Battling It Out With the Flesh Part 2

Introduction - Fire Extinguishers

Do you know how many different types of fire extinguishers there are? Do you know there are different types of fire extinguishers? If there is ever a chance you might pick up a fire extinguisher to put out a fire, you need to know this.

There are different types of fire extinguishers because there are different types of fires. It’s important to know the differences because it could make a lifesaving difference.

There are six different classes of fires.

Class A – Fires that involve solid flammables and dusts, such as wood, plastics, paper and cardboard, fabric and textiles, and dusts such as grain dust and flour.

Class B – Fires that involve flammable liquids, such as gasoline, petroleum oil, paint, or diesel.

Class C – Fires that involve flammable gases, such as propane, butane, or methane.

Class D – Fires that involve combustible metals, such as magnesium, lithium, sodium, potassium, titanium, or aluminium.

Class F – Fires that involve cooking oils and fats, such as vegetable oil, sunflower oil, olive oil, maize oil, lard, or butter (typically those used for deep-fat fryers).

Although it is not recognised as a separate class of fire in Europe, electrical fires that involve live equipment and electrical sources are also a type you should bear in mind (think of it as an informal Class E; ‘E’ for electric to help you remember).

Types of Fire Extinguishers - Colours, Signage & Fire Classes (highspeedtraining.co.uk)

With this in mind, fire extinguishers have one or more of the following symbols to indicate what kinds of fires they are suitable for.

FIRE EXTINGUISHER SYMBOLS GRAPHIC

There are five main types of fire extinguishers:

1. Water

2. Powder

3. Foam

4. Carbon Dioxide (CO2)

5. Wet chemical

Each type is easily identifiable by their names, colours, and sometimes their hoses. Depending on their size, some may not come with a flexible hose, such as smaller foam or aqua water spray extinguishers. Types of Fire Extinguishers - Colours, Signage & Fire Classes (highspeedtraining.co.uk)

If you want to put out a fire, what’s the first thing you have to do? Identify what kind of fire it is.

This principle applies to defending ourselves from spiritual attacks. We have three different spiritual enemies, the flesh, the world and the devil. The are different from each other and although they share a key common tactic, they attack us in differently.

1. Identify the attack as from the flesh.

Galatians 5:19

It isn’t hard to identify and attack from the flesh, it is something we need to learn. The flesh is our most active enemy and is the easiest to identify. We know this because Paul says,

Galatians 5:19 ESV

19 Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality,

A. Think about what you’re thinking.

This requires thinking about what you’re thinking.

Do you have the peace of God? You can’t have the peace of God and the works of the flesh in your heart at the same time.

What desires, urges, moods, thoughts or actions are filling your heart and mind?

B. Identify the work of the flesh

The works of the flesh, they things the flesh does in us to try to get us to turn our heart away from God are evident. They are obvious. I have given you a list of the works of the flesh. I’m working to make sure I have every possible evil desire of the flesh that is described in the Bible listed on it. If you think of something that isn’t on the list, please let me know.

It is possible that the world and the devil can also create some of these evil desires. As we continue in our study we’ll see that they way they create them is different. In general, it’s most likely that if what you are feeling is on this list, it came from the flesh.

2. Take a fighting position.

Romans 6:3-11, Galatians 5:16

This is what we talked about in our last message about reframing the attack. When you are in the midst of a spiritual attack it can overwhelm you so that you are only thinking about the evil desire or temptation. We have to step back and reframe what is happening.

This involves getting into a fighting position.

Our fighting position is not the same for each enemy. Paul tells describes the position we need to be in to fight the flesh in Romans 6.

Romans 6:3–11 ESV

3 Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. 5 For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. 6 We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. 7 For one who has died has been set free from sin. 8 Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. 9 We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. 10 For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God. 11 So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.

A. We are dead to sin.

We fight from the position of one who has died to the control of the flesh. We are free from the flesh’s power. This has to be in the forefront of our minds or we will fail.

If we think, “I’m too weak to resist this evil desire. I’ve sinned over and over again and I can’t resist temptation., we will fail every time.

B. We are alive to God.

If we think, “I’m dead to this evil desire of the flesh. It has no power over me, I can with God’s power resist this temptation,” we in a fighting position.

As one who is alive to God, we have God’s power to fight out battle. This involves unleashing the Spirit’s power to help us.

Galatians 5:16 ESV

16 But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.

3. Choose the appropriate power of the Spirit.

Galatians 5:22-23

Using the Spirit’s power involves to things. It involves choosing and using the spiritual quality that is the opposite of the evil desire from the flesh. This is what Paul tells us to do in Romans 6 after we take our fighting position.

Romans 6:11–14 ESV

11 So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus. 12 Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions. 13 Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness. 14 For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace.

Verse 13 says to present our members as instruments for righteousness. That begins when we

A. Choose the spiritual quality.

There are nine qualities the Spirit gives us to defeat the flesh.

Galatians 5:22–23 ESV

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.

love: to have love for someone or something, based on sincere appreciation and high regard, to love, to regard with affection.

joy: a state of joy and gladness, great happiness.

peace: tranquility, a state of freedom from anxiety and inner turmoil.

patience: a state of emotional calm in the face of provocation or misfortune and without complaint or irritation.

kindness: to provide something beneficial for someone as an act of kindness, to be kind.

goodness: the act of generous giving, with the implication of its relationship to goodness, generosity.

faithfulness: having complete confidence, trust and dependence on God.

gentleness: gentleness, meekness, and mildness of attitude and behavior, in contrast with harshness in one’s dealings with others.

self-control: to exercise complete control over one’s desires and actions.

Louw, J. P., & Nida, E. A. (1996). Greek-English lexicon of the New Testament: based on semantic domains (electronic ed. of the 2nd edition., Vol. 1, p. 292). New York: United Bible Societies.

4. Use the spiritual quality.

Romans 6:11-14

Acting means doing something. Just thinking about what the right thing to do isn’t enough.

If a person comes toward you and it looks like he’s going to hit you and you think, “The best course of action right now is to run or duck or block the punch,” but all you do is think about it, you’ll get hit. If that happened, as many have said, you wouldn’t be using the good sense the Lord gave you.

Walking in the Spirit is not thinking about but using the good sense, the spiritual qualities, the Lord gave.

If a person is being harsh to you and you feel anger rising within, you have identified an evil desire of the flesh. You choose to be patient and speak kindly. Ask the Spirit to help you as you begin to talk calmly, choosing your attitude, volume of speech and words that will lower the tension. This may even involve humbling yourself and allowing a person to be rude to you. If the anger has risen to the point where you need a different tactic, politely excuse yourself and walk about until the anger subsides.

The fruit of the Spirit are the spiritual qualities we need to counter the evil attacking desire and thoughts of the flesh. None of these are natural responses. There are human qualities like these, but using them is a matter of your strength of will. That doesn’t work. These are supernatural and are only possible when we rest in our position in Christ and allow the Holy Spirit to work through us. This begins when we choose the spiritual quality then use is with an action on our part.

Romans 6:11–14 ESV

11 So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus. 12 Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions. 13 Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness. 14 For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace.

Here are some suggestions of how this works.

If you feel hatred or animosity toward someone, choose to love that person with the love of Jesus.

What can you say or do to love that person as Jesus would have you love him? It will definitely be kind and helpful words. Thought: What is your attitude? Is this God's attitude toward this person? What is God's attitude? Action: Choose to view this person as God does, as a person for whom Christ died. See this person as someone whom God loves. What is a loving action that Jesus would do in this situation? What can you say that will treat the person as one who is valued by God and you?

If you feel discouraged, empty or dissatisfied, choose the joy of the Holy Spirit.

What are good things that have happened to you in the past? Think back on a time when you had the joy and peace of God in your heart. Purpose to have joy in the midst of your battle because you know the outcome will be positive and God honoring

If you feel burdened, anxious and fearful, choose peace in your situation.

Thought: What can you be thankful for right now? What is your biggest concern? How does God want you to feel about this problem? Action: Thank God for this hardship problem or trial. Share with God your concerns and ask him to help you with your problems or meet your needs. Choose to be calm and base that calmness on God's unquestionable love and devotion to you.

If you are frustrated and impatient with people or a situation, choose patience.

Thought: Action:

If someone has treated you bad and made you angry, choose to be kind.

Thought: Action: What kind words can you offer to defuse the situation? What can you do to change the attitude from hostility to kindness? It is almost always the words we say in the way that we say them.If you are in a disagreement with someone or someone has done something that you don't like, rather than retaliating or arguing, choose goodness as a response. What is something you can do or say as a good response? What actions can you take that will be of benefit to the person you are in conflict with? This could be something you do, and act of goodness or even generosity. It can also be goodness expressed in a complementary way that benefits the other person and his reputation.

If you are overwhelmed with doubt or fear, choose faith.

Thought: Action: What is a specific way you can trust God in this situation? What do you fear most? Is God greater or is what you fear greater? Focus on how God has directed you and provided for you in the past. Think about the way God has worked in the lives of people we read about in the Bible. Choose to trust God even though it is difficult and there is an element of uncertainty.

If you have been treated harshly or judged by others, choose gentleness.

Gentleness is a mild emotional response. The Scriptures tell us, "A soft answer turns away wrath," Proverbs 15:1. Thought: I reject any feelings of hostility and judgment. I choose to respond gently. Action: What can you gently say to counteract the way you were treated? You may express this through your tone of voice, and it may be that you simply say nothing. Body language also communicates how we feel, so choose to feel an attitude of openness and gentleness.

If you feel lazy, or inclined to pursue short-lived pleasures such as excessive alcohol, drugs or improper sexual pleasures, choose self control.

Thought: Acknowledge that the evil desires are wrong and think about what your godly action should be. Think about the guilt that will follow sin and the joy that will follow obedience. Action: Do what you need to do whether it be a positive action of beginning task bar a negative action of fleeing from the temptation before you. Self-control requires initiation on your part. Begin to act with self-control and trust the Holy Spirit to empower you to continue.