Day 19 - Changed by the Spirit

Read Galatians 5:16-26

When we are indwelt by the Spirit of God, He does not take over us in a way to remove our ability to choose and make decisions. Rather He frees us from our slavery to sin and empowers us so that we can now “walk by the Spirit.” From the Holy Spirit, we now have new desires, desires that honor and glorify God. These desires are also opposed and contrary to our flesh. We now have a battle that takes place, will we yield to the Spirit or give in to the desires of the flesh?

This is the work of a believer, to continually die to our flesh and yield to the Spirit. As Paul says, “And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.” Galatians 5:24 (ESV) This process of “crucifying our flesh” is both very practical and very difficult. It means we put to death the sinful desires in us. What are those desires? Paul lays them out in verse 19, “sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these.” (ESV) There are also times where we are unsure if our desires are of the flesh or the Spirit. In those times we must lay them before the Lord, willing to put to death any desire that is not from Him and ask Him for wisdom and discernment.

Because of our sin nature, our sinful desires can at times represent core parts of who we are. They can be things that have shaped our personality, or ways we have found our identity. Could God possibly want me to give up something so close to who I am? God is so gracious that if we are willing to put to death our sinful desires and yield to the Spirit, we can begin to produce the Fruit of the Spirit, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.” Galatians 5:22–23 (ESV) It is well worth it to trade out sinful desires for the fruit of the Spirit, even when the sinful desires are near and dear to our hearts.

When the fruit of the Spirit becomes a core part of who we are, and when our identity is found in Christ and not in our sinful desires, that is truly a blessed place to be!

What passions and desires of the flesh is Jesus asking you to crucify?

by Aubrey Perea