn’t need the window rolled all the way down. It only needs an inch. Crack it open just to hear what it has to say, and you’ll get burned every time.
And here’s the good news: you are never trapped.
“No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it” (1 Corinthians 10:13).
That window never has to come down. No matter how long temptation stands there knocking, God has already provided a way out. In my dream, I should have just driven off. The longer we sit there entertaining the enticements of the flesh, the more likely we are to get burned.
Keep in Step
Paul closes this passage with one more picture:
“If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit” (Galatians 5:25).
The word walk here is stoicheō, which means to walk in line, to keep in step, like soldiers marching in rank. The Spirit sets the pace and the direction. We don’t run ahead of Him, and we don’t lag behind. We stay in step with Him.
The Spirit is Stronger
Here's the bottom line: You can’t go off the grid from the flesh. It came with you, and it isn’t leaving this side of heaven. You can’t outrun it, and you can’t out-muscle it. It was crucified the day you came to Christ, and the Spirit who lives in you is stronger than anything it can throw at you.
So keep the window rolled up. Keep in step with the Spirit. And when you stumble, get back up, because the verdict hasn’t changed. “Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.” In the Greek, “shall not” is ou mē, a double negative and the strongest way to say “no” in the language. Paul isn’t saying you probably won’t, or you might not. He’s saying it will not happen. What a promise!
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Holly D. Sands has walked with Christ since 1983. She writes at He is My Song, helping fellow believers walk faithfully through every season with biblical encouragement, sound doctrine, and honest reflection. She lives in South Carolina, where she and her husband, Shane Sands, are members of a local Baptist church. Shane's been called by God as an evangelist and leads United in Christ Jesus ministry. At home, they're joined by their idiot cat, Mister Bojangles, whose main contribution to the household is sleeping and eating treats.
© 2026 He is My Song. All rights reserved.
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