The concept of crucifying the flesh is central to overcoming the works of the flesh, which are the manifestations of human nature apart from God. These works stem from desires, thoughts, and actions driven by the flesh, which is the raw state of human nature uninfluenced by God's Spirit. Paul emphasizes in Galatians 5:24 that those who belong to Christ must crucify the flesh with its passions and desires. This act of crucifixion is intentional, meant to evoke the intense and agonizing sacrifice of Jesus Christ, reflecting the extreme effort required to overcome sin and human nature. Crucifying the flesh involves hard work, trials, and pain, demanding an incredible force of will to remain on the true path. It is a battle against the very nature that has guided us throughout our lives, with its influence embedded deeply within us. The process requires going to great lengths, akin to the severity of crucifixion itself, to fight against these ingrained desires. Though we may never reach the level of suffering Christ endured, the goal is to so constrain and motivate ourselves that the temptations of the flesh lose their power over us. Joseph serves as an exemplary model of crucifying the flesh. When faced with temptation, he refused through clear words, bore the persistent allurements, and ultimately took physical action by fleeing, regardless of the personal consequences. His actions demonstrate a commitment to walking in the Spirit, maintaining a clear conscience by doing what is right, even at great cost. This stands in stark contrast to those who give in to fleshly desires, showing that crucifying the flesh is a deliberate and active choice to resist human nature and align with God's will.

In the fight against sin, we are called to a total war, a battle to annihilate every trace of corruption within us. This struggle requires us to crucify our flesh, to put to death the sinful nature that draws us away from God. As Paul instructs in Galatians 5:24, we must crucify ourselves, our flesh, enduring the excruciating pain of this process to rid ourselves of sin. This act of crucifixion, likened to the most torturous method of execution, symbolizes the extreme measures we must take, mirroring the sacrifice of our Savior. He expects nothing less of us if we are to be His disciples. We must be willing to take up our cross, to crucify our sinfulness, that nature which leads us away from His Kingdom and the grace He offers. This is not a half-hearted battle; it demands ruthless determination and the willingness to sacrifice anything to cleanse ourselves completely from sin.

The process of salvation involves a lifelong struggle against the flesh, a battle that persists as long as we remain in human form. Despite being called holy by God, we are still carnal, subject to human nature, and prone to sin. This creates a spiritual conflict within us, as two opposing natures—our carnal, fleshly nature and the divine nature of God's Holy Spirit—contend for dominance. The carnal nature, deeply embedded from infancy, is self-centered and demanding, often overpowering our desire to do good. God's Spirit, however, works cooperatively with us to establish godly habits and Christ-like character, but it requires us to actively subdue the evil aspects of our human nature. Paul describes this conflict vividly, expressing frustration at his inability to do what is right despite his desire to follow Christ. He acknowledges that human nature often prevails, making it humanly impossible to overcome sin without divine help. The reality of sin, a law or principle within our flesh, wars against the law of the mind, which is guided by God's Spirit. This battle continues throughout our lives, with the flesh constantly attempting to drag us back into sin, while only the blood of Jesus Christ can deliver us from the eternal death that sin brings. To address this struggle, we must crucify the flesh, putting to death the works of human nature through a life of self-denial. This involves recognizing and eliminating bad habits, replacing them with godly ones, and striving to walk in the Spirit. We are called to conduct ourselves under the guidance of God's Spirit, making it our utmost intention to obey Its prodding and live out the knowledge and instruction of God. Though the flesh will often win due to our inherent weakness, we must resist and strive to follow the Spirit, knowing that God, by grace, continually forgives us as long as we sincerely repent and work on our salvation. By mortifying the flesh and producing the fruits of the Spirit—such as love, joy, and peace—in our relationships and personal growth, we grow into the image of Jesus Christ, moving toward the ultimate goal of sanctification.

What He is talking about is reckoning ourselves as dead through self-denial so we can follow the One who redeemed us from the death penalty so that we could have life. As it is used in this passage, the cross the stake is a symbol of self-denial and losing our life for a greater purpose, just as Christ did. It is a symbol of great personal cost. The fact that we must take up our stake daily means that we must lift it every morning and crucify our carnal nature, plus anything else God asks us to give up, until we go to sleep. Then the next morning, we rise and shoulder again those things we must bear, crucifying the flesh again. This practice begins at baptism, but it does not end until our final breath. It is easy to forget that our lives are not our own to direct. Our life debt has been paid, and continues to be paid, which means that every breath and every drop of blood belong to our Redeemer. Therefore, our continual thought must be an evaluation of what He wants for us, and what we need to do to follow Him as closely as possible. Our lives must conform to His. As it says, this involves self-denial, particularly regarding this world. Notice that Christ is not saying here we must choose between Him and a life of sin. That goes without saying, but commandment-breaking is not what He warns against here. Instead, we must choose between Him and anything that interferes with following Him things that may not be sinful by themselves, but which are not what He would have us do. We can see this in His statement about gaining the whole world. The principle of gain is not sinful. Yet He warns that a wrong pursuit could cost us eternal life. This warning is especially relevant for us in this time. Christ's letter to the Laodiceans indicates that they have more love for material things than for Him. They do not reject God entirely, but neither do they commit to Him wholeheartedly because that would cost more than they are willing to pay. Perhaps they pay lip-service by saying things like God is the most important thing in their life, but their actions reveal something else. They are still clinging to their lives because surrendering would require too much. Part of preparing for baptism is counting the cost, even though it is not possible to fully grasp ahead of time what that means. But whether we fully understood it or not, we committed ourselves to a life of self-denial and complete self-sacrifice when we went under the water. When God called us, He bid us to come to Christ and then die, over and over again. The question is, is this still the life we want? Of course, we know what our answer should be. We know the right thing to say. But we are mulling this question today so we can observe our own gut-honest responses in case we need to adjust our outlook and priorities. We are looking for signs that our commitment, resolve, or dedication to God may be slipping. We are watching for indicators that we have become tired of His work in our lives, or that the world's bowl of stew is more enticing to us than life with the Creator God. Contrary to what the prosperity gospel and Christianity-flavored life coaching proclaim, God's main focus is not giving us the life that we want. His focus is giving us the life He wants for us, which may be hard to accept because we don't understand life the way He does. So, we must walk by faith, trusting that what God is doing with us will turn out better than what we would do for ourselves. The abundant life is quite different from the world's idea of abundance. What we see in the ads, in our feeds, and in the posturing of influencers is gloss without substance. The abundant life is a quality of life that develops as one seeks to be conformed to God, which means coming out of the world, and letting go of the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life. Those things separate us from the Father and the life He desires to share with us. Yet the carnal mind is unable to recognize pastures th