Years ago, as I was reading some part of the NT, I realized, “You know what, the flesh is never satisfied. No matter what it gets, it is never enough.” After sharing this with a few people, I placed it aside until I read this line to my children:
Proverbs 27:20 Sheol (the grave) and Abaddon (destruction) are never full, so the eyes of man are never satisfied.
Pausing, I sat straight up. “Whoa, this is in the Bible!” It was one of those times when He reveals, then later shows us in Scripture where it is. I love when that happens. That inspired me to dig up more:
Ecclesiastes 1:8 All things are full of weariness; man cannot express it: the eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear filled with hearing.
Ecclesiastes 4:8 There is one alone, and there is not a second; yea, he has neither child nor brother: yet is there no end of all his labor; neither is his eye satisfied with riches; neither says he, “For whom do I labor, and deprive my soul of good?” This is also vanity, yea, it is a heavy travail.
Ecclesiastes 5:10 He that loves silver shall not be satisfied with silver; nor he that loves abundance, with increase: this is also vanity.
Ecclesiastes 6:7 All the labor of man is for his mouth, and yet the appetite is not filled.
Proverbs 30:15-16 The leech has two daughters: Give and Give.
Three things are never satisfied; four never say, “Enough”:
Sheol, the barren womb, the land never satisfied with water,
and the fire that never says, “Enough.”
1 John 2:16 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.
What Is the Eye?
Luke 11:34-35 (Matthew 6:22-23) Your eye is the lamp of the body. When your eye is clear, your whole body is also full of light. But when it is evil, your body is also full of darkness. Make sure, therefore, that the light in you be not darkness.
The symbolism of the flesh means the desires of the body—comfort, food, sex, etc. The soul (personality, life, self) contains three parts—heart (feelings), mind (thoughts), and will (human effort). Whenever our eyes see (or any of our senses perceive) something, both our flesh and soul judge our interest in it and what we should do next. This is the symbolism of the eye, or rather our mind’s eye. Our discernment outside of Yah’s desire (darkness) caters to flesh and soul, leaving our spirit yearning for Him. See Galatians 5:16-17, Romans 7:15, Romans 7:18, Romans 7:23, Romans 8:5, Philippians 3:19.
Notice how well 1 John 2:16 lines up with Genesis 3:6:
| lust of the flesh |
tree was good for food |
| lust of the eyes |
it was pleasant to the eyes |
| pride of life |
it was to be desired to make one wise |
Now compare 1 John 2:16 to the temptations of Jesus:
| lust of the flesh |
turn stones to bread |
| lust of the eyes |
worship me for these cities |
| pride of life |
hurt yourself; God will always save You |
The first part is fleshly, the second, flesh and soul working together, and the last, soulish (Bibles translate the Greek word, psychikon, as natural). Sin only has a foothold over us when self is involved. When you ask Jesus to remove your sin, you must also ask for self to be purged as well. If flesh is on the altar and self is on the cross (take up your cross daily, hate your life), what is left?
Jesus Closed the Cycle
The soul of man is the main battleground of spiritual warfare: our objective, to subjugate flesh and soul under the authority of the spirit through our connection with the Father, the Holy Spirit. How do we clear our mind’s eye so our spirits receive the strength they need? Regeneration, constant renewal (baptism of fire or refinement, repentance, death to self), seeking Him and doing what He told each of us to do.
After Jesus’ proselyte immersion (mikvah), His delighted Father drenched Him in His Holy Spirit (regeneration) and sent His Son into the wilderness to fast (constant renewal) and fellowship (seek and do His Will) for forty days. All these things brought Jesus to weakened flesh and soul, yet a Spirit strong in His Father, so He could overcome the Adversary. What Adam (flesh) and Eve (soul) started, Jesus (Spirit, the Word profaned in flesh and soul for us) ended, showing us throughout the Evangel how we can become like Him.
Another example, a vessel of His is told to pour the Spirit of Jesus he or she has upon another (His Will), then the vessel can receive a fresh amount (or a larger amount depending on maturity) of His Spirit for the next “pouring” (renewal). This “pouring out” is what Jesus meant when the woman with the issue of blood touched Him in faith, causing the Spirit’s power to leave Him. Why do you think He went off alone to pray? To be refilled!
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A Whisper, Screamed 
Always Hungry, That Flesh and Eye
Years ago, as I was reading some part of the NT, I realized, “You know what, the flesh is never satisfied. No matter what it gets, it is never enough.” After sharing this with a few people, I placed it aside until I read this line to my children:
Pausing, I sat straight up. “Whoa, this is in the Bible!” It was one of those times when He reveals, then later shows us in Scripture where it is. I love when that happens. That inspired me to dig up more:
What Is the Eye?
The symbolism of the flesh means the desires of the body—comfort, food, sex, etc. The soul (personality, life, self) contains three parts—heart (feelings), mind (thoughts), and will (human effort). Whenever our eyes see (or any of our senses perceive) something, both our flesh and soul judge our interest in it and what we should do next. This is the symbolism of the eye, or rather our mind’s eye. Our discernment outside of Yah’s desire (darkness) caters to flesh and soul, leaving our spirit yearning for Him. See Galatians 5:16-17, Romans 7:15, Romans 7:18, Romans 7:23, Romans 8:5, Philippians 3:19.
Notice how well 1 John 2:16 lines up with Genesis 3:6:
Now compare 1 John 2:16 to the temptations of Jesus:
The first part is fleshly, the second, flesh and soul working together, and the last, soulish (Bibles translate the Greek word, psychikon, as natural). Sin only has a foothold over us when self is involved. When you ask Jesus to remove your sin, you must also ask for self to be purged as well. If flesh is on the altar and self is on the cross (take up your cross daily, hate your life), what is left?
Jesus Closed the Cycle
The soul of man is the main battleground of spiritual warfare: our objective, to subjugate flesh and soul under the authority of the spirit through our connection with the Father, the Holy Spirit. How do we clear our mind’s eye so our spirits receive the strength they need? Regeneration, constant renewal (baptism of fire or refinement, repentance, death to self), seeking Him and doing what He told each of us to do.
After Jesus’ proselyte immersion (mikvah), His delighted Father drenched Him in His Holy Spirit (regeneration) and sent His Son into the wilderness to fast (constant renewal) and fellowship (seek and do His Will) for forty days. All these things brought Jesus to weakened flesh and soul, yet a Spirit strong in His Father, so He could overcome the Adversary. What Adam (flesh) and Eve (soul) started, Jesus (Spirit, the Word profaned in flesh and soul for us) ended, showing us throughout the Evangel how we can become like Him.
Another example, a vessel of His is told to pour the Spirit of Jesus he or she has upon another (His Will), then the vessel can receive a fresh amount (or a larger amount depending on maturity) of His Spirit for the next “pouring” (renewal). This “pouring out” is what Jesus meant when the woman with the issue of blood touched Him in faith, causing the Spirit’s power to leave Him. Why do you think He went off alone to pray? To be refilled!
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