But I say, 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, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law (Galatians 5:16-18).
The Spirit of God is indispensable for the Christian life. The only way that we will not continue to gratify the desires of the Flesh is to walk by the Spirit. Overcoming the desires of the flesh is not an issue of being intuitively aware of my circumstances. Certainly, being aware of our circumstances keeps us alert of danger but only to keep on walking by the Spirit. Overcoming the flesh is not about mental common sense. We cannot be successful on our own. We need the divine, supernatural, empowerment of the indwelling Spirit of God.
Living the Christian life will always have a certain tension. Since the desires of the Flesh are against the Spirit and the Spirit is against the Flesh, we will always live life under some conflict or tension. This conflict keeps us from doing what we know is the right thing to do. It is also the reason we do sinful things (on occasion) and feel stupid doing them. That being said, the “mood” of the verbal idea in relationship to reality is this is volitionally possible; in other words when our will is surrendered to the Spirit of God, we can chose to do the righteous thing. The command is to be an ongoing present act of obedience as we walk by the Spirit. The Spirit of God is not a genie that snaps His fingers, and the “struggle” disappears. He is the one who walks alongside us and by the power of His presence and prodding, guides us along the pathway of righteousness.
If we live by the Spirit of God, we are not under the law. I am constantly amazed how easy it is for us Christians to want to default back to the Law. The law can point out the standard and show us when we fail but it cannot motivate or empower us to live out the spirit of the law. This was Israel’s failure, and it is often our failure. Our point of authority is not the law, it is the Spirit of God in us; it is relationship not the rules. Rules appear easier to live by because they give the appearance of greater clarity. They seem to eliminate the gray areas because they are black and white in our mind. But Jesus clearly explained that you might not have murdered someone but if you are angry with your brother, you are in danger of judgment (Matt. 5:21-26). The point being is that the Law cannot govern the heart. People can hide the motives and intents while appearing to keep the Law. But inevitably, what all of us end up doing is finding technical loopholes to get around the law so we can indulge the flesh. It is on the basis of relationship with Christ that is our motivation and drive to choose to not carry out the desires of the flesh by walking with the Spirit of God daily.
The Spirit of God is calling us to godliness. The Spirit of God never leads us to the works of the flesh. His power in us reflects the fruit of His presence and when we live by the power of His indwelling presence (when we are very conscious of His presence with us) then we make better choices because He is there with us in our choices.
Discipleship that does not produce godliness is not discipleship that God wants. We need to surrender fully to the Spirit of God, walk with Him and accept His leading (coaching) as He teaches us to embrace beliefs, values and priorities that will change the way we behave. That is true discipleship.
In His grace,
Pastor Brad.
