Our key Bible passage today is Galatians 5:16-25
16 This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.
17 For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.
18 But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law.
19 Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,
20 Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies,
21 Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.
24 And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.
25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.
Our lesson today is titled “A New Power, Part 3”
In part 1 of this lesson, we began talking about the problem of the flesh. Our sinful flesh always wants us to sin. However, as Christians, we have a power within us that enables us to resist the evil that our flesh wants and do the good that our Heavenly Father wants us to do.
In part 2 of this lesson, we learned about that force — the Holy Spirit, the third person of the Trinity who lives inside of us, who makes war against the flesh and the devil, and who enables us to do what is right and live as Christ would live.
Today, we are going to look at our role in choosing to follow the path of the Holy Spirit. As Christians, there will always be two ways before us. We can walk in the flesh, or we can walk in the Spirit. To walk in the flesh means to be under the control of the flesh; to walk in the Spirit means to be under the control of the Holy Spirit.
We have already seen what happens when the flesh rules in man. These terrible sins of the flesh are possible in the life of every unsaved person. They are also possible in the life of a Christian. There is not one sin of the flesh that we are not capable of committing. The Bible warns us, “Let him that thinketh he standeth, take heed lest he fall.”
So, how can we overcome the flesh? To keep from fulfilling the lusts of the flesh, we must walk in the Spirit. This means that we must be under the control of the Holy Spirit. The Apostle Paul wrote, “This I say then, walk in the Spirit, and ye will not fulfil the lust of the flesh.”
To walk in the Spirit, three things are necessary:
1. We must set our mind on the things of the Spirit.
2. We must yield to the Spirit.
3. We must trust the Spirit.
To set our mind on the things of the Spirit, we should begin each day with a quiet time alone with God, reading His Word and talking with Him in prayer.
Each day we should turn our mind to Christ and to His Word. As we fill our mind with the things of the Spirit, we are conscious of His control of our life. On the otherhand, if we fill our mind with the things of the flesh it will lead to sin and to loss of fellowship with God. The Bible says “to set the mind on the flesh” is death, but to “set the mind on the Spirit” is life and peace.
What are we setting our mind on? What are the things that occupy us? What are the things we spend our time and money on? Trace them to the source. Are they of the Spirit, or are they of the flesh?
Second, we must yield to the Spirit. The word “yield” means “to give in to.” We must say “Yes!” to the Spirit and “No!” to the flesh. Instead of giving in to the flesh, we must put it to death. The Bible says, “They that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.” If you are still listening to and giving in to the demands of the flesh, it has not yet been crucified in your life.
Third, we must trust the Holy Spirit. We cannot overcome the flesh in our own strength. It is the Holy Spirit who overcomes the flesh, and He does this as we trust and depend on Him. To understand how we trust the Holy Spirit, think of being on a train ride. You cannot get to your destination on your own. You cannot reach your destination until you yield to the direction of the train and the ability of the conductor. You must place your trust in the conductor’s ability to properly manage the train and get you where you desire to go. It is the same way with the Holy Spirit. You yield to the Holy Spirit, and the Holy Spirit working in you will overcome the flesh and produce the fruit of the Christian life in you.
The only way to overcome the flesh is by choosing to follow the path of the Holy Spirit. Let us pray and ask God to give us the ability to make that choice each and every day.
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If you do not know Jesus Christ as your Saviour, John 3:16 states, “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
The Bible also says in Romans 10:9 and 13: “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved…. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”
If you believe that Jesus Christ died on the cross for your sins, was buried, and rose from the dead, and you want to trust Him for your salvation today, please pray with me this simple prayer: Holy Father God, I realize that I am a sinner and that I have done some bad things in my life. I am sorry for my sins, and I want to turn from my sins. For Jesus Christ sake, please forgive me of my sins. I now believe with all of my heart that Jesus Christ died for me, was buried, and rose again. I trust Him as my Savior and follow Him as Lord from this day forward. Lord Jesus, please come into my heart and save my soul and change my life today. Amen.
If you just trusted Jesus Christ as your Saviour, and you prayed that prayer and meant it from your heart, I declare to you that based upon the Word of God, you are now saved from Hell and you are on your way to Heaven. Welcome to the family of God! I want to congratulate you on doing the most important thing in life and that is receiving Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour. For more information to help you grow in your newfound faith in Christ, go to Gospel Light Society.com and read “What To Do After You Enter Through the Door”. Jesus Christ said in John 10:9, “I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.”
Until next time, May the Lord Bless You!
Daniel Whyte III has spoken in meetings across the United States and in over twenty-five foreign countries. He is the author of over forty books. He is also the president of Gospel Light Society International, a worldwide evangelistic ministry that reaches thousands with the Gospel each week, as well as president of Torch Ministries International, a Christian literature ministry which publishes a monthly magazine called The Torch Leader. He is heard by thousands each week on his radio broadcasts/podcasts, which include: The Prayer Motivator Devotional, The Prayer Motivator Minute, as well as Gospel Light Minute X, the Gospel Light Minute, the Sunday Evening Evangelistic Message, the Prophet Daniel’s Report, the Second Coming Watch Update and the Soul-Winning Motivator, among others. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Theology from Bethany Divinity College, a Bachelor’s degree in Religion from Texas Wesleyan University, a Master’s degree in Religion, a Master of Divinity degree, and a Master of Theology degree from Liberty University School of Divinity. He has been married to the former Meriqua Althea Dixon, of Christiana, Jamaica for over twenty-seven years. God has blessed their union with seven children. Find out more at www.danielwhyte3.com. Follow Daniel Whyte III on Twitter @prophetdaniel3 or on Facebook.
BCNN1 WP 