Walking in Victory
By: Daniel Adams

But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway. — 1 CORINTHIANS 9:27

We need to learn to let the new man on the inside dominate our outward man. The outward man is not a new man. When someone is born again, the body is not born again. The body will keep its old desires and want to keep doing the old things it has always done. The Apostle Paul says that he had to bring his body under subjection to the authority of his born-again spirit. If it was important for the Apostle Paul, then it's also important for us as well. So don’t be surprised when your body wants to do the wrong things.

As long as we are in this world we will have the flesh to deal with. Many times the way that the devil gains access in people’s lives is through the flesh. When a believer has temptation through fleshly desires or yields to those desires, the devil takes advantage of this situation by saying things like, “you must not even be saved! If you were saved, you wouldn’t do that!” Satan will bring accusations that it’s “you” who wants to do wrong, when in reality “you” are the real you — the born-again spirit — who doesn't want to do wrong.

Do you need to break an addiction in your life? Paul shows us how to do it. Notice, that Paul said, “I don’t let my body rule me.” Who is the “I” that he’s referring to? “I” is the man on the inside, his born-again human spirit. Paul called his body “it,” and he called himself, the man on the inside, “I.” Paul said, “I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection...” Into subjection to what? To the inward man, the born-again spirit.

Confession: I keep my body under subjection to my spirit. I don’t let my body dominate me. I am walking in the light of God’s words and experiencing victory today in Jesus' name!