What does it mean to master your flesh? First let’s define what “flesh” is referring to in this case.
Our flesh is simply our physical and emotional desires and cravings. It’s composed of an outer self and an inner self. Our outer self being our physical body. Our inner self being our thoughts and emotions. Therefore mastering your flesh means taking control of these two major areas that make up the whole self.
The goal is to control your actions despite your feelings.
However, we all know those feelings of internal conflict.
The temptation to procrastinate. Those moments of compromise. Our flesh is what causes so many of us to take the path of least resistance in life. It’s the only thing that makes settling for less an appealing option. It causes us to give in to those destructive emotions and say yes to those unhealthy appetites.
Well, I say enough is enough! Who’s with me?
This post will describe how you can come to master your flesh.
Your inner self, your outer self, your whole self. It’s time to take back control!
Mastering Your Inner Self
Don’t let your emotions call the shots!
Be careful what you allow yourself to think and feel. This is your inner self.
Your thoughts are what creates your emotions. Your emotions then create your state of being. This is why meditation and visualization are beneficial habits.
In any given situation we all know what the right choice is. How often we choose the right choice is another story. In these moments our inner flesh is battling against us.
We’ve all experienced some form of negative emotions. Emotions of anger, frustration, passivity, over-excitement, low self-esteem, self-doubt, fear, anxiety, depression, etc.
Since we are only human, feeling these emotions is not the problem. The issue arises when we allow these emotions to dictate our behavior.
It’s said that our emotions are indicators that inform us of our inner self. So our emotions are not to be ignored.
Despite our emotions being our indicators, they should never be our dictators. Let yourself feel your negative emotions but don’t allow those negative feelings to translate into how you treat yourself or others.
What does it look like to master your inner self?
*Someone who feels angry yet controls the words they speak.
*Someone who feels afraid yet decides to act courageously anyways.
*Someone who shows peace, patience and self control in times of difficulty.
Mastering Your Outer Self
Don’t let your body have everything it desires!
We’ve all heard the phrase, “You’ve really let you yourself go.” This expression never comes with a positive connotation. “Letting yourself go” implies a lack of regimen and discipline which leads to deterioration in life.
Every human being has bodily cravings we seek to satisfy. It’s a part of our natural survival instinct to want to please our bodies. However, what we need is discipline to balance the areas of our lives.
I want you to think about the way we as a society view the people who overindulge themselves in bodily pleasures. The drug addicts (heavy smokers & drinkers), the sex-addicts/ porn-stars, the obese, the lazy, etc. Most people aren’t going around bragging about these characteristics.
*Lacking discipline over your eating habits often leads to health issues and possible obesity.
*Lacking discipline over your exercise habits often leads to bodily degradation.
*Lacking discipline over your sexual desires often leads to emotional damage and possible health complications.
These are all examples of a lack of discipline over your bodily pleasures.
Have these people mastered their flesh? Have they mastered themselves? The answer is no. Too much of anything is a bad thing. This implies balance is necessary to live a healthy and productive lifestyle.
We need to deny ourselves of our bodily pleasures at times and even submit ourselves to certain forms of discomfort in order to attain health and prosperity.
It’s often said getting comfortable being uncomfortable is the key to growth and success. It’s unintuitive but it is obvious when we look at where overindulgence leads to.
What does it look like to master your outer self?
*Someone who intentionally monitors what they put into their mouth.
*Someone who intentionally exercises their body & regulates their sleep schedule.
*Someone who controls their sexual lusts.
How to Master Your Flesh
Learn to control your thoughts!
Your thoughts, emotions and body are all connected.
Your thoughts influence your beliefs —> Your beliefs influence your emotions. Your emotions influence your behavior —> Your behavior influences your body.
Master your mind and you will master your flesh!
Meditation
Learn to take your thoughts captive and influence them.
These days it’s hard to slow down enough to practice mindfulness meditation and visualization meditation. However, if you can manage sitting alone quietly with yourself for 10 minutes a day, it just might change your entire life.
Learn how to intentionally speak positively to yourself, then your thoughts towards yourself will change.
The better you start to treat yourself the more you want to treat yourself better. When your perspective and self beliefs become positive your emotions will follow. When you feel good it’s easier to have the confidence and motivation to make the changes that’ll improve your life.
In conclusion, just tell your flesh to shut up! Take it under submission. It is yours to rule over. Do not let your flesh rule over you. It will only serve itself and lead you to your own destruction. Your feelings and urges do not control you. These emotional and physical cravings only heed the present moment. We’re thinking long term now. Immediate gratification is what these feelings and cravings want but as the chart shows, immediate gratification only leads to longterm pain. Delayed gratification leads to longterm pleasure.
Begin to say no to your flesh. Do what is hard. Do what most won’t do. This is discipline. Don’t let the destructive and self serving parts of you get away with what it wants to. Literally, YOUR LIFE IS AT STAKE.