Imaginations of the flesh (or as a man thinks, so is he)
 Theres is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end is death…

The flesh is not your body (Rom 8:8) It is a system of thinking that the devil has made to defeat you. The seeds (or tares Matt 13:25) were planted by the god of this world (a.k.a.satan 2 Cor 4:4) to make his plans manifest and get in the way of your blessing. When we conquer the battlefield of the mind or replace the devil’s system of thinking, we take back the authority over our body and bring it under subjection of our spirit (1 Cor 9:26,27). When we direct our attention to the immediate problem (the flesh, not the defeated devil Luke 11:22,23) we wont be ‘boxing’ the air and blaming the serpent. Jesus was manifested to destroy his works (1John 3:8), so we don’t have to fight the devil, but fight the good fight of faith with the whole armour of God (Eph 6:11) fighting the ‘wiles’ or schemes of the enemy, or his influence (or principalities).

Jesus said the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak, (not the spirit is willing so beat up the devil) Since the flesh profits nothing, we should avoid it at all costs! Some of us think we can walk in the flesh sometimes and still be successful (WRONG) The flesh causes death, but only the spirit gives us life and peace (Rom 8:5,6).

If you are stressed, depressed or wrongly impressed, you need to change your way of thinking. There is a way that seemeth right (flesh) to a man, but the end of it is death. Let THIS MIND be in you which was also in Christ Jesus. Deny your SELF, crucify your FLESHLY way of thinking, submit to God’s word, resist the devils temptations, (or the garden of seeds he has planted in your mind) & satan wont be able to stay in your presence because of what you know. (James 4:7)

Conquering yourself is not as hard as you think, only the way of a transgressor is hard (who still thinks the old way), but Jesus said His yoke is easy. He wants us to rest in His peace and His presence now! He has already made the way

And as a man thinketh, so is he… (You can be a person who will always sin or…more than a conquerer!)

The flesh (spiritual mindset) that once thrived before the soul was born again has a natural instinct of self-preservation. Simply put, it wants to stay alive. It wants to trigger emotions that make you lose control. After an initial born again experience, the mind that is not renewed is subject to the ‘default’ settings of the flesh. Things that the ‘world system’ has taught us (TV, school, radio, music, fleshly parents (Matt 12:46-50), friends or influencing mentors)

Even when your are attempting to seek God in your flesh, you cannot do it. The bible (or preacher) will just be knowledge or information, instead of UNDERSTANDING and REVELATION (Prov 4:7/2Cor 2:9-14). Until you mix the expectation of faith you cannot be pleasing to God (John 4:24/Heb11:6). The flesh attempts control in the only way it knows how due to the spirit of fear given to us when we are born into sinful flesh.

The flesh feeds off the exaltation of self in the form of money (mammon), compliments, judging (or comparing others), fantasies (imaginations), possesiveness, control (personal or territorial), self-satisfaction, self-righteousness and it worships the exaltations of others through pop CULTure,
hip-hop CULTure, preachers or popes, the body parts of the opposite sex. It tries to find friends or preachers that think like it does. It tells you that you and I are best friends, you can trust me. It accuses others who don’t think like it does. It tells you ‘you can only believe some things that God says’. It takes offerings from your thought life to give attention to these things (worship). When you sow to the flesh (or subscribe to it’s messages) you will reap corruption.

When you starve your flesh with ‘thus sayeth the Lord’ or there is a better way, it makes more obvious attempts, which is why we must take up our cross daily and fill our ‘eye’ and ‘eargates’ of the soul with spiritual things that will profit us and profit the kingdom of God. When we ask the Lord to ‘give us a clean heart’ he comes into our life with His word in a place that only He can fill (not a spouse, drug or money). Then we can stop having religion (man’s way to God) and start having relationship (God’s way to man), and teach (renew) our mind to think righteous.

It is God’s Word that makes us Holy (Jehovah M’kadesh) It is His righteousness (not ours) that gives us a new victorious way of thinking. We are SAINTS (not sinners) saved by grace. He will finish what He started. We now sit in heavenly places as Kings and priests. We press for 1st best from God, not the world’s best (hospitals, psychologists, motivational speakers etc) Do not let your SELF get in the way of your empowerment.