Sacred Saturday: Denying the Flesh, Discovering Clarity

When the noise of your flesh gets quieter, the voice of your spirit gets clearer.

Sacred Saturday is not just about taking a nap or turning your phone off for a few hours. It is about choosing the kind of rest that clears the static, so you can actually hear God again. Rest, reflection, and spiritual practices become powerful when they are rooted in the choice to deny what your flesh is craving in the moment for what your spirit needs most.

“Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.”
Galatians 5:24 (NIV)

Why Denying the Flesh Matters

The “flesh” is not just your physical body; it is the part of you that wants comfort over calling and impulse over intimacy with God. When the flesh is running the show, your life starts to feel noisy, reactive, and scattered. When you deny the flesh, something sacred happens: the static begins to fade, and the subtle movements of the Holy Spirit become easier to notice.

On Sacred Saturday, denying the flesh might look like saying no to certain habits, appetites, or relationships that keep blurring your spiritual vision. It is not punishment - it is pruning.

“So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.”
Galatians 5:16 (NIV)

Eight Years of Saying No

One of the ways this has shown up in my life is in the area of sexual purity. I have not slept with anyone in well over eight years. That is not because I am perfect or immune to desire; it is because I decided that my spiritual clarity and emotional health mattered more than momentary comfort.

When you know deep down that things are not right around you - patterns, behaviors, relationships - that is not the time to numb out; it is the time to sharpen your discernment. In my story, saying no to sex outside of God’s design became one of the clearest ways to quiet the noise and really see what kind of fruit people and situations were bearing in my life.

“Flee from sexual immorality…you are not your own; you were bought at a price.”
1 Corinthians 6:18–20 (NIV)

“It is God’s will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality.”
1 Thessalonians 4:3 (NIV)

Studying the Fruit and the Rhythm

When something feels off, Sacred Saturday invites you to slow down enough to “study the fruit” and the rhythm of what is happening around you. Instead of being swept along by feelings, you pause and ask:

• What fruit is this relationship, habit, or environment producing in me - peace or chaos, clarity or confusion?
• Does the rhythm of this person’s life line up with God’s character, or is it constantly pulling me away from Him?
• When I step back from physical intimacy, constant entertainment, or emotional drama, what do I see that I could not see before?

Jesus told us that we would recognize people by their fruit, not by their words or their promises. When the flesh is quieted, you can finally see the fruit clearly.

“By their fruit you will recognize them.”
Matthew 7:16 (NIV)

Fasting: Remembering We Weren’t Made for 24/7 Feasting

This is also why fasting matters so much to me. When you look back to early human life on this planet, people were hunters and gatherers. Food was not available 24/7 in a pantry, drive-thru, or food delivery app. There were natural rhythms of feasting and hunger, which meant regular windows where the body did not get what it wanted instantly.

Fasting is a way of stepping back into that rhythm on purpose. When you choose to abstain from food (or something else you reach for automatically), you are reminding your body that it is not the boss. You are also reminding your spirit that it was made to be sustained by more than calories and cravings.

“Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.”
Matthew 4:4 (NIV)

“When you fast…”
Matthew 6:16 (NIV)

Sacred Saturday Practices to Quiet the Flesh

Here are a few practical ways Sacred Saturday can help you deny the flesh and gain spiritual clarity:

• Physical boundaries: Choose one appetite to say no to today - sugar, social media scrolling, casual hookups, or something else you know has too much power. Offer that “no” to God as an act of worship.
• Intentional fasting: Skip a meal, set aside a specific time window, or fast from a non-food comfort (like TV or certain music) and use that time to pray, journal, or read Scripture instead.
• Focused reflection: Ask God, “Show me the true fruit of my habits, relationships, and desires,” and then write down what you sense, even if it is uncomfortable.
• Rest with purpose: Take a nap, a walk, or a long shower - but invite the Holy Spirit into that rest. Let Him speak into the spaces you usually fill with noise.

Denying the flesh is not about earning God’s love; it is about removing the fog so you can better receive it.

“Offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God - this is your true and proper worship.”
Romans 12:1 (NIV)

A Sacred Saturday Invitation

On this Sacred Saturday, the invitation is simple but costly: choose to deny the flesh in at least one meaningful way, and watch how your spiritual sight sharpens. Let your “no” to temporary comfort become a “yes” to deeper connection with God.

You are allowed to step out of the constant feast of feelings, impulses, and options. You are allowed to live with clear eyes and a steady heart. As you rest, reflect, and practice these spiritual rhythms, may you discover that denying the flesh is not loss - it is making room for the clarity and presence your soul has been craving all along.

"Every time you tell your flesh ‘no,’ you are telling your spirit ‘yes’ - yes to clarity, yes to peace, yes to the quiet nearness of God that no temporary craving can compete with.”

With love and sacred rhythm,
Eugene 💘

EugeniasThought: JMF💘

🎧 Frequency Feature: Dark Horse

Dark Horse’ by Katy Perry is a vivid picture of what happens when attraction, power, and spiritual forces get mixed together without discernment - it feels thrilling at first, but the cost shows up later. In light of this Sacred Saturday, linking the song becomes a chance to ask, What am I actually yoking myself to -flesh-driven energy that clouds my judgment, or the Holy Spirit who brings clarity, peace, and protection as I deny the flesh and study the fruit around me?

Weekly Editorial Rhythm

• Monday: Monday Morning Grace - a gentle start to the week with faith-centered encouragement
• Tuesday: Truth-Telling Tuesday - authentic reflections on living faith boldly
• Wednesday: The Midweek Mirror - a pause for spiritual reflection and self-compassion
• Thursday: Frequency Thursday - tuning into God's voice amid life's noise
• Friday: Follow Friday - exploring what it means to follow Jesus in everyday moments
• Saturday: Sacred Saturday - rest, reflection, and spiritual practices
• Sunday: Sunday Soul Food - nourishing reflections to ground your week ahead

Your Journey Starts Here

Many have asked during my TikTok Lives how to begin their personal or spiritual journey. So far, I've explored and mapped the first three stages for those seeking alignment - the awakening, the journey inward, and the path forward.

These stages have brought profound clarity, and I'm grateful to share what I've discovered along the way.

There are still a few details unfolding, but trust that everything is aligning in its own time - and you'll be the first to know when it's ready.

Remember, this is love being transmuted into art; growth takes time, and you can't rush an actual journey, beautiful souls. In due time, all the right energy falls into place. Just have faith. Hold the vision.

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Explore my Speak Your Truth and Frequency Collections - curated resources to support your authentic faith journey and help you tune into God's frequency in daily life.

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May you move at the pace of peace this week and trust the rhythm that is uniquely yours.