Matthew 26:41
Our Flesh is Weak
41 "Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak."
1 John 2:16 (KJV)
The Flesh Seeks Pleasures and Lust
16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.
Galatians 5:17
Our Sinful Nature and Desires
17 For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want.
1 Peter 2:22
Jesus Did Not Sin
22 "He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth."
Luke 15:11-32
The Parable of the Lost Son
11 Jesus continued: “There was a man who had two sons. 12 The younger one said to his father, ‘Father, give me my share of the estate.’ So he divided his property between them.
13 “Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living. 14 After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. 15 So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. 16 He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything.
17 “When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! 18 I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. 19 I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired servants.’ 20 So he got up and went to his father.
“But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.
21 “The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’
22 “But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. 23 Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. 24 For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate.
25 “Meanwhile, the older son was in the field. When he came near the house, he heard music and dancing. 26 So he called one of the servants and asked him what was going on. 27 ‘Your brother has come,’ he replied, ‘and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.’
28 “The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him. 29 But he answered his father, ‘Look! All these years I've been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. 30 But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!’
31 “‘My son,’ the father said, ‘you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. 32 But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’”
The flesh is weak...But the Holy Spirit is willing to guide us...But our sinful nature is contrary to the Holy Spirit...It is very difficult, if not impossible for man not to sin...So we must look for help on earth...
When we follow our own ways or other men's paths we can become attracted to more and more things on earth and of the earth...When we take our own ways and ideas and go out into the world, and our desires come to pass before us...Maybe we see earthly successes of man as being the way to live our own lives on earth...We might view material wealth as success and often follow that path, as the path to happiness to our lives...The flesh seems to love to coexist with the different things on earth...It seems that man is certainly enamored by the earth, and the things of the earth and its material things...We might believe that our desires and pleasures can be satisfied with these things of the earth...And through these different earthly things that we desire and try to satisfy, we sin...And everything in this world—such as the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of our earthly life—comes not from God but from this earthly world...
The one with faith sees his weakness and desires to do less sinning each day...The stronger one's faith the more we can see sinning as bad...So the one strong in faith wants to sin less and less each day...But we still can have a problem with the flesh and its earthly desires, especially when we do not follow the path of God's Word and continue to follow our own ways or look toward earthly desires and successes...And if we follow other men's ways to often, we can forget God and His Word at these times...The path to God is the Lamp for our Life, and the Light of our life...Without God's Word there is no Light, and we get lost and lose our way in life...We are made dull by our earthly desires...A good example of these things are in the lesson of the prodigal son...We must come to our senses to see the Light...
The more we think of God and about God and His Word the better we can see our own sins...This is the start of the Holy Spirit guiding us to the Son, and the Way and the best Path to live our lives...The sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Holy Spirit, and the Holy Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature...Our sinful earthly desires and Holy Spirit are in conflict with each other, so that we often do not do what you want...We look to satisfied desires and satisfied pleasures as the way to live our lives...But the closer we are to God the less we want to sin, and the more we want to follow our Holy Spirit...This example can be seen in God's Son...Jesus was so close to God, He did not sin...
As man still struggles with sin and our sinful desires through our free will, God has given us His Son to read about and observe...We see through God sending His Son to us, what we might accomplish...God gave His Son this same earthly free will and earthly desires, yet He was still able to see God's great wisdom and His Great Word...With this knowledge of God, Jesus simply is able to dwindle His sins to such a degree that under every circumstance in His earthly life, He did not sin...Let us look to Jesus for a stronger faith...He gives us Salvation from our sins with our belief and faith in Him...