Galatians 5:16-21 (New American Standard Bible)¹⁶But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh. ¹⁷For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please.¹⁸But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the Law. ¹⁹Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality, ²⁰idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, ²¹envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

Good Day~

In this powerful passage, Paul puts skin on a struggle you and I face every day—the battle between Spirit-led and self-driven living.  Paul tells us to ‘walk by the Spirit’…now what does that mean?  Some of you are new to Christianity, so please allow me to go back—at the time an individual places his faith in Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit takes up residence within. (If you do not have the Spirit within, you do not belong to Christ, Romans 8.9)  You will remember that Jesus (after the resurrection), told his men that after he left them, they were to wait in Jerusalem; He would send them the comforter, the Holy Spirit, (Luke 24.49; John 16.7-15).  And then, in Acts 1.8, just before He ascended to the Father, Jesus told them with the coming of the Holy Spirit, there would be power.  Acts 2.4 records ‘all of them filled with the Holy Spirit’.  

So then. . . the believer has a choice to walk by the Spirit, or be led by the Spirit, or not.  Jesus himself said the Spirit would lead, guide, convict, counsel, and comfort.  THIS is the key to freedom in Christ or something far less—walking in the Spirit, and letting Him lead.  THIS is letting Christ be himself in us.  When we silence Him, we are left with the deeds of the flesh; considering the list is first of all sobering, but also enlightening--immorality, impurity, sensuality, ²⁰idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, ²¹envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these…

Would you say any of these describe your thoughts, attitudes or actions?  How then do we win the struggle?  By walking in the newness of life that is present in us through the Spirit.  God said, “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you…”Ezekiel 36.26  This, my friend, happens at the time you are born of the Spirit.  Oh, I know, people get all freaked out about the term “born again”, because it has been so abused and adulterated, but it is not just biblical but also the best description of what happens at our spiritual birth.  ‘Born of a woman, of flesh, the first time, and then born of the Spirit, or born again’ at the time of our spiritual conversion to Christ.  Read the account for yourself in John chapter 3, when the Jewish teacher came to talk to Jesus in private, in what he thought was an off-the-record discussion… Goodness, that conversation which John captured could have been no less off-the-record! 

Let’s pray right now. . .”Heavenly Father, thank you for loving us so much that you made a way for us, through Jesus. Thank you for filling us with your Spirit, and giving us a new heart. Thank you for forgiveness of sins, and I pray that you would teach us what it means to walk in the Spirit daily—to seek Your voice in the pages of Scripture, and in prayer, so that, “whether we turn to the right or to the left, our ears will hear a voice behind us, saying, ‘this is the way, walk in it.’” (Isaiah 30.21)  In the powerful name of Jesus, Amen.”

So live and so act as those who are filled with the Spirit~

Christine