“For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace.”

—Romans 8:6

The apostle Paul wrote in Romans 6:23 that “the wages of sin is death,” and in Galatians 6:8, “The one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life.”

In the age we’re living in, many are accustomed to doing what gives them instant gratification. But if we sow to the flesh and pursue the things that give us immediate satisfaction, we’re going to end up dying for it and reaping destruction. You see, God’s way is harder than the devil’s way. Living above the lust of the flesh takes discipline and power. We have to think long-term, because if we don’t, we’ll find ourselves doing things impulsively that make us feel good for an instant but leave us with nothing but emptiness and sorrow.

Think of all the lives that have been ruined because the person did something they thought would make them feel good, but the action brought destruction into their life. It may have been engaging in sexual sin, abusing drugs or alcohol, or losing their temper. Afterward, what is left is remorse, brokenness, and oftentimes even a wasteland of a life. On the other hand, if we discipline our hearts by the Word of God and use the discernment the Holy Spirit gives us to live above the lust of the flesh and the impulses of the soul, we’ll get stronger in Yeshua and become healthier. We will reap life and peace, and so many more people will be blessed by our lives.

Beloved, I want to encourage you to follow Adonai. God has great plans for you. You’re being changed from glory to glory (2 Cor. 3:18) as you sow to the Spirit and not to the flesh.

Father God, help me to think long-term, doing the things that please You and not giving in to gratifying my flesh. I know that when I set my mind on the things of the Spirit, I reap life and peace. But if I set my mind on the lust of my flesh, I will reap destruction. Thank You, Father, for having good plans for my life. Strengthen me to follow You so I can enter into and experience Your abundance and all the good things You have in store for me in life.

Rabbi Kirt A. Schneider, Rivers of Divine Truth (Lake Mary, FL: Charisma House, 2021), Used by permission.