Inner Strength And Outer Strength

What is flesh? How do we defeat the flesh and live in the Spirit?

We need to understand the role of the Holy Spirit in our lives.
God is a living person (not an ideology) and this is a fact that Satan dislikes. He tries his best to get rid of this belief and truth.

2 Corinthians 4:4 “The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.”

Since we live using our 5 senses, we only know of this Earthly world. But when our Spiritual organs start to function, we truly understand God and understand God in a different perspective. To overcome the flesh, the Holy Spirit is required. We are required to walk in the Holy Spirit.

Let us see the stories of a few people from the Bible:

1. Samson

We are all familiar with the story of Samson. Reading his story in the Bible, you would realise that it is not mentioned anywhere about a muscular physique. Instead, when the power of the Holy Spirit came upon him, he would defeat enemies single-handedly without any weapons. The supernatural power on him made him a superman and no one could defeat him. He had no inner strength, he had outer strength which led to his failure. He was able to conquer armies but failed in front of a woman all because he had no inner strength. And because of that, he faced his fall in life. Finally, his enemies were able to defeat him.
We have to understand the difference between inner strength and outer strength. Some people only focus on their outer strength without giving any focus to their inner strength. Such people fall into traps of satan which lead to sin and death. 

2. Joseph

Taking the case of Joseph, he had no outer strength but he had his inner strength. And he was able to withstand the temptations of the woman that was Potifer’s wife. Our inner strength is more important that the outer strength. We take our inner strength for granted most of the time but it is because of this strength that we will be able to overcome temptations and sin. 
We receive this inner strength/anointing from God when we receive salvation. The Holy Spirit comes to live in us when we are born again which changes our perspective. 

Romans 8:16 The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children.
The Holy Spirit comes inside our inner spirit and makes us aware that we are God’s children.

John 1.12 Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God —

2 Corinthians 1:21-22 21 Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, 22 set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.

God’s Holy Spirit living in us guarantees that He will take care of us and assures us that He will do things beyond our imagination. Amidst problems, the Holy Spirit inside us declares/ testifies that we are His children.

1 John 2.20,27-28
20 But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and all of you know the truth.
 27 As for you, the anointing you received from him remains in you, and you do not need anyone to teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about all things and as that anointing is real, not counterfeit—just as it has taught you, remain in him.

The Holy Spirit living in our spirit is our ID card and gives us an identity. 

Ephesians 3.16 I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being,

The Holy Spirit residing in our inner man gives us inner strength but man fails when he forgets this and depends on his outer strength.

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