How to win the victory over Amalek (the flesh)?
Exo 17:11-13 As long as Moses held up his hands, the Israelites were winning, but whenever he lowered his hands, the Amalekites were winning. (12) When Moses' hands grew tired, they took a stone and put it under him and he sat on it. Aaron and Hur held his hands up--one on one side, one on the other--so that his hands remained steady till sunset. (13) So Joshua overcame the Amalekite army with the sword.
This is the battle that cannot be won by human strength. Joshua is out there fighting but the battle is not determined by how strong Joshua is. It is determined upon other principles. When Moses is up on a hill with Aaron and Hur interceding for Joshua, it is here that the outcome of the battle is decided. When Moses has his hands up in the air, it says that the battle is being won. When he is tired and weary and his arms come down the battle goes the other way and Amalek prevails. Joshua is out there with the sword, which is probably a picture of the word of God, but his victory is determined upon something else happening. Human ability----no matter how strong, cannot overcome the flesh. People try to overcome in various ways; if I can only try to be better. If I do this and this and that, then I may gain more victory. But victory over this principle of Amalek or the flesh cannot be attained through human strength. It has to be attained by other ways.
Victory over Amalek can only be received, it cannot be attained, and it cannot be won. Moses up on the hill with his arms raised to God is a picture of prayer, worship and surrender. He is putting himself in a position where he can receive from God the ability to win this battle. It is not up to Joshua. It is a matter of Moses adopting a position where the battle can be won. This is the surrender of faith, because he is looking toward God to meet a need that he can't actually meet himself. It can only be received.
In the New Testament, Paul faced this battle. In Romans 7 this same principle is revealed; that the good that I actually want to do, I can't do, but I find another principle within me that just keeps bringing me down, bringing me captive. I don't want to sin, but I find that there are two laws operating within me. One that brings me down to failure, the law of sin and death, and one that actually wants to do God's will, but is unable to perform it. Romans: 7 tells us that Paul sees himself as a wretched man, he comes to the point where he is experiencing this as a Christian. He wants to follow God. He wants to do God's will but he finds that there is this other law within him that has no time for God, no time for His principles and he ends up doing what he doesn't want to do against his will. He is trying and trying, but the more he tries the more he fails. Victory over the flesh or Amalek cannot be attained by our efforts; it can only be received by another principle. At last he sees that victory is outside of himself. He has gone beyond himself and he is saying 'Who, who is going to meet my need?' Then he goes on to say 'but thanks be to God through Christ Jesus!' He also says 'for the law of the spirit of life has set me free from the law of sin and death'. So Paul went through this very same battle and the answer really is what Colossians says 'Just as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, continue to walk in Him.' How did you receive Christ? You knew that there was a standard that you could not meet, it was way beyond you. You had a sin debt which you could not pay, so you looked to someone to actually meet this need for you. That someone was the Lord Jesus who paid the penalty for sin on the cross. You looked to Him to do something for you that you couldn't do of yourself, and you received by faith, it is as simple as that. You just said thank you to God for the gift of salvation. In exactly the same way that you started the Christian life by saying 'thank you', this is the same way that you are to continue on in your Christian life. Thank Him and look to Him to meet your need against this Amalek principle so that it does not rule in your members. A greater law has to come in to lift us above that law of sin and death.