“Walk In The Spirit”

Galatians 5:16-21

16) This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.

17) For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.

18) But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law.

19) Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,

20) Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies,

21) Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.

Introduction

B

y now, it is no secret to us that everything that we need, God has already done in the Spirit. In order for these things to be ours, all that we must do is walk in victory (the Spirit).

We must accept that when we choose to take the fleshly path over the spiritual, we are acknowledging that we do, indeed, live there (in the flesh). Our “reality” as the redeemed is that there is a fleshly realm and there is a spiritual realm, but even having spoken in tongues and having been baptized in His name, unless we accept the fullness of Jesus Christ (exactly Who He is and what He has done), we will never operate as anything but a fleshly Man.

Salvation is, and always has been about more than just saying that Jesus died for us. One needs to have a “working knowledge” of what this means. Though we’ve always known that simply being a member of a church was not enough, somehow, we have come to believe that because we are baptized, filled and go to church, this is enough. The truth is that we cannot stop short of becoming a “new creature,” and this is possible only as we are put to death with Christ.

Our scripture text, today, outlines the things that are considered “the works of the flesh.” Among those things are listed variance, wrath and strife.

Interestingly enough, the people of God frequently find themselves attempting to “help” God do His job—which is impossible. The devil knows just what to do to capitalize on our incapability and this leads us to proof of our fleshliness, namely, it leads us to “variance,,” wrath” and “strife.”

This new year, we would do well to remember that God is “in control” of all and that our only job is to be a witness for the Lord.