If we apply dealing with the flesh to all our actions, we will eventually walk after the law of the Spirit of life. Romans 8 shows us that the overcoming of the flesh is the result of obeying the Holy Spirit. The moving of the Holy Spirit within us is a law, the law of the Spirit of life. In other words, when we are in fellowship and apply, through the power of the Holy Spirit, the death of the cross to every part of our living, this application is the obeying of the law of the Holy Spirit in us and also the allowing of the Holy Spirit to move spontaneously in us. Therefore, our dealing with the flesh and putting it to death through the Holy Spirit have a positive relationship with the spontaneous law of the Holy Spirit within us. One who really experiences dealing with the flesh is one who allows the Holy Spirit to move within him and also one who allows the law of the Spirit of life to operate in him.
When we absolutely obey the law of the Spirit of life, we do not set our mind on the flesh, but on the Spirit. At all times we put to death the deeds of the body and leave no room for the flesh. Not only will we not sin or err according to the flesh, but we will not even touch spiritual things or serve God in the flesh. Only then will we have thoroughly dealt with our flesh in a practical way; only then will we be completely released from the flesh and live in the Holy Spirit.
The first point in dealing with the flesh is that we must know what the flesh is and sense the flesh within us. In spiritual experience, all dealings are based on our knowledge and sense regarding that very matter. The degree to which we have attained in our knowledge will be the degree to which we have dealings. The thoroughness and depth of our dealing is according to our knowledge and sense in this matter. Therefore, if we wish to have a real experience in dealing with the flesh, we need to have a clear knowledge and sense of the flesh.
The meaning of the flesh has three aspects, namely: the corrupted flesh, the whole fallen man, and the aspect of man’s good. It is easier for us to discern the flesh as the corrupted body, that is the corrupted aspect of the flesh; therefore, the first stage in our dealing with the flesh is more in this aspect. But as we go on with the Lord, we need to have a deeper knowledge and dealing concerning the other two aspects of the flesh. Not only should we know that sinning, losing our temper, and doing other evil things are of the flesh, but we should also realize that even the matter of worshipping and serving God, plus the matter of godliness, can also be full of the flesh. Plainly, whatever we do must be the outcome of our touching the Lord and the Spirit while in fellowship, and we must do it by trusting in God; otherwise, no matter how good it is, we must still condemn it as something of the flesh.
The second point in dealing with the flesh is that we must know the position of the flesh before God. We must receive light from the Bible to see how the flesh resists God and is in enmity toward God. We also need to see how the nature of the flesh is incompatible with God, how God rejects it and considers it abominable, and how He has determined to exterminate it and have no co-existence with it. This revelation will cause us to see as God sees, condemn what God condemns, and annihilate what God annihilates. Then we will seek release from the flesh, cooperate with God, and let the Holy Spirit put our flesh to death.
The third point in dealing with the flesh is that we must know the relationship and difference between the flesh and the old man. We should see that the old man, or our old I, is the real being of the flesh, and that the flesh is the expression of the old man or the old I. When the old man or our old I is being lived out in our experience, it is the flesh. Therefore, dealing with the flesh is entirely a matter of experience- that of dealing with the old man in a practical way.
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