(Gal 5:16-17) I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. 17 For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish.
Everyday a battle rages in our hearts to either walk in God’s Spirit or in our old fleshly nature. I’m glad the apostle Paul was honest about this daily war because we seem to deal with it constantly. Our spirit cries out for God but our flesh craves for self-fulfillment. Flesh vs. Spirit is always on the billboard of our heart, showing what’s playing inside. But Paul doesn’t go into a big ordeal of how to win in this war. He just describes the battle and then simply instructs his hearers that if you walk in the Spirit you will not fulfill the desires of the flesh.
In other words it’s a matter of choice and a matter of displacement. I must choose to walk in the Spirit and as a result there will be no room for my old carnal desires. It’s like a great ship that is lowered from the shipyard docks into the ocean waters. The giant vessel forces the water out of its place. The water seeks to return but hits a massive wall of wood and steel. The water is alerted to the fact of the greater force of displacement and is banished to the outside.
I’m so glad I don’t have to struggle against my old man. He’s dead and buried (Rom 6). I am raised with Christ to live a life of faith and obedience to God (Gal 2:28). I will face a daily battle but I can be confident that I have the choice to walk in the Spirit, enjoy my Lord, and to have Jesus keep me victorious in Him. I might lose some battles along the way but by the grace of God I’m going to win the war! “You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.” (1 John 4:4)
Louie