OUR FATHER WHO IS PLEASED WHEN WE WALK IN THE SPIRIT

In the book of Galatians chapter 5 verses 16 - 26, the apostle Paul clearly makes the distinction between the works of the flesh and the works of the spirit.

16 I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. 17 For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.

19 Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, 20 idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, 21 envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. 24 And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. 26 Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.                

Paul lists the works of the flesh and the works of the spirit

 Flesh                                                     Spirit

Adultery                                                 Love

Fornication                                           Peace

Uncleaness                                           Longsufering

Lewdnes                                               Kindness

Idolatry                                                  Goodness

Sorcery                                                  Faithfulness

Hatred                                                    Gentleness

Contentions                      

Jealousies    

Outbursts of wrath

Selfish Ambition

Dissensions

Heresies

Envy 

Murders

Drunkeness

Revelries

Conceit

Paul writes that the believers should walk in the spirit because doing so leads to conduct against which there is no law.

If we find ourselves bearing the fruit of the flesh as listed, we can be sure that we are walking in the flesh. In order to yield the fruit of the Spirit, we must live from our spirits.

In the book of Romans chapter 8 verses 5 - 7, Paul writes that a person whose is governed by the flesh will physically do the things of the flesh and yield sin and death while conversely, a person whose mind is governed by the Spirit will desire the things of God and yield life and peace.

5 Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. 6 The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace. 7 The mind governed by the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so.

With the understanding that the flesh is not the physical body but rather the spirit of a person that was corrupted by inheritance from Adam, we who born-again are encouraged to displace the influence of the flesh on our minds with the influence of our new spirita on our minds. 

This means that we must daily connect to our new spirit and perform the functions that nourish and strenthen our new spirits because when we centering our identities in our new spirits rather than letting ourselves operate in the flesh by default, we will find ourselves automatically doing the things that please God rather than being led into the things that our flesh wants to do.

Amen. 

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