Scripture:
Galatians 5:16-24 ESV
[16] But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. [17] For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. [18] But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. [19] Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, [20] idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, [21] envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. [22] But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, [23] gentleness, self-control; against such things, there is no law. [24] And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.
Observation:
I know I don’t usually step outside of my path through the Bible. However, this morning, I felt led to cover what it means to be led by the spirit. Paul gives a very clear directive at the beginning of this passage. Walk by the spirit, and you won’t gratify the desires of the flesh. That scripture tells me we have a choice to make. He goes on to identify the difference between the two. Verse 17 really describes the spiritual battle we all face. The same battle we see him describe in Romans chapter 7 when he talks about the internal conflict that goes on when we are faced with a decision to live for our flesh or to feed our spirit. I find it a little difficult to stay inside the observation aspect of this scripture without looking at the application at the same time. Paul looks at two totally different sets of behavior. One that feels good and one that is good. He goes over these so we can have a way to identify how we are walking. One of the key verses is verse 18. If you are led by the spirit, you are not under the law. Verses 23-24 are vital to understanding this passage as well. At the end of verse 23, we see the words against these. There is no law. This is said about the fruits of the Spirit. It then tells us in verse 24 that when we belong to Christ, we have put our flesh to death
Application:
I am so grateful that we have been given a measuring stick. So we can see how we are doing. I’m also very grateful for the grace of GOD. It allows me to fine-tune how I walk. What I have noticed is that there are times in my walk with GOD that I am doing really well, and there are times when I have to work hard to stay on track. I see complacency has a lot to do with it. The more I feed my spirit, the more it wins. The reverse is true as well. I was asked a question a few years back because I was complaining about what was going on in my life. A friend said to me…”If you have two dogs in your yard and they get in a fight, what dog wins?” I replied. I don’t know. Then he said, ” The one you feed.” That’s when it became very clear to me that I had a choice. Do I live for my flesh… or do I feed my spirit. The flesh wants what feels good, and the spirit wants what is good. The question for you today is, what dog are you going to feed. You have been given a way to tell if you are feeding your flesh or if you are feeding your spirit. Joshua says you have been given a choice between life and death. Choose life.
Prayer:
Father, we want you, we want your will. Help us to feed our spirit man and put our flesh to death. We want to see your face. To know you more. We don’t want our flesh to rise up and take over. Help us to nail it to the cross as we pick it up and carry it so that we can walk closer to you. It’s in the mighty name of Jesus I pray amen