Galatians 5:16-24- 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
Have you ever been conflicted? We all have. We know
something is right, but want to do the opposite. Maybe it’s something small,
and you are willing to push aside that little voice in your head telling you
not to, or maybe it’s something big, but it’s all the same to God.
Paul writes about this subject in Galatians 5:16-24. He
says, “walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the
flesh. For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of
the Spirit are against the flesh.” There is no compromise between the two:
either you follow what the Spirit wants or you do what the flesh wants.
The “sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry,
sorcery, enmity, stifle, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions,
divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these” that Paul
mentions often seem very appealing and are frequently easier than resisting
them. The rewards however, are very different. By indulging in these acts, you
may feel happy or relieved for the time being, but by opposing them, and
allowing the Spirit to lead you, you will gain eternal rewards.
I remember one of the first messages that Pastor Cleck
preached. He entered the sanctuary dragging behind him the large wooden cross
that now resides in the library. He talked about how, that as Christians, we
must always bear our own cross. The problem is that some of the places we go or
relationships we enter have very small doors that our crosses will not fit
through. We must then decide if we want to leave our cross at the door and go
in or stay away and follow our cross.
I know that we don’t actually carry giant crosses around
with us, but the idea is the same. There will be many times in each one of our
lives when the Bible will contradict what we want to do. Paul goes on to say
that, “the fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness,
goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.” We should not feel
like we have to sacrifice our lives in order to fulfill these fruits, but
should be delighted to do so. God sacrificed his Son so that we could spend
eternity with Him, and as Paul said, “Those who belong to Christ Jesus
have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.”
1. In what ways are you giving in to
the wants of the flash?
2. Which fruit of the Spirit do you need to
work on the most?
3. How do you plan to make this change in
you life?
4. Take a minute and journal about this passage.
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Written by Hannah
I liked this devo because it really outlined the meaning of spirit and flesh. I give into the flesh very easily. Sometimes I'll even say aloud "Don't do that" but do I do, I give into it. I've been working on just stopping and pray instead of doing my fleshly desires.
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