Strip it out, cut it off!

So building on the less is more, surrendering theme. I was listening to a sermon this weekend by Stef Liston, and he spoke about the Flesh, the World and the Devil... below is a bit of the sermon and my thoughts around that.

One of Stef's key points was that we need to crucify the flesh, not to give any space to it (giving it an inch - it will take a mile). The flesh is ultimately anything which stops us from loving Jesus (which ultimately is rooted in the demonic).

In Hebrews 12 the writer tells the people to "throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles"... EVERYTHING which hinders... Likewise elsewhere in the bible (not sure of the reference) it says if our right hand causes us to sin, we should cut it off! There is a massively radically teaching about what to do from anything which detracts from Jesus.

Wow! That challenged me, how do I operate in my life, what thoughts do I allow to enter my mind? How do I guard my mind & my heart? I close below with a challenging letter to the Galatians...

Galatians 5: Life by the Spirit
¹³ You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love. ¹⁴ For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” ¹⁵ If you bite and devour each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other. ¹⁶ So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. ¹⁷ For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever^[c] you want. ¹⁸ But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. ¹⁹ The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; ²⁰ idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions ²¹ and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God. ²² But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ²³ gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. ²⁴ Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. ²⁵ Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. ²⁶ Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.