Following the Flesh is Fatal Attraction
Following the Flesh is Fatal Attraction
"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." Romans 8:13
There are some attractions that don’t advertise their danger. They flicker a false and fatal flame. They whisper, “Just this once.” But beneath the twinkle is a trap. Paul calls that trap “the flesh.”
“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.”
Paul is not being extra (needy and seeking attention). He is echoing an emphatic truth! Following the flesh is fatal attraction.
You see, the flesh is a master marketer.
It knows how to package destruction in appealing wrapping.
It offers pleasure without mentioning the price and promises freedom while hiding the chains.
The flesh never shows you the whole picture. It shows the bait, not the hook. It shows the moment, not the aftermath. It shows the feeling, not the fallout.
This is why Paul warns us: if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die.
Not just physically, though sin can destroy the body.
Not just emotionally, though sin can drain the soul.
But spiritually, because the flesh always leads away from God, never toward Him.
The flesh is fatal because it is fundamentally anti-life. And the flesh is not just a list of bad behaviors. It’s a godless gravitational pull toward self over the Spirit of God. Consequently, it feeds pride, fuels impulses, and inflames desires that war against holiness.
It strengthens the very things that God has called us to try to crucify.
Paul doesn’t say, “Manage the flesh,” “Tame the flesh,” or “Counsel the flesh.”
He says, “Put it to death.”
The Spirit is not interested in reforming the flesh. He is committed to killing it.
Why? Because the flesh cannot be trusted, trained, or rehabilitated. So, the Spirit’s strategy is execution, not negotiation.
And the good news is this:
You don’t kill the flesh by willpower. You kill it by the Spirit, and the Spirit gives you:
New desires, strength, and power.
Romans 8:13 doesn’t end with death; it ends with life. “But if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.”
Life is not found in coddling the flesh. Life is found in crucifying it.
Because when the flesh dies:
Peace grows, and purpose awakens.
Freedom expands, and holiness becomes desirable, not burdensome.
The Spirit doesn’t just kill what destroys you; He resurrects what God designed in you. Therefore, don’t flirt with what wants to finish you! The flesh is not a harmless attraction. It is a fatal one.
And it’s important to know that the Spirit is not a distant helper. He is a present power.
Romans 8:13 is not a threat; it’s an invitation to life, freedom, and Spirit-empowered transformation.
Following the flesh is fatal attraction. But following the Spirit is abundant life.
Not a sermon, just some thoughts.
FtGG