"Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.”

Romans 8:8

There is a constant battle between the Spirit of God and the flesh. The Spirit of God helps us to live the life of God and, biblically speaking, the flesh is antagonistic to the Spirit. How do we let the Spirit of God win out so that his life will reign in ours? We win by losing. We raise the white flag and surrender.

In war when one side determines that it does not have the power to beat the other, it has the option of surrendering. It realizes that it will be destroyed and the one hope of survival is to surrender by raising the white flag. Figuring that the only chance they have to live is by surrendering, the less powerful side turns themselves over to the more powerful opposition hoping they will somehow be spared.

How does surrender to the Spirit of God work? It comes from acknowledging that we are powerless to deal with the desires of the flesh. Left to our own devices, the flesh can take over and destroy the life of God within us. But in this battle between the Spirit and flesh we can invite God in to order and empower us in the use of our bodies. We come to God and admit we do not have the power to deal with all our cravings and desires for pleasure which, if go unchecked; turn us into animals who use one another rather than human beings who love one another.

Surrender to God is not popular in our “me-first” world. In our flesh-driven society the thing we so often see is surrender to our own desires and ways. We want pleasure! But, at a much deeper level, what we really want is purpose. The flesh tends toward pleasure and the Spirit of God leads us to our deepest purpose. In the ongoing battle between the Spirit of God and the flesh, let us reflect on whether we are surrendering to pleasure or purpose.

The purpose of eating is not for pleasure but to get the nutrition we need to live and grow. The deepest reason we sleep is not for the enjoyment of it but to restore our bodies so we can do the work and exercise we are called to do after our sleep. The purpose of sex is not for its pleasure but to further unite a couple in their sacrament of marriage and to be open to conceiving a new child in the womb. While eating, sleeping, having sex and various other activities offer pleasure, pleasure alone will never provide the meaning we are looking for in life. It is not wrong to enjoy the pleasures God gives us but our lives should always be guided by the purpose that God has for something. We find and follow that purpose by living according to God’s Spirit and not the cravings of the flesh.

Seek to be dictated by the purpose of things and not their derivative pleasure.

The pleasure of the flesh is superficial and temporary. Living according to the Spirit of God is about going deeper, always growing, and never fading.

God’s will!
+Fr. John