Battle of the flesh and the Spirit

 

            Adam started a perpetual cycle of disobedience that has evolved into the chaotic world that exists today. This world is filled with endless sin and everyone “falls short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). God created the Garden of Eden as a Holy place for us to live and worship Him forever.  However, we in our flesh “became futile in [our] thoughts and [our] foolish hearts were darkened (Romans 1:21b). Starting with Adam and Eve, it has become our natural response to choose sin over worshipping our God. Even though we receive salvation and forgiveness through the death of Jesus, we are in a constant battle of flesh versus Spirit.

 

            How then, do we win this battle? Paul instructs us to walk in the Spirit:

“I say then: Walk in the Spirit and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusts against 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.” – Galatians 5:16-17 NKJV

            By walking IN the Spirit, we are preventing our flesh from acting on our sinful desires. The battle between our flesh and Spirit interrupts our natural urge to pursue sin. The Holy Spirit that dwells within us forces us to truly think about how we are choosing to live.

            Paul continues on to describe the works of the flesh and the fruits of the Spirit. The works of our flesh are the everyday sins we commit as a people. “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control…” Romans 5:22-23).  The fruits of the Spirit are a key element to walking in the Spirit. If we pursue these qualities and choose to live by them, we are choosing to live by the Holy Spirit, which is God.

            I encourage you to meditate on these fruits. Discover what they mean to you and what they mean to God. Pray for God to reveal the ways in which you can apply these fruits to your every day routines. You will be surprised how much peace you will gain when you begin applying these fruits to even the smallest of situations. I encourage you this week, and every week to: walk in the Spirit.

 

~Cassandra