The desires of the flesh.

Philippians 3.19 : "Their end will be destruction, their gods their bellies, their glory in their shame, they think only of the things of the earth, but our city of ours is in heaven, where we also expect as Savior the Lord Jesus Christ."

Definition : In Hebrew "bastar", "flesh" in the moral sense refers to the will and the corrupt thoughts of the natural man, of man as he has become by the sin of Adam. In the physical sense, it means the body, the material part of the man who is the element of the body the most limited in its resources, the most fragile and the most perishable.

Galatians 5.20 : "envy, drunkenness, excesses of the table, and the like, I tell you in advance, as I said before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom. of God."

All excesses are contrary to restraint, they numb the hearts. One of the most striking examples is overweight, which causes more deaths than leanness. Today the planet has 1.4 billion people overweight. Obesity causes 2.8 million deaths worldwide each year, or 6,850 deaths a day ! It is a truth that shows us that the natural need of man can quickly be dominated by exacerbated thoughts, it is the "all for oneself". The carnal desires thus make us defects, they are contrary to a healthy and spiritual life. The cult of comfort and ease, attracts the man to his own pleasure. His temple is the supermarket of an ultra-consumer and selfish society. The excessive appetites of flesh of all kinds are contrary to the word of Christ, they subjugate the body; the soul and the spirit.

Luke 21.34 : "Take heed to yourselves, lest your hearts dwell on the excesses of eating and drinking, and the cares of life, and this day come on you unexpectedly."

Through all excesses, carnal desires are dangerous, the body wants to control our life. The apostle Paul said, "I hold my body subject." It must therefore be controlled by remaining sober and regular fasts. Paul explains to us: "For those who live according to the flesh desire what is carnal; those who live according to the spirit, which is spiritual "(Romans 8.5). The carnal things belong to the earth as well as the enemy and Satan. If we are born again, it is a strong opposition to carnal thoughts that translates into a Christian life that does not care about the things of the world anymore. The Word tells us : "Everything is allowed but not all is useful". It is thus a free will proper to each one in adequacy with the thoughts of the Holy Spirit.

Revelation 3.16 : "So, because you are lukewarm and you are neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of my mouth."

The things of the world are made to tempt and hold men. The lukewarm have a shared heart, they believe in God and love the world, the Lord is not their priority. Those who live in the lusts of the flesh, impoverish their hearts and destroy their restraint because they have not chosen the fear of the Lord. They will not inherit the Kingdom of God because: "the desire of the flesh is death, while the desire of the spirit is life and peace ...." (Romans 8:6) . Because of his sinful nature, the lost man constantly confides in the pleasures of the flesh. Gluttony is therefore a moral state directed by the impulses of the flesh to fill a lack. It reveals a soul that is not at peace, it is a burden. The carnal man is the victim of his dissatisfaction, he can never fill the emptiness in his heart.

Matthew 4.4 : Jesus answered, It is written, "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes out of the mouth of God."

Paul defines carnal Christians as not collaborating with the Holy Spirit to develop their spiritual maturity. He speaks here to non-spiritual men in whom this carnal nature predominates. He could not teach them deep things and had to limit himself to what he called "milk". First of all, let us ask ourselves if our work first has in view those things from above which nourish our souls and which remain, or those of this world, destined to perish. The Lord Jesus says, "Search the Scriptures" because it is through them that we can advance in knowledge. It is through the bread of life, Jesus Christ, that the love of God grows in us: it is to recognize our Creator and to live by his teachings.

John 6.35 : Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life, and he who comes to me shall never be hungry, and he who believes in me shall never thirst."

Conclusion : the human tendency in our generation is epicurean while our souls are anorexic. If you do not care, it's spiritual suicide. So we need to repent to reverse the process. When we wish to follow Jesus, the Word of God nourishes us in temperance, it brings joy into our hearts, it is a source of living water that never dries up. It is a sincere heart that goes towards sobriety, which recognizes its needs with God. Put yourself in good standing in a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Our faith is the delight of our soul, it is infinite and pure when it remains fixed to the Lord.

Romans 13.11 : "You know how long we are, it's time to finally wake up from sleep, for now salvation is closer to us than when we believed, the night is coming, the day is coming. We therefore walk in the darkness, and put on the arms of light, let us walk honestly, as in broad daylight, without excess of table or drink, without lust or disorder, without discord or jealousy, but be clothed with the Lord Jesus Christ. Christ, and do not worry about the flesh to satisfy its desires." Amen !