Since we have finished with the
messages on the book of Esther, I sat before the LORD this morning asking what
I should teach about today. The reference to Galatians 5:16 came very clearly
to mind, but I told the LORD that I have taught on it a lot in the past and it
will sound as if I play the same note over and over. I then felt I had to have
a closer look and it was then that the LORD made me aware of how I should
approach it. This will be a series again and we start at Galatians 5:16-18 as
an introduction.
“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.”
As I said we have looked into this
intensively earlier in the blog, but the emphasis was on walking in the Spirit,
in other words how to be led by the Holy Spirit. This time the Holy Spirit
wants us to look at the desires of the sinful nature. You may tell me that it
is a negative approach and that we should focus on Jesus. It was my first
thought as well, but if the Holy Spirit did not consider it important; He would
not have had it listed in so much detail. He would have just mentioned the words
‘desires of the sinful nature’ and have left it there.
However, to be able to overcome our
enemy we need to know our enemy. How many of us just read verses 19-21, not
really taking in what we read, or shy away from it since it makes us feel
uncomfortable. We do not want to face our sinful nature, but rather compromise
with it to release the pressure it puts on us. Fact, however, is that the
sinful nature is in conflict with the
Holy Spirit and as long as we yield to it, we cannot live effectively by the Spirit. We therefore need to identify
the desires of the sinful nature that are a problem to us and deal with it by
the power of the Holy Spirit.
Note that this passage talks about
the ‘desires’ of the sinful nature,
in other words they are not necessarily deeds yet. James 1:14-15 states “one is
tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin;
and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.” These desires
that Paul mentioned to the Galatians are therefore a stimulus towards sin and
can be controlled by redirecting our attention through being in the Spirit,
listening to what He wants and applying it in our lives.
The problem we have is that we are
naturally sinful and the sinful nature needs no encouragement. When we act
uncontrolled we naturally act sinfully, which is why part of the fruit of the
Holy Spirit is self-control (Galatians 5:23). The Holy Spirit owns this fruit
and if we walk by Him, this fruit is available to us. Therefore we do not need
to yield to the desires that the sinful nature presents to us in an attempt to
get us to sin. We can walk by the Spirit and therefore control these desires.
It is an intellectual exercise by
which we need to make a decision, and like any well made decision, it should be
based on information. Therefore we need to understand the desires of the sinful
nature in order to identify them when they approach us and then overcome them.
This is why the Holy Spirit wants us to look at them in the next few messages.
I am also curious as to what the LORD is going to reveal to us.
Lord, thank you for revealing these
desires to us in the days to come.
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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