Series: Freedom That Remains — Post 2
Why You Can’t Cast Out the Flesh and You Can’t Crucify a Demon**
Most Christians never learn the difference between a flesh problem and a spiritual problem — and because of that, they fight the wrong battle, apply the wrong remedy, and live in unnecessary defeat.
And many deliverance ministers burn out for the same reason.
They try to cast out what God commands to crucify.
They try to crucify what Christ commands to cast out.
There is a simple, uncompromising truth that has guided my own walk for years:
You can’t cast out the flesh,
and you can’t crucify a spirit.
Only the Holy Ghost can reveal which root is operating.
This is not a clever saying.
It is the very foundation of discernment — the difference between freedom and frustration, victory and exhaustion, transformation and endless cycles of “temporary relief.”
Let’s walk through this principle with Scripture and spiritual clarity.
Why Discernment Must Come Before Deliverance or Discipleship
You cannot fix what you cannot identify.
A wrong diagnosis guarantees a wrong solution.
- Mislabel flesh as a demon → you chase deliverance endlessly but never repent.
- Mislabel a demon as flesh → you try harder, pray harder, discipline harder… and still stay in bondage.
- Mislabel a wound as rebellion → you condemn what needs healing.
- Mislabel rebellion as trauma → you treat what needs crucifying.
Jesus never confused these categories. Neither should we.
This is why Hebrews says:
“But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age…
who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.”
— Hebrews 5:14 KJV
Discernment is not optional.
It is spiritual survival.
“You Can’t Cast Out the Flesh” — Because the Flesh Must Be Crucified
The flesh is not a demon.
It is the old self-life — the Adamic nature that resists the Spirit.
Scripture never tells us to cast it out.
Instead:
- “They that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh…” — Galatians 5:24
- “Mortify therefore your members…” — Colossians 3:5
- “Make not provision for the flesh…” — Romans 13:14
The flesh must be:
- denied
- crucified
- disciplined
- yielded
- put off
- starved of provision
You cannot cast out laziness.
You cannot cast out pride.
You cannot cast out stubbornness or lustful tendencies of the old man.
These must go to the Cross.
If you treat flesh as something to be “delivered from,” you will revisit the same battles forever, because flesh doesn’t leave — it must die.
“You Can’t Crucify a Spirit” — Because Spirits Must Be Driven Out
Demons are not the old man.
They are intruders — invaders, tormentors, liars, unclean squatters on land that belongs to Christ.
You cannot:
- crucify
- counsel
- discipline
- reform
…a demon.
Jesus cast them out with a word.
The apostles followed the same pattern.
- “Resist the devil…” — James 4:7
- “Neither give place to the devil.” — Ephesians 4:27
- “For we wrestle… against spiritual wickedness…” — Ephesians 6:12
- “He cast out the spirits with his word.” — Matthew 8:16
If you try to “crucify” a demonic presence, you will:
- blame yourself
- strive harder
- feel condemned
- wear yourself out
- and make zero progress
Because you used the wrong weapon.
Six Roots of Human Struggle — and How They Differ
Most problems in the Christian life come from one (or a mixture) of these roots:
1. Flesh
Needs crucifixion (Gal. 5:24).
2. Demonic Influence
Needs expulsion (Mark 1:27).
3. The Wounded Soul
Needs healing (Psalm 147:3).
4. The Unrenewed Mind
Needs transformation (Romans 12:2).
5. Habitual Strongholds
Need training in righteousness (Hebrews 5:14).
6. Generational Iniquity Patterns
Need renunciation and truth application (2 Corinthians 10:4–5).
One solution does not fix all six.
That’s why discernment is essential.
How the Holy Ghost Reveals the Difference
The Holy Ghost is the only perfect Diagnostician.
He shows us:
- when a spirit is present
- when the flesh is rising
- when a wound is speaking
- when a lie is operating
- when a foothold has formed
- when unbelief is resisting truth
- when a generational pattern is active
He reveals the root, not just the symptom.
Jesus said:
“He shall teach you all things.” — John 14:26
“He will guide you into all truth.” — John 16:13
Truth includes diagnosis.
The Spirit is the One who whispers,
“This is a demon,”
or
“This is your flesh,”
or
“This is a wound,”
or
“This is unbelief,”
or
“This is rebellion.”
Without Him, we swing swords at shadows.
With Him, we strike the root.
Why This Discernment Prevents Burnout and Relapse
Deliverance ministers burn out because they try to carry someone else’s Cross, someone else’s obedience, someone else’s crucifixion.
And believers relapse because they seek deliverance for what needs repentance — or discipline for what needs deliverance.
Discernment fixes both.
When you know the root, you know the remedy:
- Flesh → crucifixion
- Spirits → eviction
- Wounds → healing
- Lies → truth
- Habits → training
- Patterns → renunciation and renewal
This turns chaos into clarity.
It turns burnout into strength.
It turns frustration into forward motion.
How This Sets the Stage for the Inheritance Journey
Every battle in the Inheritance of the Saints series hinges on this one principle:
Deliverance removes what does not belong.
Discipleship forms what must remain.
Discernment tells you which is which.
Israel lost ground repeatedly because they never learned to discern the enemy within from the enemy without.
The believer who learns this lesson gains what Israel lost:
- consistency
- stability
- freedom maintained
- ground possessed
- inheritance enjoyed
This is the discernment key that unlocks the entire journey.
Conclusion
If you learn this one principle, you will break 80% of the confusion surrounding deliverance and sanctification:
You can’t cast out the flesh.
You can’t crucify a spirit.
And without Holy Ghost discernment, you will fight the wrong battle every time.
But when the Spirit reveals the root,
you strike the right blow,
and freedom begins to remain — not just visit.