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The Secret to Overcoming the Flesh | Walking in the Fullness of the Spirit || Watchman Nee | Power Within | YouTubeToText
YouTube Transcript: The Secret to Overcoming the Flesh | Walking in the Fullness of the Spirit || Watchman Nee
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Core Theme
True Christian spirituality is not about self-effort or trying harder, but about daily surrender of the "flesh" (the old, self-centered nature) to the indwelling Holy Spirit, allowing Christ's life to flow through the believer.
Brothers and sisters, there are two
powers at work within every believer.
The flesh and the spirit. One pulls us
downward towards self, pride, and sin.
The other lifts us upward toward
holiness, surrender, and divine power.
And the great question that defines our
walk with God is this, which one rules
you? Many people think being spiritual
is about trying harder, praying louder,
or doing more good works. But true
spirituality is not about doing. It's
about yielding. It is not about the
strength of your will, but the surrender
of your heart. When the word of God
speaks of the flesh, it is not speaking
of your skin, bones, or blood. It is
speaking of something far deeper, the
old nature within you that resists God.
The flesh is the part of man that was
corrupted through sin, that craves
independence, that wants to sit on the
throne where only Christ belongs. It is
that stubborn self-life that says, "I
know better." Even when God has spoken.
It is the invisible enemy that hides
beneath good behavior and spiritual
appearances. You can read your Bible,
sing hymns, and even serve others and
yet still be ruled by the flesh. Because
the flesh is not only visible in open
sin. It is also hidden in pride, in
self-reliance, in the quiet desire to be
praised, to be seen, to be in control.
The flesh whispers gently. You can
handle this on your own. It tells you to
pray, but only in your own strength. It
tells you to serve, but only for your
own satisfaction. It tells you to love,
but only when it feels easy. And so even
when you are doing the right things,
your heart can still be wrong. Because
the motive flows from self. That is why
a person can be busy with religious work
yet still feel empty. That is why you
can speak the words of faith but feel no
power. The flesh can imitate godliness
but it cannot produce life. It can act
humble but it cannot submit. It can wear
a smile but it cannot carry peace. It
can sing about love, but it cannot love
with purity. Everything the flesh
touches, it taints with self. The
tragedy is that many believers spend
years trying to make the flesh better.
They try to educate it, discipline it,
train it, polish it, and dress it in
religious garments. But the flesh can
never be reformed. You cannot make it
holy. You can only crucify it. The cross
is not a decoration for your life. It is
the death sentence for your old nature.
God never said improve the flesh. He
said crucify the flesh. That means to
bring every selfish thought, every proud
desire, every hidden ambition to the
cross and say this is not who I am
anymore. I no longer live, but Christ
lives in me. The moment you stop
trusting in your own strength and start
depending on the spirit, something
changes within you. The life that was
once full of striving becomes full of
rest. The heart that was full of noise
becomes full of peace. You realize that
what God desires is not your performance
but your surrender. He does not ask you
to be strong. He asks you to be yielded.
Because when you yield, the spirit
begins to live through you. The old man
decreases and the new life of Christ
rises in power. The flesh loses its hold
and the spirit takes his rightful place.
Only then can you truly live not by
effort but by grace. Not by trying to be
holy but by letting the holy one live
through you. The spirit is not a mere
influence that touches your emotions
from time to time nor a passing feeling
that visits you during worship. The
spirit is the very life of Christ within
you. The same power that raised Jesus
from the dead now dwelling in your
mortal body. He is not beside you
cheering you on to do better. He is in
you waiting for you to let him live
through you. The spirit does not come to
make you stronger in yourself. He comes
to replace your strength with his own.
He does not assist you in living your
life for God. He enables you to let
Christ live his life through you. That
is the mystery of the Christian life. It
is not imitation but participation. You
see, many believers strive to live holy
lives by their own energy. They say, "I
will try harder. I will pray more. I
will be more patient." But the
spiritfilled life does not begin with
trying. It begins with dying. It begins
when you realize that you cannot live
the Christian life apart from the spirit
of God. It is not your willpower that
brings transformation. It is his
indwelling presence. When the spirit
fills you, you begin to think
differently, speak differently, walk
differently, not because you are forcing
yourself, but because another life is
flowing through you. The fullness of the
spirit means that Christ becomes the
source of every action, the motive
behind every decision, the peace behind
every storm, the voice behind every
silence. The spirit is the breath of
heaven within the heart of man. He is
the living connection between you and
the divine life of Jesus. When you walk
in the spirit, you are no longer
governed by fear, guilt, or self-effort.
You are carried by the current of grace.
You begin to sense a new freedom. The
freedom to be weak so that his strength
may be revealed. The freedom to let go
of control and trust his leading. The
spirit is gentle but powerful. He does
not shout. He whispers. He does not
push. He invites. His goal is not to
make you more spiritual by human
definition. It is to make you more like
Christ. When he fills you, your heart
becomes tender. Your words carry life
and your steps move in divine rhythm.
The same spirit that once hovered over
the face of the deep now hovers over the
depths of your soul, bringing order out
of chaos, peace out of confusion, and
life out of emptiness. To live in the
fullness of the spirit is to live in
continual dependence. It means waking
each morning and saying, "Lord, live
through me today." It means walking
through every trial with the quiet
assurance that he is enough. It means
letting his patience flow where yours
ends. His love flow where yours fails,
his wisdom guide where yours is blind.
The spirit is not a visitor to your
soul. He is the resident Lord. And the
more you yield to him, the more you find
that the Christian life is not a burden
to bear, but a river to flow in. A
divine exchange where you cease striving
and begin abiding. where it is no longer
you who live but Christ who lives in
you. You cannot cast out the flesh, nor
can you argue with it, outgrow it, or
train it into submission. The flesh must
be denied, not occasionally, but daily.
It will not quietly step aside. It must
be confronted by the cross every single
day. Jesus said, "If anyone will come
after me, let him deny himself, take up
his cross daily, and follow me." The
cross is not a symbol of suffering
alone. It is the place of surrender. It
is where the old life ends so that the
new one can begin. Every morning you
must make a choice. Will you live by the
desires of your old nature or will you
yield to the spirit of life within you.
The flesh wants to rule to speak first
to have the final say. It wants to
defend itself, justify itself, and
please itself. It wants recognition when
you serve, comfort when you sacrifice,
and control even in your obedience. It
hides behind good motives and noble
intentions. That is why the cross must
stand not only at the beginning of your
faith, but in the center of your daily
walk. The cross cuts deep, dividing
truth from deception, humility from
pride, spirit from self. Every time you
choose silence over self-defense, you
deny the flesh. Every time you choose
forgiveness instead of revenge, you deny
the flesh. Every time you obey when it
costs you something, you deny the flesh.
To deny the flesh is not to hate
yourself, but to refuse to let your
self-life rule over you. It means you no
longer allow your emotions, opinions, or
impulses to decide your path. It means
you say no to the voice of self that
rises up within and yes to the voice of
the spirit who leads you to life. The
cross may seem painful but it is the
only doorway to resurrection. The moment
you lay your flesh on the altar,
something divine begins to happen inside
you. The life of Christ starts to rise
where yourself once reigned. There is a
mysterious joy that follows true
surrender. The kind of joy that cannot
be explained, only experienced. When you
finally stop fighting for your own way,
you find peace. When you stop demanding
to be right, you find rest. When you
stop chasing the approval of others, you
find freedom. The cross that once seemed
heavy becomes light because the spirit
carries it with you. The more you die to
self, the more you feel alive in Christ.
Denying the flesh is not a one-time act
of devotion. It is a rhythm of life.
Each moment gives you another chance to
say, "Not my will, but yours." And with
every surrender, the spirit gains more
ground within you. Slowly, the things
that once controlled you lose their
power. Pride loses its grip. Lust loses
its lure. Fear loses its voice. You
begin to walk lighter, freer, holier.
The self that once demanded to live
finally learns to die. And through that
death, you discover the unshakable power
of the spirit. To deny the flesh is not
the end of your strength. It is the
beginning of his. The spirit of God
leads, but he never forces. He is
gentle, patient, and deeply personal. To
walk in the spirit is to learn the
sacred art of sensitivity. To become
aware of his quiet voice that whispers
in the inner chambers of your heart. He
will not shout above the noise of your
desires. You must quiet yourself to hear
him. The flesh is loud, impulsive,
demanding, always in a hurry to act. The
spirit is calm, soft, and sure. He
guides with peace, not pressure. He
convicts, not condemns. And those who
truly desire to walk in the fullness of
the spirit must learn to listen, to
wait, and to obey even when the
instruction seems small. Many believers
miss the leading of the spirit not
because they reject him outright, but
because they are distracted. They move
too fast, think too loud, live too busy.
The spirit is speaking, but the heart is
full of other voices. the voice of fear,
the voice of self, the voice of the
world. And yet, the one who will pause
long enough to listen will find that
God's voice is never far away. He is
always speaking in the word, in the
stillness, in conviction, in peace, in
those gentle nudges that pull you away
from sin and toward holiness. Obedience
to the spirit is the key to power. He
will not fill a vessel that refuses to
move when he says go or stop when he
says wait. Many believers quench the
spirit not through open rebellion but
through quiet resistance. They feel his
prompting to forgive, to speak truth, to
let go, but they hesitate. And each
hesitation silences his whisper a little
more. The more you ignore him, the
fainter his voice becomes. But the more
you obey him, the clearer he speaks, his
direction becomes sharper, his presence
stronger, his peace deeper. To walk in
the spirit is not to have every step
mapped out, but to trust the one who
leads. It is to say, "Lord, I don't see
the whole road, but I will take the next
step you show me." The spirit will
sometimes lead you into stillness when
your flesh wants to act or into action
when your flesh wants to stay safe. He
might close a door you were praying to
open or open one you never considered.
But his guidance is perfect for he sees
beyond your present moment into your
eternal purpose. Those who live by the
spirit do not measure success by
outcomes but by obedience. They find
peace not in understanding everything
but in knowing they are walking with
him. The spirit-led life is not marked
by chaos or confusion but by quiet
confidence. The assurance that even when
you don't know what comes next he does.
To walk in the spirit is to surrender
control to let him set the pace. To live
each day aware that you are not alone.
It is a journey of trust. one step at a
time, guided by a voice that never leads
astray. And when you follow that voice,
you will find that your path, though
narrow, always leads to life. When a
person walks in the flesh, life becomes
a constant struggle, a weary cycle of
striving, guilt, and disappointment. You
try to do good, but fail. You make
promises to God, but break them again.
You want peace, but end up restless. The
flesh always demands effort but never
gives satisfaction. It drives you to
perform, to impress, to prove yourself
yet leaves your soul exhausted and
empty. But when you begin to live in the
fullness of the spirit, everything
changes. The burden lifts, the striving
ceases, what once felt heavy becomes
light, and what once felt impossible
becomes effortless. Because the spirit
does not ask you to do more. He empowers
you to become more. He doesn't place
weight on your shoulders. He fills you
with strength from within. The spirit
brings freedom. Not the freedom to do
whatever you please, but the freedom to
finally do what is right with joy. Where
the spirit of the Lord is, there is
liberty. That liberty is not rebellion.
It is release. It is the breaking of
every chain that once held you bound.
fear, sin, shame, addiction, bitterness,
pride. The Spirit releases you from the
inside out. He does not simply change
your circumstances. He changes your
desires. The things that once tempted
you lose their grip. The things that
once frightened you lose their voice.
You begin to walk in a supernatural
freedom that cannot be explained, only
experienced. And this freedom naturally
produces fruit. The fruit of the spirit.
Notice it is called fruit, not results.
Results are achieved by effort. Fruit is
produced by life. A tree does not
struggle to bear fruit. It simply abides
in the soil and lets the life within
flow outward. So it is with you. When
the spirit fills your life, love begins
to flow, not as a duty, but as a
delight. Joy rises even in hardship.
Peace anchors you in the middle of
storms. Patience blossoms where
frustration used to live. Kindness,
goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and
self-control all begin to grow quietly
and steadily because the very nature of
Christ is taking root in you. The fruit
of the spirit is not something you
achieve. It is something you receive. It
is the evidence that you are no longer
walking in your own strength. It shows
the world that something divine has
happened within you. That God himself
has taken residence in your heart. You
no longer need to force holiness. It
flows naturally like rivers of living
water. This is the beauty of life in the
spirit. It transforms you from the
inside. You don't have to fake peace.
You carry it. You don't have to pretend
to love. It overflows from you. You
don't have to beg for joy. It springs up
like a fountain. And that joy, that
peace, that love becomes a testimony of
the power of God working through you.
The spirit does not make you perfect
overnight, but he makes you free. Free
to grow, to rise, to live without fear.
The life that once felt bound now
becomes a song of freedom. You find that
the more you yield, the more you bear
fruit. And this fruit, unlike human
effort, never fades. It remains eternal,
fragrant, alive, the unmistakable mark
of a life filled with the spirit. The
life of the spirit is not built upon one
great emotional moment, but upon
continual surrender. Many people
experience the touch of God once and
think they have reached the fullness of
the spirit. But fullness is not a single
experience. It is a constant yielding.
It is not about how much of the spirit
you have. It is about how much of you
the spirit possesses. Every day, every
hour, every situation asks the same
quiet question. Will you yield or will
you resist? The spirit's presence
remains, but his power flows only where
he is allowed to rule completely. He
cannot fill what is already full of
self. He cannot reign where the will
refuses to bow. Continuous surrender is
not weakness. It is the secret of
strength. It is the posture that says,
"Lord, I am yours." Not just on Sunday,
not just when I feel holy, but in every
breath and every decision. It means
giving him access to the hidden corners
of your heart, your ambitions, your
fears, your secret struggles, your
dreams. The spirit does not demand
instant perfection. He asks for
permission. He knocks, waits, and
invites you to open each locked door of
your soul. The more you yield, the more
his peace deepens. The more you trust,
the more his power flows. The flesh
hates surrender. It wants control. It
wants to dictate how, when, and where
God should move. But surrender breaks
that power. It says, "Not my will, but
yours." It gives up the right to
understand everything and chooses to
simply trust. Every act of surrender, no
matter how small, becomes a doorway for
the spirit to fill more of you. And in
that filling, you find rest. You stop
striving to be spiritual because he
becomes your strength. You stop fearing
the unknown because you know who holds
tomorrow. You stop wrestling with
outcomes because your peace no longer
depends on what happens. It depends on
who lives within you. The more you
surrender, the more you see that the
spirit never takes something away
without giving something greater in
return. He asks you to lay down pride
and gives you peace. He asks you to
release bitterness and fills you with
love. He asks you to stop fighting for
control and replaces anxiety with
assurance. Surrender does not empty you.
It fills you. It opens the door for
heaven's life to flow freely into every
part of your being. And this is the
mystery of the spiritfilled life. You
lose nothing worth keeping and gain
everything you were created for. Each
day becomes a new opportunity to say,
"Lord, take all of me." When that
becomes the cry of your heart, the
spirit fills you again and again, not as
a distant guest, but as the living
presence of Christ within you. In that
place of continuous surrender, you
discover the greatest freedom. You no
longer live by effort, but by grace, no
longer by fear, but by faith, no longer
by your own will, but by his divine life
flowing through you. This is the
fullness of the spirit. A life that
breathes with the rhythm of surrender
where self is silent and Christ lives
completely. Beloved, this is the true
secret of life in the spirit. Not
striving, not performing, not pretending
to be strong, but simply surrendering to
the one who already lives within you.
The Christian life was never meant to be
a battle fought by human willpower. It
was meant to be the outflow of divine
life. When you stop depending on the
flesh and start yielding to the spirit,
you step into a realm where weakness
becomes strength, where obedience
becomes joy, where burdens turn into
blessings. The flesh will always try to
reclaim control. It will whisper, "You
must fix yourself. You must prove your
worth." But the spirit whispers
something very different. You are
already mine. Rest in me. Trust me. Let
me live through you. The more you listen
to that gentle voice, the more you will
find peace. Not the peace of
circumstances, but the peace of
presence. The spirit does not make life
easier. He makes you stronger. He
doesn't always change the storm, but he
changes you in the storm. He gives you a
calm that confusion cannot shake. A love
that rejection cannot steal. A faith
that darkness cannot drown. When you
live in the fullness of the spirit, your
days stop being ordinary. Every step
becomes divine. Every moment becomes
sacred and even the smallest act becomes
worship. So let the old self die and let
Christ live through you. Let go of your
plans, your pride, your fears, and watch
how the spirit fills the empty places
with his glory. You do not have to beg
for his presence. He already dwells in
you. You only have to surrender again
and again until every breath, every
thought, every heartbeat becomes his.
And when that happens, you will know
what true life is. You will no longer
just exist. You will live as one carried
by the wind of heaven, filled with peace
that passes understanding, guided by
love that never fails, and empowered by
grace that never runs dry. This is the
fullness of the spirit. Not a feeling,
not a moment, but a continual overflow
of Christ in you, the hope of glory. So
walk in the spirit, live in the spirit,
and let the world see not what you can
do, but what God can do through a life
completely surrendered. For when the
flesh dies and the spirit reigns, you
will finally discover what it means to
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