The Flesh Resist the Spirit

Crisis involves the Spirit and Body disconnection.
(Spirit vs. Body)
The spirit is willing, but the body is weak. Jesus Christ, being God who came down on Earth with human flesh, was still overshadowed by this crisis, which always exists between the body and the spirit, as well as his disciples.
When he was with his disciples in a place called Gethsemane, he took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee with him, and he began to be sorrowful and heavy.

    Then he went ahead and said unto them, My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even unto death: tarry ye here, and watch with me. Having said so, he went a little further, and fell on his face and prayed, saying, ”O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.”
    —Mathew 26:39

    And the most interesting thing here is that Jesus Christ made these same prayers three times.
    After saying this prayer, he came down to the disciples and saw them sleeping, and he said unto Peter and the rest of the disciples,
    ”Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” — Mathew 26:41

    In this scenario, now, we all have seen how Christ was persistent in his request for this foreseen suffering to be shoved out of his way by the Almighty Father.
    This is a heavy indication of an imminent crisis emanating between the body and the spirit.
    For Jesus Christ already knew that this day would come, it was prophesied even before he took human flesh and came onto Earth. Then, why was he eager to see that this cup get behind him?

    Just like he reminded his disciples when he finished his prayers three times, saying, Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation. For he knew already that if it were done according to his will, it would become the willingness of the flesh. That was why he left it to the will of the Almighty God. (the will of the spirit to overshadow the body.)
    He already knew the war that exists between the body and the spirit because, even he, as God, was weak bodily if not for the fact that he always sought revival from his father through prayers as a communication mode in order to align the body with the spirit again.

    So, we should know that the conflict between the flesh (body) and the spirit (soul/spirit of man or the Holy Spirit) is a defining crisis of human nature post-Fall.
    The disconnection leads to spiritual decay, emotional torment, and often moral failure unless the spirit is dominated by the power of God.

    Then, when the flesh fights the spirit, how can one heal the crisis of this disconnection?
    Well, this is a nice follow-up question in this write-up. Before healing the crisis of this disconnection, one must understand its causes and nature. So, that takes us into what I called:

    Understanding The Crisis: Causes and Nature.
    a) The Fall (Genesis 3) is the introduction of fragmentation between humanity’s body, soul, and spirit.
    b) The flesh (sarx) represents the lower, carnal nature: cravings, pride, sinfulness, and rebellion.
    c) The spirit (pneuma) is the God-conscious part of man, designed to govern the soul and body in alignment with God’s will.
    d) Post-Fall, the flesh often rules, and the spirit becomes suppressed — leading to conflict, addiction, spiritual apathy, and psychological distress.

    Having understood the crisis, its causes, and nature, how can one heal the crisis of spirit-body disconnection and return to organic and natural power?

    Here is my seven-part framework that brings biblical, psychological, and spiritual coherence to the healing process.

    1. Spiritual Awakening: Recognising the War.
    2. Repentance and Surrender
    3. Spiritual Disciplines: Realign the Hierarchy.
    4. Body Awareness & Reconciliation.
    5. Rewiring the Mind.
    6. Community & Confession.
    7. Daily Cross-Carrying and Grace-Reliance.
    8. Spiritual Awakening: Recognising the War:
      “The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace.” (Romans 8:6)
      There is a need for one to spend intentional time in solitude with his spirit, and also in scripture. While doing so, do not forget to ask yourself questions such as: ‘Where am I obeying the flesh over the spirit?’

    Because healing begins with awareness, you must be able to recognise that the conflict is real and that it has consequences.
    And for you to be able to recognise the war and be aware, it requires certain self-principles such as:
    — Honest self-examination
    — Thorough conviction by the holy spirit, and
    — The ability to recognise how your life has been led by the flesh.

    1. Repentance and Surrender:
      “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” (James 4:7)
      The only true healing process for disconnection is through submission. There is a need for you to dethrone the flesh and give room for the enthronement of the spirit.

    The reason is that;
    — The true repentance is not merely guilt but the ability of one to turn the will.
    — One must know that surrender involves letting go of control, pride, and the mechanism that involves flesh-coping.

    To sum it up with repentance and surrender, one must be eager to self-confess areas where the body has ruled (e.g., lust, gluttony, laziness), and ask for the Spirit’s empowerment.

    1. Spiritual Disciplines: Realign the Hierarchy:
      “Train yourself for godliness.” (1 Timothy 4:7)
      Rituals differ significantly from spiritual disciplines. You can engage in spiritual rituals as a non-disciplined spiritual individual. This occurs when you are seeking in a cohort with bodily alignment still in control, or doing so either with the guidance of a spiritualist or directly with the spiritualist, while you remain spiritually undisciplined.

    So, spiritual disciplines are meant to restructure the soul. Bringing the body under the control of the spirit through the power of the holy spirit.
    To be able to achieve this, below are the core disciplines that will help you heal disconnection:
    — Fasting – this will go ahead to silence the selfish craving of the body.
    — Prayer – the rude awakener and strengthener of the spirit.
    — Meditation on Scripture – the scripture will help renew your mind and align your spirit and thought.
    — Silence & Solitude – you are not advised to be solitary in living, but you should always find time to calm flesh-driven noise and awaken deep spiritual awareness.

    I urge you to take action on this by choosing one practice daily for 21 days. Begin with short fasting periods, include some breath prayers, and remember to engage in scripture meditation.

    1. Body Awareness & Reconciliation:
      “Offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.” (Romans 12:1)
      Remember, your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit. So, your body is not the enemy, because the goal of the body is not rejection but proper reconciliation with it under spiritual governance.

    To achieve body awareness and reconciliation to escape the crisis involved in body and spirit, below are two major exercises I advise you to imbibe, and they are:
    — Always engage in embodied practices: walking, stretching, breath awareness, sacred dance, even holy touch (laying hands in prayer).
    — Very crucial, always learn how to listen to your body without letting it control you.

    For more bodily awareness, do not forget to always practice embodied prayer, such as kneeling, raising hands, or slow breathing in God’s presence.

    1. Rewiring the Mind:
      As human beings, we are left with two choices on Earth, and they are the ability to choose between RIGHT and WRONG.
      Which means, we all already know what is good and what is not. And with this ability, you can easily uplift your organic and natural well-being or ruin it as well.

    Our thoughts are the determinant, that is to say, that healing happens in the thought-life. And disconnection is fuelled by distorted beliefs and thought patterns (trauma, lust, fear, ego).
    Even though some of these factors (trauma, lust, fear, ego) are out of our control sometimes, we still have the opportunity of making choices that will elevate us or demote us. Then why not rewind your mind toward making the right choice to be aligned instead of disconnected from the spirit?

    Below are two core practices I used to rewind my mind and become connected with the spirit.
    — Always practice daily truth replacement: replace flesh-driven thoughts with Spirit-led truths.
    — Use Scripture as affirmation to reshape neural pathways.
    And do not forget to harken to this action practice. Write down 5 flesh-based lies (e.g., I am my desires) and 5 spiritual truths to replace them (e.g., I am led by the Spirit).

    1. Community & Confession:
      “Confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed.” (James 5:16)
      Have you ever noticed that whenever your flesh leads to a particular type of sin that you seem to enjoy, you always run away from individuals who can talk you out of that particular sin?
      And the reason is that the flesh loses power when it’s exposed to the light. Which means, the flesh thrives in isolation, and the spirit strengthens in community.

    So, to avoid body and spirit disconnection and align well with your spirit, below are two major exercises to imbibe:
    — Find solace in joining spirit-filled spaces: churches, discipleship groups, and accountability circles.
    — Confess honestly. Flesh loses power when it’s exposed to the light.
    And I encourage you to engage in this action plan. Connect and confide with one person you trust weekly for confession, prayer, and mutual encouragement.

    1. Daily Cross-Carrying and Grace-Reliance:
      “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.” (Luke 9:23)
      Connection with the Holy Spirit and healing are a daily routine, not an instant activity. This is a cross-carrying life, not really a flesh-indulging one.

    Do not be afraid because his grace covers you, but you should not negatively capitalise on his grace and do evil, hoping for grace to help you out. Remember that God cannot be fooled. But with due diligence, doing with all your might and dedication seeking righteousness while doing, his grace covers you even when you falter.

    No doubt about it, you will fail sometimes, and that’s why grace is essential. And his grace has given us room to rely on the indwelling holy spirit moment-by-moment as a sacred war tool.
    So, I urge you again to start every morning with this surrender prayer: “Lord, I yield my body, mind, and spirit to You today. Live through me.”

    Then let me leave you with this question again: ”When the flesh fights the spirit, how can one heal the crisis of this disconnection?”
    Where do you think the answers lie? It lies within; this write-up is just a trigger of awareness.