We all get desires and cravings of any sort. We crave food, drinks, entertainment, money, people, etc. But what’s the difference between fleshly desires and spiritual desires? It is said in Romans 8:5, “Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires”. Fleshly desires are the desire to do things for the pleasure or comfort of the physical body, without regard to the soul. It is said in Galatians 5:19-21, “The acts of flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 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”. To add on to this, drinking alcohol, smoking, drug use., Sexual immorality- for example:

• Sexting
• Pornography(acting upon it and watching it)
• Prostitution
• Adultery
• Affairs
• Masturbation
• Lust/Horniness

Romans 8:7-8 says, “The mind governed by the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. Those who are in the realm of the flesh cannot please God”.

Let’s move on into the Spirit. It is said in Romans 8:6, “The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace”. The spirit desires these things:

• Prayer
• Reading the Bible
• Waiting for God’s voice
• Water baptism
• To be filled up with the Holy Spirit

There are such things as Spiritual sin, what are they?

• Knowingly committing sin
• Knowingly disobeying God
• Knowingly refusing to pray
• Knowingly refusing to read the Bible
• Trying to fool God and others by acting like an innocent holy person reading the Bible and praying, when you have already planned ahead on what sinful actions you will do right after you read the Bible and pray.

First of all, you can NEVER fool or trick God. Nothing gets by him and He knows what tricks you are playing.

Now it says in Galatians 5:16-18, “So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. 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 you want. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law”. We must live according to the Spirit and resist the desires of the flesh, but how do we do that?

• If you have committed any sinful acts of any kind, repent and pray/ask God for forgiveness.(Acts 3:19).
• Pray that you can hear him talk to you.
• Pray in your own words by devoting yourself to be disciplined by him.
• Ask him to make you more focused.
• Give him authority over your life.

One more thing, your body is the temple of God, so you must be respectful of it. It says in 1 Corinthians 6:19-20, “Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received God? You are not your own, you were bought at a price. Therefore, honor God with your bodies”. And verse 18 says, “Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a person commits are outside of the body, but whoever sins sexually, sins against their own body”.

• “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.”-Galatians 5:13

And remember this:

A sinner is someone who commits sin, as a criminal is someone who commits a crime. Sin is a crime in the law of the Lord. So what does that make a sinner?

A CRIMINAL.

So obey the law of the Lord, resist temptations to do sin and the act of sin, live according to the Spirit and resist the desires of the flesh, and stay away from a life of crime!