“So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh.” Galatians 5:16-17a (NIV)
There are only two ways to live your life: in the flesh, or in the Spirit. The desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other to keep you
from what? Doing what? What you want to do. That is why a sinning Christian is miserable. You are working against your deepest desires when you sin. Against your true
identity.
Your True Identity
“There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” Galatians 3:28 (NIV)
216 times in the New Testament Paul says it over and over–you are in Christ. Your identity is not that you are a sinner. That identifies some of your activity, it is not all of your
identity. Your identity is: I am in Christ and He will help me overcome my sin.
What Paul is saying here, is that when you meet Christ, God does a fundamental work in you at the core of your being. You’re a new creation. Old things have passed away.
You’ve become new. You have a new birth. You have a new power of the Holy Spirit. And you have new desires. What this means is that the non-Christian and the Christian
desire completely different things. One of the ways you know if you are a Christian is to ask yourself: What are my deepest desires? Your deepest, strongest desires. There is
a continual battle between desires for God and for the flesh, but the key is a changed heart.
Did you experience a radical change in your desires since meeting Jesus? See, this is where the non-Christian will look and say: Why do you guys do that? Why do you go
to church? Why do you pray? Why do you read your Bible? Who wants to do that? We do. Because the Holy Spirit in us has given us an appetite for the things of God.
So, we don’t have to pray, we get to pray. We don’t have to be with God’s people, we get to be with God’s people. And we don’t have to learn the Word of God, we get to
learn the Word of God. When someone meets God, they change in desire at the core of their being.
What Are the Works of the Flesh?
“The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.” Galatians 5:19-21 (NIV)
In this list, we have three categories: Sexual sins, spiritual sins and relational sins. We all struggle with these three categories. God wants to help us be free of this. God
wants you to nurture the deepest desires He has for you. God wants you to live in the grace that He provides, and to follow the character of Christ.
The first category is sexual sins. The original Greek word for sexual sin is porneia from which we get what word? Pornography.
The second category is spiritual sins. Many of the spiritual sins are when we love something too much. For example, idolatry. An idol is not usually a bad thing. It’s a good
thing put in God’s place. So, some parents worship their kids, some guys worship golf or fishing. You and I can worship work, our own convenience and comfort. We could
say, this is the center and everything revolves around it. Only Jesus should be the center of your life, all of your decision-making and desiring.
The third category are relational sins like fits of rage. This is unreasonable anger. When you go from zero to 60 fast. And you are like a grenade with a pin pulled. Some of
you had a dad like that. Everyone wondered: How’s dad today? He’s upset. OK, let’s go to our friend’s house. This kind of anger is not from God.
Then the list ends with “and the like”. It’s a junk drawer. It’s miscellaneous. Just in case you go: I don’t struggle with anything on that list. There’s also the “and the like.”
Is There Another Way? Yes–The Fruit of the Spirit
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.” Galatians 5:22-23 (NIV)
The fruit of the Spirit starts with love. God’s love for us, in us, through us. Joy. God, You love me, and I’m walking with You, and Your grace is enough. Peace. I have
peace with You, I have peace from You. I have peace to live the life You have designed for me. Patience. Your timing is not mine. I am not in the driver’s seat–You are.
Kindness. That’s considerate, not rude, nice, caring. Goodness–generous, encouraging and appreciation. Faithfulness. You’re dependable and trustworthy. Reliable.
Gentleness. You’re not overbearing or domineering. Self-control. Under the Holy Spirit’s direction.
“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in Me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from Me you can do nothing.” John 15:5 (NIV)
Here’s what impresses God: We are called to produce fruit. It should bother us if we aren’t. It takes removing things that impede that process in our lives.
Are you producing more fruit for God in 2023? God loves you no matter what, but here’s the challenge—Jesus wants a relationship with you where He doesn’t just tell you
what to do. He puts His power in you through the Holy Spirit so that you can live by His power, as He helps you do it.
