By What Do You Live?

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Good morning.

“So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under law,” (Galatians 5:16-18).

This is stated as a fact. If we live by the Spirit we will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. We can deduce therefore that if we do gratify the desires of the flesh we’re not living by the Spirit? Living by the Spirit means we do what the Spirit wants and living by the sinful nature means we do what it wants.

Paul listed the desires of the sinful nature in Galatians 5:19-21: “The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like.”  As civilised Christians we probably don’t do all of the bad things mentioned, but how about selfish ambition? The Greek word ‘eritheia’ is also translated as strife and rivalries, which are less subtle. Selfish ambition, however, reveals also a subtle heart attitude. The moment our actions are determined by what we want, we are living by the sinful nature, no matter how noble it may appear. It’s only the Lord and us that would know the truth about it, unless the Holy Spirit considers it necessary to give someone else a word of knowledge in order to help us.

A simple example of this is charity work. If charity work is done to obtain e.g. selfish gain and honour, it’s an act of the sinful nature. If, however, we do it in such a way that the Lord’s name gets glorified and people are introduced to their saviour Jesus Christ, it’s living by the Spirit.

A pastor who desires a church with wonderful worship and powerful messages so that he may look good and people may think well of him, lives by the sinful nature and not by the Spirit, no matter how prosperous his church is. The Lord sees the heart and judges the attitudes and we can’t hide anything from Him. Such a pastor may appear to have great fruit on the surface, but his people will not have the same depth and intimate relationship with the Lord than those of a pastor who lives by the Spirit and maybe has less glamorous results.

Those in God’s army following the commanding officer (Holy Spirit) will enjoy both personal victory in their own lives and the corporate victory of the advancing Kingdom over the strongholds of this world. Those, however, who get sidetracked by their own sinful desires of selfish ambition, are building useless little kingdoms along the way and are liable of hearing one day: “‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’” (Matthew 7:23), since Jesus said in verse 21: “‘Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven, ,” i.e. those who lived by the Spirit. Then He continued in verse 22: “Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’”, and we know from the context that He referred to those who lived by the sinful nature of selfish ambition.

What is your ambition? Have you tested your motives? Who will benefit from your ambition?

Lord, please teach me the difference between living by the Spirit and living by the sinful nature.

Thank you Lord that your Word went out from your mouth, via your servant’s pen, and it will not return to you empty, but will accomplish what you desire and achieve the purpose for which you sent it.

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