30 Ways Your Flesh Reacts to Trouble

You arrive at a moment of crisis. Perhaps you are in your boss’s office or the medical clinic. You’re fighting with your spouse or you’ve heard bad news. The heat is on and the pressure’s rising.

What do you do?

The smart thing to do is take five, lean into God, and see what he says. Let him guide you through the storm. But that’s not what your flesh wants to do. Oh no. Your flesh wants to ACT NOW, take charge and work the problem.

What is the flesh?

The flesh refers to our natural selves as opposed to our spirits. To heed the flesh is to lean on your own strength and understanding. It’s walking by sight instead of faith.

When faced with a crisis, your flesh will instinctively react. It will want to run or fight or take charge. It’s perfectly natural. But the problem is your flesh can distract you from the Lord. Listen to your flesh and you may miss what the Spirit is saying.

To be forewarned is to be forearmed. Here are 30 ways that our flesh reacts to trouble:

• Chicken flesh – “Trouble? I’m outta here”
• Quitter flesh – “That’s it, I’m done, we’re through”
• Bully flesh – “It’s my way or the highway”
• Nike flesh – “Just do it, git ‘er done”
• Cavalry flesh – “I need to be needed”
• Sunny-day flesh – “We’re okay” (even when we’re not okay)
• I’m right you’re wrong flesh – “Yeah, but…”
• Whiney flesh – “Pleeeease? I’ll be your friend”
• Detective flesh – “I’m gonna figure you out”
• Macgyver flesh – “I’m gonna fix this”
• Martyr flesh – “If I don’t do it, nobody will”
• Scrooge flesh – “You’ll get nothing from me”
• Daddy Warbucks flesh – “Let me write a check”
• Magnifier flesh – “This is a huuuge problem”
• Maverick flesh – “I don’t need nuttin’ from anyone”
• Loner flesh – “Nobody understands me”
• Self-pity flesh – “Nobody loves me”
• Ken & Barbie flesh – “I need to look good”
• Mr Hyde flesh – “Don’t make me angry!”
• Insecure flesh – “What do you mean by that?”
• Can’t say no flesh – “Sure boss, I can work weekends”
• Histrionic flesh – “Look at meeee!”
• Workaholic flesh – “I don’t have time for this right now”
• Herod flesh – “You need to know your place”
• Boss flesh – “You need to lift your game”
• Anxious flesh – “It’s hopeless”
• Victim flesh – “It’s not my fault”
• Milquetoast flesh – “I won’t make trouble”
• Mature flesh – “I used to think like you but I’ve grown”
• Religious flesh – “Thank God I am not like you”
• Christian flesh – “My Jesus is better than your Jesus”

Know your lures. Your flesh will tempt you with the promise of control (“You got this!”) while robbing you of the opportunity to hear your Father.

When the pressure comes, don’t react. Stop.

Be still. Breathe.

Hit the pause button, and ask your Father how to lead you in the path of life.

What flesh types did I miss? Let me know in the comments below.

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This list was inspired by Ralph Harris’s excellent book, God’s Astounding Opinion of You, chapter 7. An earlier version of this article appeared on Patreon and I am grateful for feedback provided by patrons. To learn more, check out the entry for The Flesh in the Grace Glossary.