Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.
—Galatians 5:16
How can we avoid sin? By walking in the Spirit. So, how do we walk in the Spirit?
We walk in the Spirit by living according to the Word of God, controlling ourselves based on its principles, and following the Word’s guidance as revealed to us by the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit and the Word of God agree perfectly because the Word is of the Spirit.
“It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life” (John 6:63).
Only the Holy Spirit gives us life. Our flesh gains us nothing. Our efforts—the things we do—achieve no lasting results without the Spirit breathing life into them. We do not walk in the Spirit because we have overcome the flesh; rather, overcoming the flesh is the consequence of walking in the Spirit.
Some Christians believe that as we overcome our flesh, the power of God in our lives increases. This idea was essentially taught by the Pharisees of Jesus' day and the legalistic Jews of Paul's time. In contrast, the opposite is true: as we experience more of the presence and power of the Spirit of God, the influence of the flesh diminishes. Victory comes through experiencing more of God and less of ourselves.
How do you fill a dark room with light? You don’t eliminate the darkness for the light to appear; instead, you turn on the light, and then the darkness disperses. Similarly, the Holy Spirit shines His light into your life, causing the darkness to disperse. We cannot overcome the power of the flesh on our own, just as we cannot rid ourselves of the power of darkness without light. When we surrender to the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives, our relationship with Him overcomes the lust of the flesh.
Through faith, we experience the power of the Holy Spirit overcoming the flesh's influence. We urgently need the Holy Spirit to reveal Himself when the flesh causes problems. Those who wait for the Spirit to reveal Himself after being tempted by the flesh will wait as long as someone trying to dispel darkness waits for the light to appear.
“In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it” (John 1:4-6)
Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 2:14: “The natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.”
Jesus is the light of the world (John 1:14). His light shines into the world’s darkness, but those in darkness cannot perceive Him. The things of God cannot be received until they are understood spiritually. Jesus’ light shines into the darkness of our lives, and when it is perceived, it disperses the darkness of sin and unbelief. If you do not surrender to the work of the Holy Spirit, you cannot discern the truths of the new life you have received in Christ. Your flesh has no power to understand. Your flesh can never overcome. Your efforts will always fail.
But praise God! The power of darkness has no hold over us!
“He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins” (Colossians 1:13-14).
Christ has delivered us from the power of darkness! His light shone into the world over two thousand years ago when He overcame sin, hell, and the grave. His work was finished, and His light shone forth, never to diminish. The Christian life is a walk of faith according to God’s grace, which is freely given. However, the gift that is freely given must be spiritually discerned to genuinely make a difference in us.
Romans 6:11 states, “Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” We don’t consider ourselves as becoming dead to sin; instead, we acknowledge that we are already dead, because we are dead to sin through Jesus Christ our Lord. We are not heading toward victory; we are coming from His victory—the victory of Christ over sin, hell, and the grave, which has already happened. Since we have already been delivered “from the power of darkness,” Satan does not have any real power over us. His only weapons are deception and intimidation. Those who understand the truth this verse presents have nothing to fear.
“Watch and pray,” Jesus told his disciples in the Garden, “lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak” (Mark 14:38).
Be watchful and pray. Make good choices in your life. Don’t place yourself in situations that tempt you. Even though you do not want to sin, always understand that your flesh is weak. Your efforts to overcome the flesh without the Holy Spirit will fail. Only Jesus living within you—your righteousness in Christ—overcomes.
John 1:9 says that Jesus “was the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world.”
Before you were ever born into this world, Jesus defeated your sin. His righteousness overcame your flesh. Holiness is the fruit of your righteousness in Christ, which you received when you were born again. However, if you don’t spiritually discern the truths of your salvation, Christ’s sacrifice will make little difference in your physical life, and you will struggle to overcome your flesh and live a holy life.
Quit fighting temptation with your flesh! That is self-defeating! Jesus Christ overcomes the flesh! Submit to the work of the Holy Spirit! Follow the guidance of the Word as revealed to you by the Holy Spirit, and, through faith, He will empower your efforts to live a holy life. You are under grace. If the Spirit leads you, the law is no longer your master. (Galatians 5:18, Romans 6:14). Walk in the Spirit, and your flesh will not master you; Jesus will.
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