10 Biblical Steps to Crucify the Flesh!

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Do you believe that Jesus’ blood is enough for your transformation? Or do you believe you need to earn healing, salvation, and authority?

Many Christians remain stuck in the same situation and cycles of pain for very long periods of times. That breaks my heart. It is NOT God’s will for anyone to remain imprisoned by feelings of rejection, shame, hopelessness, fear, abandonment, distrust, jealousy, anger, comparison, etc. The truth is, Christ came to set us free and teach us how to set others free.

What will this article cover?

This article will provide guidance on how to begin the process of dying to oneself, which is a concept rooted in Christian theology. By following these four steps, readers will be able to begin aligning their lives more closely with God’s will.

1. Understand The War of Spirit vs Flesh: Gain a deeper understanding of tug between your spirit and flesh. Your unhealed wounds, desires, insecurities, and fears can cause you to act in unGodly ways.
2. Find The Cause of Your Weakness: Discover the root cause of your weaknesses and addcition for things of the world, and then strive to quench your thirst with the LIVING WATER that satisfies the soul. Jesus has given us the Holy Spirit to empower us to eradicate sinful thoughts and selfish ambitions.
3. You Must Die To Self Effort — Human Strength: Crucify the flesh daily by rejecting its desires and committing to following God’s will. Foster intimacy with God through prayer, worship, and studying His Word.
4. You have the Holy Spirit: Learn to walk in the Spirit by applying the principles of God’s Word and allowing the Holy Spirit to guide us. Remain accountable to trusted advisors and be willing to make amends when necessary.
5. How to Crucify the Flesh Daily: Here are 10 practical tips on how to crucify the flesh daily, so that we may grow in our relationship with God and become more like Him.

What is the flesh?

The key to living abundantly is dying to self, also known as crucifying the flesh. The flesh is your unhealthy needs, wants, and emotions. It’s the part of you that craves worldly things to feel satisfied and content.

Internally there is a war: spirit vs flesh. Our flesh often feels like a victim, fights, lusts, rebels, and protects ourselves from pain. The flesh wants to protect and provide for itself (selfish). While the Holy Spirit within us wants to praise/honor God and love people (selfless). Essentially, the flesh needs to be removed, so we can be powerful in the spirit! Dying to the carnal self should be a priority for Christians.

The Bible commands us to live by the spirit and not our flesh: "But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions," -- Galatians 5:16-25 

4 Steps to Start Dying To Self

Dying to self is a process of surrendering our desires and selfishness to God. It involves understanding the spiritual battle between flesh and spirit, seeking healing and guidance, finding satisfaction in God, crucifying the flesh daily, and walking in the spirit.

#1 Understand The War of Spirit vs Flesh!

The flesh is selfish, fearful, insecure, and easily tempted by sinful desires. The flesh wants to protect and provide only for it self and thinks of no one else. Unhealed emotional pain is one of the biggest gateways for Satan to torment humans. Heal the pain within you so it doesn’t cause you to operate in your flesh.

In contrast, the spirit of God that lives within us is selfless, brave, and righteous. The spirit causes us to promote the Kingdom of God and think about how our actions affect everyone.

LUSTS OF THE FLESH

1. Lies- We tell lies to protect ourselves. Perhaps, we are afraid to be judged, controlled, or overworked.
2. Rebellion,Manipulation, Fear, & Control – We want to control an outcome because we are afraid and don’t trust God.
3. Coveting, Lust, & Adultery – We desire sinful things when we are tempted by fleshly desires to make ourselves feel good or better. Our corrupt nature looks to sex or other temporary sinful passions to fulfill us, instead of God.
4. Blame-Shifting, Projection – When we can’t deal with the shame or guilt of a situation we protect ourselves by blaming it on others.
5. Pride, Victim-Mentality, Some psychological suffering, & Greed – This is caused when we don’t trust God! We think we can do it in our strength, so we work in fear, pride, and dysfunction to protect and provide for ourselves.

FRUITS OF THE SPIRIT

1. Submission to God. You are able to wait on God and overcome sin and temptations.
2. A stronger desire for God’s will rather than the things we want.
3. Godly Characteristics: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.” – Galatians 5:22-23
4. We can be patient with people and their imperfections because we know God is in control.
5. You are able to pick love even when someone hurts you. “Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; love is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; love does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth.” 1 Corinthians 13:4-6
6. Humility “compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience,” Colossians 3:12

It’s imperative that you submit yourself to wise counsel to help you in this process. This will help you to leave your old way of life, bear fruit, and embrace God’s gift of purification through the blood of Jesus. Consider speaking with someone at your church OR I would love to help you through this process with spiritual empowerment coaching! Let me help you put on the whole armor of God and experience a full revelation of Christ Jesus. Let’s transform those fleshly thoughts to spiritually and biblically sound thoughts!

#2 Find The Cause of Your Weakness!

The flesh lusts to fill itself with temporary earthly things. Why? Because, we all have a deep hole in our hearts that need to be filled. We are thirsty! Some of us fill the thirst for love, safety, & approval with things and people. However, the things of this world are temporary and like drugs we will always need more! Only God can satisfy our thirst FOREVER.

“Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” (John 4:13-14)!

Living Water Fills Our Emptiness

Living water is needed to satisfy our souls. Without living water, we are thirsty and lust for things to make us feel better. For instance, are you struggling with shame and guilt? A spiritually dry person will fill their need by blaming others, lying, isolating, and using pride to hide insecurities. The point is, our flesh naturally protects us in an unhealthy way if we are unhealed. God gave us the spirit so that we don’t have to use unhealthy methods to feel better.

What do you do to feel better? Are you in a spiritual drought?

When Adam and Eve ate from the tree of good and evil it opened the door to experiencing shame, guilt, perfection, jealousy, rage, selfishness, pride, etc. However, Jesus came to show us a way to escape those tempting emotions that cause us to sin. Jesus experienced the same temptations and emotional struggles as YOU. He understands the weakness of the flesh. “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin.” Hebrews 4:15

Jesus gave us the power of the Holy Spirit when we got saved, to transform us and remove sinful thoughts and selfish ambitions!

Jesus gave us the power of the Holy Spirit when we got saved. Therefore, if you are struggling with lust, negative thoughts, shame, guilt, etc. you are not allowing the Holy Spirit to perfect your emotions. In my life, I realized I wanted to lie or manipulate when I was scared. That realization helped me to see I didn’t trust God nor did I give him control in certain areas. When I became aware, I was able to practice faith and patience in the areas that were overwhelming me. I sought mentorship and meditated on verses that reminded me of God’s faithfulness.

#3 You Must Die To Self Effort — Human Strength!

Do you believe Jesus’ blood is enough and the Holy Spirit within you is powerful? Walking in these truths are the keys for healing. Stop trying to do something to earn healing and forgiveness. Just accept that mercy, redemption, and salvation are free gifts to those willing to repent and change!

When Christ Jesus died on the Cross and you accepted him as your Lord and Savior, He defeated the devil’s grasp on your life. Works of the flesh such as fasting and praying in your own strength will not solve the whole problem. Such fasting is aimed to beg God to do something he has ALREADY done. Instead, fasting and praying should be done to renew your mind and surrender to God’s awesomeness!

Start your process by trusting God when you are afraid instead of doing it yourself through manipulation, control, and rebellion. Or, you may need to repent instead of blaming others when you feel guilt or shame. And, you may need to forgive yourself and stop thinking about what you did wrong after you repented. Your issue might not be listed above, but you must address it with God to get healing.

#4 You have the Holy Spirit!

Jesus gave you the Holy Spirit to help you defeat the thoughts that try to entice you to sin. Remember when Jesus was on his 40 day fast? The enemy came and tried to get him to eat and to show off his power! The trick was to get Jesus to be selfish and think only about himself. However, Jesus was selfless and knew he came to die for our sins and show us the path to Heaven! Jesus didn’t let Satan distract him from his purpose!

That's what the enemy is constantly trying to do -- get us to think about ourselves and not God.

Following the will of God or the enemy requires human sacrifice. To be a good person it requires sacrificing yourself and your wants, to put God’s agenda of loving people first (Selfless). To be known, powerful, fill unhealthy needs, and/or be in control requires putting yourself before everyone else (Selfish). The sacrifices get harder each time… it’ll reveal whose cause we are faithful to (satan or God?)

You can break the cycle of giving into the flesh (selfish desires) by healing! Heal from generational patterns, fear, and anything that keeps you disempowered. You must know that you are loved by God, created in the powerful image of God, and able to walk in TOTAL purity and away from sin.

How To Get Deliverance

I’ve watched too many people try to crucify the flesh by fasting and praying for immediate perfection and transformation. While God can make renewal immediate, there is a beautiful process where we journey with God and he slowly rips off the layers of pain, brokenness, generational patterns, and dysfunctions in the right time.

You need to allow God to guide you while you heal from emotional pain and remove negative mental patterns, so that the enemy doesn’t have an open door to the room of your heart AND the driver’s seat in your mind.

How to Crucify the Flesh Daily

1. Become aware of your fleshly patterns.
2. Stand FIRM in God as a healer and promise KEEPER!
   • “He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.” Psalm 147:3
3. Get to Know God Intimately!
   • “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” Jeremiah 29:13
4. Resist sin and wait for God to move in your situation.
   • “But they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.” Isaiah 40:31
5. Feed yourself the Word of God.
   • “A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of.” Luke 6:45
6. Pray as Holy Spirit Reminds You!
   • “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” Philippians 4:6
7. Practice Self-Control!
   • “No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.” 1 Corinthians 10:13
8. Treat Others How You Want To be Treated!
9. Practice Holy Thinking rather than Carnal Thoughts!
10. Stop trying to do things in your own effort and accept HELP!
    • “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30 

"Cast your burden on the Lord, and he will sustain you; he will never permit the righteous to be moved." Psalm 55:22

Additional Resources:

• 20 Min Free – Empowerment Coaching
• Heal by BREAKING generational curses!
• 3 Tips To Break Toxic Generational Patterns NOW!
• 5 Tips for Overcoming The Spirit of Fear
• Crucify your mind: 4+ Ways To Remove Negative Thoughts (15+ Bible Verses)!
• Understand what causes masturbation and lust of the flesh!
• 5 Reasons You Can’t Be A Good Person Without Jesus!
• Guide to Fasting & Prayer for Breakthrough!

Verses About Dying to Self!

1. Love nothing and no-one more than God. “And he answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.” Luke 10:27 
2. Let Go Control and Trust God. “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.” Proverbs 3:5-6 
3. Dying to self happens when we love others when it’s hard. “If you love those who love you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who do good to you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. And if you lend to those from whom you expect to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, to get back the same amount.” Luke 6:32-34 
4. Don’t be selfish, crucify the flesh. “For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God,“– 2 Timothy 3:2-4
5. Everything we have is to help people not to be better than them! “Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.” Philippians 2:3-4 
6. Help the people around you. “Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.” — Philippians 2:4
7. Let God change your old nature of impure thoughts to spiritual mature thoughts! “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” Romans 12:2 
8. Jesus’ crucifixion was the final offering for our sins and began the process of sanctification within us. “He himself bore our sins” in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; “by his wounds you have been healed.”1 Peter 2:24
9. We have access to victory when we acknowledge that Christ died to help us remove our sinful nature. “Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there.”Galatians 5:24

Frequently Asked Questions

What did Paul say about dying?

Apostle Paul said that he wants to live a life that honors God and not his flesh, therefore he will gladly die to self. Saul (renamed Paul) was a legalistic Pharisee that killed Christians. When Saul came to Christ, he had to die to his old man and then he became a new man (renamed Paul). This is the sanctification and purification process in Christ. “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.” Philippians 1: 21

Where in the Bible does it say to die is gain? It mentions to “die is gain” in Philippians 1: 21.

What does it mean to deny the flesh?

In Christianity, it is crucial to deny the selfish and prideful temptations of the flesh. The flesh is carnal and seeks everything and anything that is opposite of God’s desires for this earth. Instead, we should feed the spirit within us and allow it to lead us into truth, love, purity, and abundant life.

What does self denial in the Bible mean? Self denial in the Bible encourages us not to give into what we want at the moment. Impulsiveness can led us to have sex, lie, manipulate, control, fear, etc. The benefits of denying the flesh are gaining patience, self control, and consistency in being able to remain spiritually minded during temptations.

What does dying to sin mean? Dying to sin means embracing the power of the Holy Spirit to stop doing the wrong things. Sin makes our life hard and chaotic for no reason. I say for no reason because Jesus already broke the cycle, we just need to believe and start walking in his power.

How to access the power of God?

To access the power of God in your life, you need to build an intimate relationship with God. That means, you are to focus on getting to know God for his character & personality not mainly His power. Fasting and praying to understand how God loves you, restores you, and protects you will give you the tools to walk in the spirit. Read more about unhealthy and healthy fasting & prayer to learn how to get closer to God!

Related Article: Carnally Minded: + Biblical Tips To Purity!

How can we who died to sin still live in it? We should be disgusted by sin, but we shouldn’t hate ourselves when we mess up. This verse is pointing out that grace is necessary, but eventually we should live a sin free life as we mature.

“For if we have been united with Him like this in His death, we will certainly also be united with Him in His resurrection.We know that our old self was crucified with Him so that the body of sin might be rendered powerless, that we should no longer be slaves to sin. For anyone who has died has been freed from sin.” Romans 6:5-7