According to the Flesh – 1 Nephi 22:1-2

Nephi’s brothers pose an interesting question: are the teachings of the prophets purely spiritual in nature? The implications of this question are far-reaching: If the words of the prophets pertain only to spiritual things, then they are disconnected from our everyday experience. They might be interesting to read. They might be true in a broad theoretical sense. But with respect to the specific challenges we face, they don’t necessarily play a role. We can safely keep them at arm’s length and not be inconvenienced by their demands. By limiting God’s word to the spiritual realm, we effectively nullify its power in our lives.
Nephi answers this question with clarity:

1. Yes, the words of the prophets are spiritual. By definition, a prophet learns things through the Spirit of the Lord which we cannot learn through our physical senses alone.
2. However, the fact that these truths are understood spiritually does not imply that they are disconnected from our physical lives. In fact, the opposite is true. The Lord reveals to the prophet through the Spirit things which will happen to us in the flesh. The boundary between physical and spiritual things is not as rigid as was implied in the question. In fact, the things God reveals to us through His prophets are relevant to the tangible challenges we face every day.

I’m grateful that our Heavenly Father reveals truths to His prophets by His Spirit. I’m grateful that those truths provide practical guidance which help us “according to the flesh.”