The Choice is Your's

Galatians 5:16,17

How often have you heard the example of the white dog and the black dog living inside of you and the one you feed is the one who is going to win, that’s not only a poor example, it is wrong theology.  The old man dies when we enter into Christ, we do not have a civil war going on in our spirit, there is not an old and new spirit living inside of a Christian.  Therefore, what is the problem, because it seems as if a war is going on in my mind, and Galatians 5:16-17 tells us it is between our flesh and our spirit.

Often, I wonder what is the real meaning of a word, take flesh, it is the material under my skin, is it muscle and fat?  How can that be warring with my spirit?  But the flesh being referred to often in the Bible is; (the flesh) the human body and its physical needs and desires, esp. as contrasted with the mind or the soul.  God knew that we needed clarity on how the flesh works so God put these thoughts in the apostle Paul’s mind to give us understanding of the flesh.  “Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these.  I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.” 

My dear friend and teacher, Bill Gillham often used the example of a baby, to illustrate how we show-up on planet earth with flesh; a baby only has one person in mind, and it is not mom, the baby wants it’s needs met, with no consideration of anyone else.  And if you want to see some flesh, put some toys in the room with a couple of two year olds, you’re going to see some flesh.  It matters not your station in life, king or beggar, you come with your unique version of flesh, and though you would never engage in orgies, you may be impure in your thought life, you may have strife with your mate, or children.

Verse sixteen states; “But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.”  How can we know when we are walking in the Spirit; verses 22-23, gives us a clear understanding on walking in the Spirit.  “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.”  What is so amazing is that joy and peace will be in a person’s life in the middle of the worst of storms.  God has given to each member of His family the ability to choose, when Christ came into our life, God chose to crucify the old man, and put into us a new Spirit.  God has given us the ability to renew our mind or transform our mind, that is clearly stated in Romans 12:2, so all who are in Christ have the ability to crucify the flesh with its passions and desires.  It comes down to your choice, will I live by the Spirit, if so, I will walk by the Spirit.  Verse 26, tells us not to become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another, that is what flesh does.  God is not honored in the flesh; in fact the flesh will never please God.

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice