As humans we get attached to and develop affections for what we see, touch, hear etc. This means that our physical senses make us more aware of our earthly surrounds than our spiritual identity. So this state of being is what the scripture calls carnality or the love of the world.
But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God/Elohim: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.
1 cor 2 v 14
Why is this a bad thing? Firstly our time on earth is not permanent as we are spirit beings, having a human experience, and we live on after death. When we spend our life preoccupied with the carnal, it stops us from having a real spiritual connection with our Creator who is Spirit.
So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.
2 cor 4 v 18
To be carnal means we will ignore our purpose and why we are here and focus on people things and places. Our purpose here matters because after we die we give an account for what we have used our life to do.
And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:
Hebrews 9 v 27
For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? [37] Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?
Mark 8 v 36-38
Carnal mindedness
For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.
7 Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.
8 So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.
Romans 8 v 6
Secondly preoccupation with the earthly causes Idolatry because we get more attached and have more affection for the things of this world than our heavenly Father. This means that the gift becomes more precious to us than the giver. It stops us from loving The Most High. That is breaking the first commandment as we are now having an Idol against His face.
I am the Lord/Almighty thy God/Elohim, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.
3 Thou shalt have no other gods/deities before me.
Exodus 20
Thirdly it stops us from being able to love our neighbor as ourselves. Example if we are attached to social media and our phones. We will put that before time with friends and family. So we will please ourselves and not our neighbor. The reverse can also happen as a result of carnality. If we are obsessed with a person maybe because of how they look. We can put pleasing them above our own well being. People are also earthly beings because of their earthly bodies.
How carnality affects our lives
Often what or who we are attached to becomes an addiction, that we cannot let go of easily. Common things are sex, porn, alcohol, food, social media, drugs, materialism, status seeking, pets and culture. These things become so important to us that we won’t give them up for anyone. Not even The Most high. This attachment can also be called a soul tie.
Trauma by way of rejection, abandonment or abuse usually makes us more prone to be addicted to something. Trauma causes us to not value ourselves and we use these attachments to comfort ourselves, feel important and distract us from our feelings.
However all the things we seek which acceptance, approval belonging self worth can all be found in knowing the Creator who is unseen.
The Spirit of the Lord/Ahayah is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the good news to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,
Luke 4 v 18
Nothing carnal can satisfy our need for love and when we try to use them. We end up in greed, addiction and lust, that cannot be satisfied. We were created to love and be loved, so if we don’t love The Almighty we automatically are serving an Idol. What we love we spend time with, we spend money on and we think highly about is usually our Idol.
No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God/Elohim and money.
Mathew 6 v 24
For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also”
Luke 12 v 34
How does The Father help us to overcome our attachment to the carnal
For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God/Elohim: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.
Romans 8 v 6
He helps us to overcome our carnal desires by giving us his desires through the new man.
This is why Mashyach said we must be born again.
Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.[a]”
John 3 v 3
Jesus/ Yahshya answered, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. 6 Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit[b] gives birth to spirit. 7 You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You[c] must be born again.’ 8 The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”[d]
John 3
For us to be born naturally we had to be conceived and then carried in our mother’s womb during gestation. This prepares us for birth and living on our own without being attached to her umbilical cord.
The spiritual birth is similar in nature. conception happens when the word/ seed enters the heart and springs forth.
Then he told them many things in parables, saying: “A farmer went out to sow his seed. 4 As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. 5 Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. 6 But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. 7 Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. 8 Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop—a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown. 9 Whoever has ears, let them hear.”
Mathew 13
What can cause a spiritual abortion
When anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in their heart. This is the seed sown along the path. 20 The seed falling on rocky ground refers to someone who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. 21 But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. 22 The seed falling among the thorns refers to someone who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, making it unfruitful. 23 But the seed falling on good soil refers to someone who hears the word and understands it. This is the one who produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.”
Mathew 13
This scripture is explaining the hazards of conception. As in the natural many seeds/sperms can seek to germinate the egg but not all are successful. We know that conception has taken place when the seed begins to grow.
For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God/Elohim.
1 peter 1 v 23
How are we born again
After safe conception when seed starts to grow, the new man/spirit being has to develop in critical areas for its survival. In the natural the fetus has to develop such things as a heart, brain, liver and kidneys, limbs etc. All of which are necessary for living independently of the mother.
In the natural after fertilization the next step is the dividing of the cells to form the body and the placenta. The placenta is what will attach to the mother to nourish the baby. In order to grow spiritually we must be attached to someone who can nourish us spiritually. This is a critical step in our quest for spiritual survival. This means we must often give up our attachment to the carnal in order to have the capacity to attach to the spiritual.
It is very important that the person whom we attach to or learn from is spiritual and mature or we can suffer an abortion. The cares of this life stifling the seed would be an example of this.
“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. 6 If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned.
John 15
Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ/Mashiach.
1 cor 11 v 1
Whoever we attach to for our development must be followers of The Mashiach in word and deed. They must be first partakers and lead by example.
The husbandman that laboureth must be first partaker of the fruits.
2 timothy 2 v 6
The new man is spiritual and is now at war against the old man which is earthly and fleshly. After gestation is no abortion takes place then we are born again.
In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God’s word all over again. You need milk, not solid food! 13 Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. 14 But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.
hebrews 5
6 Therefore let us move beyond the elementary teachings about Christ and be taken forward to maturity, not laying again the foundation of repentance from acts that lead to death,[a] and of faith in God, 2 instruction about cleansing rites,[b] the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. 3 And God permitting, we will do so.
Hebrews 6
Spiritual warfare
So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. 17 For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever[c] you want. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law( of sin and death). Romans 8 v 2
galations 5
Our own battle begins when we are born again, after conception and gestation. Then we must use our discernment of good and evil to choose. This puts us in original condition of Adam and Eve.
The old man our flesh has been ruling our will all our lives until we are regenerated or born again. Then a battle ensues as we now can identify evil thought and good thoughts. Evil thoughts are from the kingdom of darkness while good thoughts are from the kingdom of light. We must use our will to choose so that the spirit can have dominion over the flesh.
The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; 20 idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 21 and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. 24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. 26 Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.
galations 5
Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.
james 4 v 7-8