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.
-Galations 5:16-17
Let me start with assuring you I am not about to provide you with a philosophical view of life from a 1970's rock band - though I have no doubt it is a few clicks away on Google. That will lead you down a very different path from this one. Since my boys are still too young to be able to read this I will feel more comfortable with the use of the "S" word this morning. For any who may be unfamiliar with this concept, the KISS principle is "Keep It Simple Stupid". If you are more comfortable feel free to slip "Silly" as a substitute.
Leaving that behind let's dive into in a simple truth (which I no doubt will make more complex...). The Spirit and your flesh are opposed to each other. One leads you down a path which is pleasing to God. The other leads to death and destruction. So, I for one want to live a life pleasing to God and deny my flesh. Clearly, there is not a middle ground available to me as a Christian that is pleasing to God. If I allow myself to be ruled by the flesh I will have no inheritance in the Kingdom of God (1 Corinthians 6:10). So the stakes can't be bigger.
Nice light stuff, huh? But isn't that the great thing about God and His Word? It may be difficult to live out and sometimes challenging to understand - but the foundations for the Christian are quite straight forward. Here are a few of MY thoughts in summarizing my path to living a life controlled by the Spirit.
1. God is... (there are too many adjectives to put into one blog so I'll abbreviate for this morning)...God. He is creator of all, perfect, is to be praised and adored, and cannot have fellowship with sin.
2. I am a sinner. God cannot have fellowship with sin.
3. God sent his Son, Jesus Christ, to die as a sacrifice for the sins of the world and is the only bridge between 1 and 2 above.
4. Your response to this should be profound and your only response should be "what do I need to do?" (Acts 2:37-38).
5. Repent and be baptized. Turn away from your rebellion from God and immerse yourself in Him. Enter the Holy Spirit to walk you through this Christian life in power to overcome the flesh.
So, why am I so challenged in living out the simple truth in Galations 5:16-17? The steps are all there! I just speak for myself here, perhaps you will relate to some or all of this. Let me do it by the numbers above...
1. I have to continue to press into the Word and relationship to God to begin to grasp the majesty of who He is. I only understand it in part. My life goal must be to know Him more!
2. I think I have the sinner part down.
3. The more insight I have into point 1 and 2 - the more I will latch onto the significance of Christ's sacrifice on the cross and my need for a savior. It has to move from head knowledge to deeply embedded and saturated heart knowledge.
4. This is the response of my heart. But too often in my life that response has been weak. It sometimes lasts no longer than a Sunday morning between summary of a good convicting sermon and the time I unlock my car in the church parking lot - moving on with my day. This is a major problem! And without the proper response at this point - I cannot move onto #5. However, as we grow in Christ that response becomes stronger and more desperate as each day we pick up our cross. I want it to be the cry of my heart every morning. It IS the cry of my heart this morning.
5. These steps are the only thing that will lead me to turn away from sin and put on the Holy Spirit who will become my guide and strength to live out this Christian life.
The cry of my heart is to be lead by the Spirit and not gratify the flesh. I do not want to straddle this fence in ignorance of the reality of my condition.
Lord God, you are almighty and greatly to be praised. I am just a man of flesh. Thank you for the gift of your Son. I believe in the redemptive power of the blood of Christ and that he was raised from the dead and sits at your right hand. Forgive me Lord as I choose this morning to turn from my sin and follow you. Holy Spirit, be my guide and strength in this day in order for me to be pleasing to God in word, thought and deed. Put my flesh to death and give me life through Christ. Thank you for loving me so much to provide this path! - Amen
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