“Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it.
Jesus tells us how we can enter His Kingdom in Matthew 7:13 and Matthew 7:2. Many people find it hard to follow Jesus. Why? It’s mainly due to our fleshly nature. Most people don’t want to give up their sinful lifestyle. Sin is pleasurable, and the enemy makes sin very attractive.
Back in 2017, I was in a dental program, and shared my faith with one of my classmates. As I was sharing my faith, I asked her if she believed in Jesus. She told me yes. I asked her what was stopping her from giving her life over to Christ. She answered that she’s not ready to give up her lifestyle yet to live for Christ.
One of Satan’s great deceptions is that he deceived many people into thinking that the things of God are very boring and that God has a whole bunch of rules for people to follow that will restrict them and not allow them to have fun.
Satan paints sins as fun, pleasurable and attractive. He achieves this through various means, including media, music, food, sex, pride, and entertainment. He misleads people, making them believe that there are no consequences for the choices they make. This is a great deception among many that comes from the wicked one.
In my young adult years, I came across some people who say the Bible is not relevant for today, and believers are living in fantasy. Yes, Jesus himself says that the road to enter the Kingdom of God is narrow and difficult; however, the reward is great! In the scriptures, Jesus told us that Satan is the father of lies. John 8:44 You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.
In this blog, I’ll share with you practical ways on how you can defeat your Flesh, overcome this World, and Satan to enter the Kingdom of God.
3 Things We Need to Overcome In order To Enter God’s Kingdom
1. Lust of the flesh: Anything that pleases us.
Sexual Immorality – Having sex out of marriage or fantasizing over a man or woman.
Gluttony – Overeating, or overindulging in food.
Possessions – Overindulging in materialistic things.
Adultery – Taking someone else’s wife or husband and committing a sexual act with them.
2. Lust of eyes: Stems from wanting what other people have.
Material possessions include items such as houses, cars, money and other similar items.
Jealousy – Envying other people for their things or accomplishments in life. This sin leads some people into doing witchcraft on others to the point of even killing people for their things. Take a deep look at Cain and Abel, Genesis 4:3-8 and King Ahab. 1 Kings 21:1-16.
This is one of the reasons why I believe God wants all believers to give thanks in all circumstances, and He also wants us to be content with what He has given us. This is His will for us in Christ. Jesus.1Thessalonians 5:18
3. Pride of Life – Stems from selfish ambitions.
Haughty – Looking down on people and thinking that they are better off than others.
Braggart – People who flaunt their accomplishments in life.
Know – it – all – People who think they know it all, not willing to take advice from others.
Touchy – People who are easily offended, soft skin.
Troublemakers – People who love strife that causes divisions, an argumentative person.
Jesus tells us how we can enter His Kingdom, and that is through the narrow gate. Jesus is the gate to enter God’s Kingdom. John 10:9 I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. They will come in and go out, and find pasture.
Jesus is the only way to enter the Kingdom of heaven; all other religions are false. No other religion told us to love our enemies and bless them. No other religion has raised the dead, cast out demons, walked on water, turned water into wine, healed sickness and diseases, has power over death, nature, and can forgive sins.
Jesus also warns us about hell and tells us to choose the narrow gate, which is Him. If the gateway to get to heaven is narrow, then the gateway to hell is broad. The highway to hell is when we choose to walk in our flesh. It’s easy and takes no effort because that’s the nature we were born with before we came to Christ. We are all born in sin.
Psalm 51:5 Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me. Galatians 5:19-21 talks about the works of the flesh, and those who practice sin will not enter the Kingdom of heaven. The highway to hell is broad because many choose to go that route. Why? It takes no effort, it’s the easy way, and it’s popular. The majority of people don’t want to make the effort to live a Godly lifestyle.
They choose this route because it’s easy, they don’t have to work hard, and it’s popular because the majority of people are living ungodly lifestyles. The majority are fornicating, committing adultery, going to wild parties, getting drunk on alcohol, doing witchcraft, etc., and no one wants to be ridiculed and called weird.
However, it’s not God’s will for people to perish, but if people choose their own way and despise God, then that’s where they will end up. If people are not living for God, they are living for Satan. And who they worship determines their destination and permanent residence.
Therefore, we all have a choice to make. God or Satan, Heaven or Hell, which one is it going to be? The enemy uses distractions and entertainment to get people there. As I mentioned earlier, he accomplishes this through media, music, food, sex, pride, and entertainment.
It’s a big trap. Did you know that if a person is not saved, their souls are trapped in hell while they are alive on earth? Psalm 40:2 He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand.
Also, 1 Peter 2:9 But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.
13 Practical Ways to Defeat The Flesh
1. Practice humility – See yourself like a grasshopper in God’s eyes. Be selfless and considerate towards others. Strive to live in peace with everyone. Be coachable and take Godly advice from others. Show humility when God lifts you to a place of honour. Hold your peace despite humiliating situations.
2. Obedience to God’s word – As a believer in Christ, you must practice his word in your life daily. Obedience is the Key to being in right standing with God. God loves obedience, and blessings come with being obedient to God’s word. When we live a life of obedience to God, it shows that we love Him. John 15:10 Therefore, strive to live an obedient life towards the word of God.
3. Killing the Flesh- Choosing to do the right thing always, even when it’s challenging. Killing the flesh is a choice. You will either choose to give in to your fleshy desires or choose to practice the fruit of the Spirit in the moment of temptation.
Each time you resist temptation, you are strengthening your spirit. And the more you strengthen your spirit by choosing to do the right thing, the more you are killing your fleshy nature. And the same applies to the flesh.
Each time you give in to your fleshy desires, you are strengthening your Flesh. And the more you strengthen your flesh by choosing to do the wrong thing, the more you are weakening the spirit, making it difficult to obey God and bear the fruit of the spirit in your life.
4. Walking in the spirit – Walking in the Spirit means that you are practicing the fruit of the Spirit in your life daily. When you practice the fruit of the Spirit in your life, your actions show that you belong to God and you are proving to God that you are his true follower. The fruit of the Spirit, as described in Galatians 5:22-23, includes love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and Self-control.
5. Being led by the Spirit – Being led by the Spirit means listening to the Holy Spirit leading and obeying what he tells you to do. For example, if the Holy Spirit tells you not to go to a certain place, you want to make sure that you not only listen but also obey Him by not going to that place that he told you. It’s very important. Again, obedience is crucial when being led by the Holy Spirit.
6. Be intentional in living a Godly lifestyle – Put in the effort to get rid of sin from your life. Work on one thing at a time. If you are struggling with anger, read scriptures that deal with the Spirit of anger. Confess it to God in prayer and ask Him to help you overcome anger in your life. Now exercise your faith, and whenever temptation comes, be conscious and aware, take
7. Be kind and friendly towards people – Walk in love, you can show others love just by giving a genuine smile, opening doors for people, helping an elderly person with groceries or crossing the street, offering your seat to someone else on public transportation. A small gesture goes a long way, and God sees and will reward you for it.
8. Having an attitude of serving – Serving others out of love is a great way to show humility. While maintaining a serving attitude, you are literally having the mind of Christ. Matthew 20:28 just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Developing a serving mindset will shift your perspective to become more considerate towards others.
9. Devote yourself to prayer consistently and daily – Prayer is the best way to communicate with God. Prayer is the vehicle for daily dialogue with the One who created us. The importance of daily communication through prayer cannot be overestimated. It is so important that it is mentioned over 250 times in Scripture.
God wants to hear from you every day. Why? Prayer develops intimacy with God. It gives us the chance to express our gratitude for the things He provides. Prayer also creates an opportunity for us to openly confess our sins and ask for the strength and guidance to overcome them.
10. Immerse yourself in God’s word consistently and daily – Be intentional in spending time in the presence of God reading His word. If you desire to hear God’s voice, open the Word of God and begin to read it. God speaks to his children mainly through reading his words. God speaks to us through his word, and we speak to God through prayer. When we do this regularly, we are cultivating a relationship with Christ.
11. Fast and pray to defeat the flesh – Fasting and prayer help defeat the flesh and bring us to a humble state. Fasting and prayer also help break bad habits in our lives. It can also break off strongholds in a person’s life.
12. Be intentional in demonstrating the fruit of the Spirit in your life. – Practice the fruit of the Spirit in your life. Wake up every day with the intent of practicing the fruit of the Spirit in your life on an ongoing basis. Intentionality is the Key
13. Getting rid of sinful lifestyle or behaviour from your life – Things like pornography, masturbation, adultery, orgies, having sex before marriage, pride, lust, stop watching scary movies, and movies that have sexual content in them. Stop listening to secular music, lying, greed, gossip, strife, jealousy, unforgiveness, bitterness, anger, selfishness, etc. These are all works of the flesh according to Galatians 5:19-21.
According to Matthew 7:16-20, we can tell if we are bearing good or bad fruit by our actions. The way we think, the words we speak, and the actions we take. If what we think, say and do lines up with God’s will, then we are bearing good fruit. Anything that doesn’t align with God’s will will ultimately bear bad fruit –it’s as simple as that. We should carefully examine our lives using Matthew 7:16-20 as our guide.
Only Those Who Actually Do The Will Of My Father In Heaven Will Enter
God’s Will For All Believers In Christ Is To:
Ephesians 5:15-20 It is God’s will to be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
1 Thessalonians 4:3 “It is God’s will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality.”
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 It is God’s will for you to rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
Micah 6:8 It is God’s will to act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.
1 Peter 3:17 It is God’s will to suffer for doing good than for doing evil.
Philippians 1:29 It is God’s will to believe in him, but also to suffer for him.”
Ephesians 6:18 It is God’s will to pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.”
Hebrews 12:14 It is God’s will to live in peace with everyone and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord.
Romans 12:2 It is God’s will to be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.
John 15:16 It is God’s will to produce lasting fruits in our lives.
Scriptures On The Gateway to Heaven
John 10:9 I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. They will come in and go out, and find pasture.
John 14:6 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
Acts 4:12 Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.”
Scriptures On Defeating The Flesh:
Galatians 5:24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.
Romans 8:13-14 For if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live.