Metodologías pesadas

If an evil spirit is involved trying to work through your flesh, you have authority over it. The devil and evil spirits have no dominion over you, as long as you're walking in line with the Word and doing what you’re supposed to with your flesh. Stand against Satan and his wiles, because the Bible says he has to flee (James 4:7).

But if it’s just the flesh you’re dealing with, you won’t be able to cast it out like you could an evil spirit.

No, you have to crucify or mortify the deeds of the body (Gal. 5:24; Col. 3:5). Everyone—preacher and layperson alike—must crucify the lusts of his own flesh and the cravings of his own carnal nature.

In Paul’s epistles, he talks about “mortifying” the deeds of the body.

COLOSSIANS 3:5

5 MORTIFY therefore YOUR MEMBERS [your body] which are upon the earth;

fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and

covetousness, which is idolatry.

ROMANS 8:5-8,12-14

5 For they that are after the FLESH do mind the things of the FLESH; but they that are after the SPIRIT the things of the SPIRIT.

6 For to be CARNALLY MINDED IS DEATH; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.

7 Because the CARNAL MIND IS ENMITY AGAINST GOD: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.

8 So then they that are in the FLESH [those who are dominated by their fleshly carnal nature] CANNOT PLEASE GOD....

12 ... brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh.

13 For if ye live after the FLESH, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do MORTIFY the DEEDS OF THE BODY, ye shall live.

14 For as many as are LED BY THE SPIRIT OF GOD, they are the sons of God.

To “mortify” means to kill, become dead, cause to be dead, put to death, or subdue. Mortifying or crucifying the flesh is something each believer must do for himself;

God can’t do that for him.

Your husband, your wife, or your pastor can’t mortify the deeds of your flesh for you. You must “kill,”

“put to death,” and subdue the lust of your own carnal, fleshly nature. That is part of your “spiritual worship”

(Rom. 12:1,2) in presenting your body as a living sacrifice to God. It s part of submitting to God so you can resist the devil.

Those who continually practice putting to death the deeds of their unregenerate nature won’t have the

problems with the devil that carnal Christians do. That doesn't mean the devil won't try to attack them, but they will know how to keep from giving the devil any place in them.

GALATIANS 5:24

24 And they that are Christ's have CRUCIFIED the FLESH with the AFFECTIONS and LUSTS.

Crucifying the flesh is not pleasurable. Every Christian has the same way of escape from falling prey to the devil through the lusts of his own flesh. But not every Christian takes the way of escape provided for him by crucifying his own flesh. Why? Because it hurts to deny the flesh.

We don't have much teaching on crucifying the flesh in the Charismatic Movement. That's one reason some people have taken the teaching on demons to the extreme and thought that everything bad that happens is the devil at work. No, not everything bad is the direct result of the devil or a demon. Much of what believers call the devil is just the work of the flesh. And no one can do anything about your flesh for you; you have to crucify it yourself (Col. 3:5).

These folks who are always trying to cast out a devil want the easy way out. It's easier for a believer to get someone else to try to cast a demon out of him than it is to crucify and mortify his own flesh with its lusts and affections because it hurts to do that.

Years ago a woman came up to me after one of my meetings wanting deliverance from a devil. She said,

"Brother Hagin, I wish you would cast this ole unforgiving spirit out of me." She explained that another Christian woman had offended her. "Sister So-and-so did me wrong. God knows I want to forgive her,

but I can't. Please cast this ole unforgiving spirit out of me!"

I asked her, "Have you ever forgiven your husband?"

She said, "Yes, of course."

I said, "I thought you said you couldn't forgive because you have an unforgiving spirit in you. No, if you can forgive one person, you can forgive another person.

The real problem is you don't want to forgive this sister.

You want to hold a grudge against her.

"You don't need a devil cast out of you. That unforgiveness is just your flesh, and you're going to have to deal with that yourself. You just need to do what the Word of God says in Ephesians 4:32: 'And be kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.'"

If God told us to be kind and forgive each other as He's forgiven us, that means we can do it. But you won't be able to forgive if you allow your flesh to control you.

But God wouldn't tell you to do something you couldn't do, because He would be unjust if He did. And God is not unjust.

We can forgive just as God forgives because the love of God has been shed abroad in our hearts (Rom. 5:5).

So most of the time it's not a matter of casting out an evil spirit; it's a matter of crucifying the flesh so the love of God in our hearts can be manifested in the outward man.

God doesn't have any "quick fixes," and He isn't running any fast-food joints or ninety-nine cent sales! If you want to experience a triumphant Christian walk over the devil, the flesh, and the world, then it costs the same price as it always has.

You'll have to be thoroughly Word-based, living by the principles in God's Word. And you start by crucifying your own flesh and learning to walk in the God-kind of love! You're not going to solve all your problems by just trying to deal with the devil all the time. Yes, there are times to deal with the devil, but much of the time it's your own flesh causing you the problems!