James 4:5 KJV
[5] “Do ye think that the scripture saith in vain, The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy?”
In the last verse, James places emphasis on the world. In this verse, he emphasizes the flesh. The flesh cannot be tamed, trusted, or tolerated. The Bible teaches us about the depravity of the flesh. James asks a profound question when he says, Do ye think that the scripture saith in vain,…? The answer is, No, never!
The Bible paints a clear picture of the flesh. That does not mean the actual body itself. There is nothing sinful about the body, for God created it. The word “flesh” refers to the old nature and its lust to envy. Our old nature is in a constant struggle with our new nature. The new nature may use the body to bring glory to God, and the old nature may use the body to glorify sin.
We must bring our flesh into subjection and be continually on guard. We must yield it to God daily, nail it to the cross and let it die. We must be aggressive because it has a spirit of lust and will do whatever it takes to gratify its sinful desires. The flesh is anti-God and wars against everything holy. The flesh does not want to glorify anyone other than itself and will stop at nothing to get what it wants.
I am so glad that we have a Bible to teach us about our flesh. The Bible clearly describes our old nature and teaches us how to overcome the spirit that lusteth to envy. Lord, help us keep our guard up against the flesh at all times.