Holy Spirit: Crucifying the Flesh Through Prayer & Surrender
Holy Spirit Week 4: Crucifying the Flesh Through Prayer & Surrender
The tension between flesh and Spirit is not theoretical. It’s deeply personal.
Every believer knows what it feels like to stand between two competing desires…the pull of the flesh and the pull of the Spirit. One direction promises comfort, control, or self-preservation. The other calls us into surrender, obedience, and trust in God.
In Week 4 of the Holy Spirit series at LEV Church, Pastor Eddie Bousum walked through one of the most intense moments in Scripture: Jesus praying in the Garden of Gethsemane before the cross. The message centered on a powerful truth: righteousness is not the absence of struggle. Righteousness is surrendering to the Father in the middle of the struggle.
The series has been anchored in Galatians 5:16–17:
“So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh.” — Galatians 5:16–17
Throughout the series, LEV Church has been exploring the reality that transformation cannot be sustained by human effort alone. Pastor Eddie reminded the church that willpower is not evil, but it was never meant to carry the full weight of transformation.
You can discipline yourself for a while. You can force yourself into temporary behavior modification. But eventually, human strength runs out. True transformation only happens when believers surrender to and depend on the Holy Spirit.
Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane
The heart of the message focused on Luke 22:39–46, where Jesus enters the Garden of Gethsemane before His arrest and crucifixion.
Jesus tells His disciples:
“Pray that you may not enter into temptation.” — Luke 22:40
Then Jesus Himself prays:
“Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done.” — Luke 22:42
One of the striking observations from the message was this: Scripture never explicitly records Satan being present in Gethsemane.
In the wilderness temptation earlier in Jesus’ ministry, Satan is clearly present. But in the garden, the battle appears internal.
That reality carries profound implications for believers today.
Sometimes our greatest battles are not external attacks from the enemy. Sometimes the greatest battle is the internal struggle between the flesh and the Spirit. The flesh desires self-preservation. The Spirit calls us toward surrender.
Jesus fully experienced that tension.
Hebrews 4:15 reminds us:
“For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin.”
Jesus understands the conflict believers experience because He entered into it Himself.
Prayer Is Not Optional
A major theme throughout the message was prayer.
Not religious obligation. Not ritualistic repetition. Genuine dependence on the Father.
Jesus repeatedly instructed His disciples:
“Pray lest you enter into temptation.”
Prayer is not merely preparation for spiritual battle—it is part of the battle itself.
Pastor Eddie challenged the church to rethink how they approach temptation and spiritual struggle. Instead of only asking, “How do I stop this behavior?” believers must begin asking deeper questions:
What is my source?
Am I relying on myself or the Holy Spirit?
What does my prayer life actually look like?
The message emphasized that communication with the Father is one of the greatest weapons believers possess.
Prayer is where surrender happens.
Prayer is where dependence is formed.
Prayer is where the desires of the flesh begin losing authority.
Crucifying the Flesh Before the Cross
One of the strongest moments in the message came through this statement:
“Jesus crucified His flesh before humanity ever crucified His body.”
Before the cross physically happened, Jesus surrendered internally.
In Gethsemane, Jesus denied the desire of the flesh and surrendered fully to the will of the Father.
But the message also carried an important warning: crucifixion requires continued surrender.
If Jesus had only surrendered in the garden but refused the cross afterward, the surrender in the garden would have been powerless.
The same principle applies to believers today.
Many people experience powerful moments with God—moments of surrender, repentance, conviction, or freedom—but fail to remain surrendered afterward. The crucifixion of the flesh only remains powerful when it is coupled with continual surrender.
Jesus said in Luke 9:23:
“If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.”
Daily surrender matters.
Daily prayer matters.
Daily dependence on the Holy Spirit matters.
The Goal Is Not Just Spiritual Power
The message also addressed a common misunderstanding about the Holy Spirit.
Many believers pursue the Holy Spirit primarily for manifestations of power: healings, miracles, deliverance, or spiritual gifts. While those things are biblical and important, Pastor Eddie reminded the church that the deepest work of the Holy Spirit is not external demonstration but internal transformation.
The true evidence of the Spirit is a life surrendered to God.
The Holy Spirit empowers believers to overcome the desires of the flesh and live in alignment with the Father.
Romans 8:13–14 says:
“For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.”
Being led by the Spirit is the mark of spiritual sonship and daughtership.
Abiding in the Vine
The message closed in John 15:4–5:
“Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me… for without Me you can do nothing.”
Life apart from Jesus cannot produce spiritual life.
The Holy Spirit is not an accessory to the Christian life. He is essential.
The call of this message was not simply to believe more information about the Holy Spirit—but to become fully dependent upon Him.
To pray.
To surrender.
To remain connected to Jesus.
To crucify the flesh daily.
And to live a life led not by self-effort, but by the Spirit of God.
Recommended Resources from Week 4
Pastor Eddie shared several personal resources during this message for those wanting to grow deeper in prayer, spiritual formation, and dependence on the Holy Spirit.
Church Notes Notebook
A practical notebook designed specifically for sermon notes, Scripture journaling, and spiritual growth.
Discount Code: 8PWMVGBY
(5% discount valid through June 14)
Church Notes Notebook on Amazon
Smith Wigglesworth Devotional (Free PDF)
A classic devotional resource focused on faith, surrender, and the power of the Holy Spirit.
Smith Wigglesworth Devotional PDF
“Workmen of God” by Oswald Chambers
A challenging and deeply formative book on spiritual maturity, surrender, and the work of God in believers.
“If You Will Ask” by Oswald Chambers
A collection of reflections centered on prayer, dependence on God, and spiritual intimacy.