Thread: Lust of the Flesh vs Fruit of the Holy Spirit
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Lust of the Flesh vs Fruit of the Holy Spirit
Posted : 4 May, 2011 07:50 AM
Paul commands and exhorts us in Galatians chapter 5, that born again Christians should "Walk in the Holy Spirit, and we will not fulfill the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh, and these are contrary one to another, so that you cannot do the things that you should/would."
1. Question: What does it mean to walk in The Holy Spirit?
2. Question what does it mean to fulfill the lusts of the flesh?
3. Question: What is the application of this passage?
Some people may find my answer offensive or uncomfortable; if you're sensitive regarding temptations of the flesh then please don't read any further.
My flesh lusts after things such as sex, however my body is a temple of the holy spirit and I know I am not to desecrate it by giving in to those kinds of temptations. Now when I walk with the spirit (that is, keeping Jesus and His will as my focus, and obeying His commands), those temptations are reduced. To paraphrase the famous song, turning my eyes upon Jesus dims the earthly things and makes it easier to obey Him - a sort of positive-feedback loop.
Now when I choose to disobey him, and focus on my fleshly desires, I hear His voice a little less each time, and it becomes harder to obey. Before I was saved I don't remember ever hearing God's voice - now I do hear it. But I still have to choose to obey it!
This may not fit the specific questions you've asked, but it is that passage at work in my life; one direction or the other...
WOW! what an awesome spiritual response DKJ, you answered all the questions, andhow you have applied this passages in your life.
Thank you! your answer gave me chils:glow::bow:
And if I may add, keeping our mind on Jesus in all things as not to satisfy our flesh can only be done, as you pointed out, when we yield to the Holy Spirit to have His way in our life. Because He is the only one who can help and assit us and brng us into the image of Christ to walk in His Spirit.
The fruit of the Spirit is something He produces in our born again experience, the fruit cannot be produced by us, it is the sole work of the Holy Spirit working on the inside of us transforming and conforming us to the image of Christ, so that we may become like Christ is the same character of Him.
It take us to John chapter 15, every branch that does not produce God prunes back so that the fruit can be produced within us and we grow and mature spiritually.
Its just as we do a tree, cutting back the branches so they can produce fruit... and the pruning is kinda like having open heart surgery without anesthsia... the flesh resisting the Holy Spirit...ouch, it hurts! I've been there and I pray I will continue to go there until the day Jesus returns...
Jesus had it right when He prayed "yet not my will but thine be done" - somedays I want *my* will done, but then I remember that I spent the first part of my life doing it *my* way and all it proved was that it didn't go according to plan. I'll share with you a profound lesson the Lord taught me on this...
A few years back I was jealous of some of my friends who weren't obeying God and yet seemed to be doing fine, having a generally rewarded life and didn't have the restrictions that I had because I was following God. I think I made this accusation to God that they were enjoying life more and sometimes I wished I was like them instead.
It was one of the few times when God spoke verbally to me (not audibly) - He said, "Darren, no one is forcing you to follow Me. You're free to turn and go your own way whenever you choose."
That answer shocked and frightened me; having known the love of God and His mercies, where else *could* I go, to whom else could I turn!? I'll tell you I repented there and then and ever since, I've reminded myself that though my friends could have live life however they want and be rewarded by the world, for me the best is yet to come.:yay:
Do you think people who are suppose to be born again chirstians continue to sin after they says they have been born again, because they are listening to the voice of God?
Because this is the work of the Holy Spirit in the lfie of all believers and especially, the new life of the new chirstians to speak to us when we are on the wrong path toward sin once we have become born again.
This is one of the reasons why He comes to live inside of us, to lead and guide us into all righteousness. And we cannot be fully converted until He has fully cleansed us of our old sin nature...but many don't ghear or listen to the voice of God leading or guiding them away from harm or sins.
And as you say, hearing the voice of God is very frightening, this is why many are told throughout the Bible, whenever God spoke to them, not to be afraid of His voice when He spoke nor became afraid upon hearing God's voice...
I know we are taught people love darkness and are blind to their own sins, but when a person becomes born again this should end as Paul writes. But if a person hears the voice of God surely he/her would know, and God speaks to us all... so why do some Christians continue to hear God's voice and continue to fulfill the lusts of their flesh?
Usually when I'm about to sin, the Spirit warns me. Sometimes though I give in to the temptation anyway. That makes it harder to ask for forgiveness afterwards, knowing He warned me and I still did it - I feel such a fool and it serves me right.
Because of the Spirit living in me, I am more conscious of sin and whereas when I was new naive Christian I might have felt I wasn't too bad a person, I now realise just how wretched I am with only Jesus' blood as my hope of salvation.
So yes, even born-again Christians who know they're saved still sin!
