Our walk with the Spirit is threatened by the desires of the flesh. This daily devotional looks at how the desires of the Spirit is the opposite of the desires of the flesh.
Nuggets
- The desires of the flesh are polar opposite to the desires of the Spirit.
- As difficult as the battle of our spiritual will against our fleshly will, it is beneficial.
- The Holy Spirit works in our lives to help us grow in grace and knowledge.
Devotions in the Never Alone: The Holy Spirit in Our Lives series
As much as we would hope to have an easy road after conversion, it really isn’t. Yes, the Holy Spirit comes to live inside us so that we can walk with Him.
However, we are still in our physical bodies. We still have the capacity to sin within us.
But that means we will have a battle on our hands as the desires of the Spirit battle the desires of the flesh.
Let’s see what Paul had to say about that.
Let's Put It into Context #1
Here is a running list of nuggets for the series.
Let's Put It into Context #2
We have looked at this passage of verses a couple of times – and in depth.
To read a related devotion, click the appropriate button below.
Polar Opposites
“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 …” (Gal. 5: 17 ESV)
The desires of the flesh are polar opposite to the desires of the Spirit.
Paul said in Galatians 5: 16 that the flesh and the Spirit both battle for control of us. He expands on that in verse 17.
The flesh and Spirit are polar opposites because the Spirit follows good and flesh follows evil.
- The flesh is our human, sinful nature.
- Good, in the biblical sense, is the workings of God within His people through His holy, pure, and righteous behavior.
- Holy means to be set apart — because of our devotion to God — to become perfect, and morally pure while possessing all virtues.
- Perfection means we reach a state of maturity because the combination of the spiritual graces form, when all are present, spiritual wholeness or completeness — holy, sanctified, and righteous.
- Spiritual graces are worldly morals that have been submitted to God to further His kingdom instead of enhancing this world.
- Sanctified means to be set free from sin.
- Righteous means we are free from sin because we are following God’s moral laws.
- Pure means not being sinful or having the stain of sin.
- Virtues are standards of moral excellence.
- Perfection means we reach a state of maturity because the combination of the spiritual graces form, when all are present, spiritual wholeness or completeness — holy, sanctified, and righteous.
- Holy means to be set apart — because of our devotion to God — to become perfect, and morally pure while possessing all virtues.
- Evil is equated with sin because it is that which goes against God and His purposes.
Glossary
We cannot compromise what God has decreed are absolutes.
I know. The worldview teaches we should meet somewhere in the middle. If truth be told, that means we would be going 100% to the fleshly side that wants to say anything goes.
God will judge us based on His laws and commandments. Those do not contain worldview opinions.
Manton made an interesting comment. He wrote, “That there is a liberty in a Christian of walking according to each principle, either the spirit or the flesh.”
Resource
That comment seems strange when there is a constant struggle between the flesh and the Spirit.
We know there is freedom in Christ.
- “So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, ‘If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free’” (Jn. 8: 31-32 ESV)
- “So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed” (Jn. 8: 36 ESV)
Worldview people would argue that God’s laws and commandments places us in bondage. By not adhering to them, they say we are free to do what we want to do.
They may be true in this life. However, the worldview people do not realizes they will pay the consequences of those actions in the next life.
But let’s backtrack a little on what Manton said. His contended that Spirit and flesh fostered freedom to support this statement: “When for a continuance we obey the flesh, usually accomplish its motions without let and restraint, and with love, pleasure, and full consent of will; this is proper to the unregenerate.”
Elaine-speak. When we sin in order to put off something, we can usually do it freely and consciously. But we are acting like the unsaved act.
But the original statement I quoted said that “… there is a liberty in a Christian of walking according to each principle …” Even after conversion, we have a willful heart.
I would guess that means we have freedom from our heart’s corrupt ness and the consequences of sin when we repent.
Repentance is acknowledging our separation from God and expressing sorrow for breaking God’s laws and commandments by making the commitment to change our sinful ways to ways of righteousness through obedience.
- Sin is not believing that Jesus is our Savior to save us from our actions by humans that disobey God and break one of His reasonable, holy, and righteous laws and commandments, goes against a purpose He has for us, or follows Satan’s promptings.
- Obedience means submitting ourselves to the will of God as it is presented to us and living our lives accordingly.
Glossary
We’ve talked before about working out our salvation. How said that we work it out by making the choices to follow God’s Will.
Resource
Yep, there is that word – work. It takes work for the desires of the Spirit to win the battle of wills.
The Battle of Wills
“… to keep you from doing the things you want to do” (Gal. 5: 17 ESV)
As difficult as the battle of our spiritual will against our fleshly will, it is beneficial.
We can probably read this two different ways. To keep us from doing the things we want to do or keep us from doing things we would normally have done before conversion.
Either way, there is a change in perspective. We recognize where we want to follow the flesh and, hopefully, follow the Spirit instead.
The struggle does have its value, though. We do learn more by the going through the trials.
When we exercise, it is the resistance that makes us stronger. Same here.
That, in turn, highlights our true faith. It is easy to be faithful in the calm, easy-going periods in our lives. Our faith is identified when trial shine a spotlight on it.
Newman made an interesting comment. He wrote, “Sins which rise from a deficiency of practical experience, or from ignorance how to perform duties which we set about.”
Resource
Even though we want to not sin, we can’t pull it off. We don’t know how to do it right because it is something that is foreign to us.
We sin for many reasons. Sometimes, our attitude and motivation is wrong. Something times, we just have it wrong (no one is going to figure out 100% of what and how God wants).
Sometimes, we just forget.
What we have to remember is that God is a God of order. Also, He made us as complex individuals.
Changing us from walking in the flesh to walking in the Spirit — the process of sanctification — is not easy. Sanctification is the transformation of mind, body, and soul, which begins with regeneration; gradually changes our nature and morals through the promptings of the Holy Spirit; and ends with perfected state of spiritual wholeness or completeness.
- Regeneration is being changed from spiritually dead to spiritually alive and the internal new birth and requickening that God brings about through the work of the Holy Spirit to give us new character.
- Spiritual death is the separation from God that occurred as a consequence of Adam and Eve’s original sin.
- The spiritually alive are those who have ABCDed, so they are no longer separated from God.
- Spiritual death is the separation from God that occurred as a consequence of Adam and Eve’s original sin.
The ABCDs of Salvation
If you have not become a believer in Christ, please read through the
Plan of Salvation and prayerfully consider what God is asking you to do.
A – admit our sins
B – believe His Son Jesus is our Redeemer
C – confess God as Sovereign Lord
D – demonstrate that commitment by making any changes needed in our lives to
live the way in which God has called us
The Disciple’s Job Description
Glossary
We have to get ready for the fight of our lives.
Led by the Spirit
“But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law” (Gal. 5: 18 ESV)
The Holy Spirit works in our lives to help us grow in grace and knowledge.
Sometimes, it is easy to forget that the Holy Spirit is a Person. Yes, He is a Spirit, but He is also a Person.
Parkhurst described why it is easy to forget that. He wrote, “The personality of the Spirit is a doctrine freely confessed by us in our creed, but often denied by us in thought, converse, prayers. He comes to have with us only the indefiniteness of an impulse and the impersonalness of an influence, with none of that substantive being, intelligence, and will that constitutes the Holy Spirit a true and complete personality.”
Resource
Parkhurst’s The Guidance of the Spirit
https://biblehub.com/sermons/auth/parkhurst/the_guidance_of_the_spirit.htm
We also can confuse knowing of Jesus with knowing Jesus. We may have head knowledge of Jesus because we get why there is a Christmas and an Easter.
But that doesn’t mean we let Jesus into our hearts. That doesn’t mean we are letting the Holy Spirit lead.
Melvill reminded us that we can do nothing without the Holy Spirit’s leading. God calls us to salvation. We don’t just go looking for Him.
Resource
The Holy Spirit shows us how we are to grow. He teaches us what we are to know.
More importantly, the Holy Spirit facilitates the change of our character to be more like God’s.
How does the Holy Spirit lead us? He gives us thoughts. “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things” (Phil. 4: 8 ESV).
Making the Connections
I love how Binney reminded us that, when we choose to walk with the Spirit, it makes it two against one. (Actually, it makes it four against one.)
Resource
We aren’t alone in facing Satan’s temptations.
How Do We Apply This?
- Follow the Holy Spirit’s guidance as to cutting sin out of our lives.
- Obey the Holy Spirit’s promptings.
- Keep our focus on God when we go through testings and take heart.
- Work to repent of our sins.
- Evaluate ourselves to determine our weakest areas and strengthen them.
- Utilize prayers, faith, and hope to access the grace needed to win over sin.
- Pray earnestly.
- Realize we will fail.
- Keep on watch.
- Remember we are saved by grace through faith, not works.
Resource
Father God. Thank You so much for giving us the Holy Spirit to live within us. We would be lost without His guidance and teachings. Most of all, we wouldn’t be nearly as far along in the Sanctification Road as we are. Thank You for giving us this piece of You. Amen.
What do you think?
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