Sometime ago, someone walked up to me and said “I have known you for a long time now and you have remained consistent with your faith.”

I replied “That is because I am dead to the flesh.” A dead man does not change. Are you dead to the flesh?

A man that is dead to the flesh is not affected by the changes around him. He is not affected by criticism. If you slap a dead man, he would not react; insult him, he would not retaliate. That is the attitude of anyone who is dead to the flesh. Are you dead to the flesh? If your sincere answer is “No” then let us look at how you can become so.

“So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple.”
Luke 14:33

The first thing is to forsake all that you have. You need to see no value in any material possession. Nothing in this world should be of more value to you than God. He said anyone who would follow Him must first deny himself (Luke 9:23). How do you know if you have forsaken all?

I once spoke to a man about Christ and he told me that he had surrendered all unto God – I knew he was not being sincere, so I said “Glory to God. Brother, please, would you loan us your car for evangelism tomorrow?” His countenance changed immediately and he said “You know that is my only car and I have to go to work tomorrow.” So now, I want you to be sincere with yourself: Have you forsaken all for Him? if Jesus were to ask you to sell all that you have to give to the poor, would you?

Also, the flesh is very stubborn and will not go down without a fight. It can only be defeated by fasting and prayers. The more you fast, the more life you give to your spirit and the less you give to the carnal nature. When you fast, your flesh begins to die to lusts. You would also begin to value the things of the Spirit far more than ephemeral things (Galatians 5:16-17).
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.