How the Christian is not to mortify the flesh

We can rejoice in the triumph of the gospel over many forms of superstition during the Protestant Reformation. Through the centuries from Pentecost until now many have sought to find holiness and purity of life through the most ridiculous ways. They missed the mark of spiritual mortification. It is not by physical depravation or mutilation that we get the victory of sinful desires, but through a spiritual battle that rages in the inner man.