Mortify the Deeds of the Body

Romans 8:13 - For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.

     My flesh, my flesh, my flesh. I would be perfect and thin if it weren't for my flesh! I wake up everyday with a choice to make, will I live after the flesh or after the Spirit? It seems to be a simple question with a simple answer - Live after the Spirit. - but it's completely different when the pizza is calling my name! Now we have a problem - maybe more than one since the pizza talks to me (LOL). The rubber meets the road here. What will I - what will you - do now? The flesh says "YES! PIZZA!" The Spirit says "No more pizza it's just another clogged artery, extra fat, and higher cholesterol." Here it is, the debate of all debates, taking place in the mind. How can we make sure that we don't take that extra piece of pizza? 

     We must live in the Spirit and view taking that extra piece of pizza for what it really is...SIN. Yes, I said sin. Remember that we are the temple of the Holy Spirit and we are to honor Him. So tell me, how does getting fatter, higher cholesterol, or more clogged arteries going to glorify God? It doesn't. We must live in the Spirit and in doing so we will mortify - kill - the fleshly desires. He will give us the strength needed to overcome, but we must first surrender to Him and live in the Spirit.

     People laugh when I say, "Get that sinful cake away from me." I am not saying that SOME cake is bad but for me I am compared to a drunkard when I get around food, I eat and eat and eat and when I'm full I still try to eat just one more piece. I will tell you that too many times I give in to my flesh instead of mortifying it. I say every day... "O.K. today I will do better, I will eat better, eat less fatty foods and more vegi's." but right around ten o'clock I'm saying, "A double cheeseburger, fries, and a large drink sounds really good" I then find myself reasoning, "I will eat this then work out a little extra today." This may sound o.k. but then when it comes time to exercise I say "Man, I'm too tired to exercise now, I will do extra tommorrow." and the vicious cycle continues. I have found that while in sin logical reasoning goes out the window.

    Victory to this battle is found by being stubburnly submitted to obey God. Treat that thought of food like it is a thought of cheating on your husband or wife - KICK IT OUT!!! Don't give ANY ROOM for that type of thinking. While it is still in the process of trying to form a reason say NO, THAT'S SIN!! If the thought continues to raise its nasty head, then get some water and spend some time in prayer and ask God for strength. He WILL give it, of this I can testify. The trick is to NOT wait until your holding the pizza, cake, or doublecheesburger in your hand to ask God for strength. We must DETERMINE NOW to MORTIFY the flesh daily, hourly, minute by minute, second by second, so we CAN live in TRIUMPH through the SPIRIT. Resolve right now to be stubburnly submitted to God.