Feed the Spirit/Starve the Flesh
So Paul makes the statement that if we "live by the Spirit we will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature." This statement is good news and it demands a look into what it means to live by the Spirit. This will probably take more than one post, as my goal is to throw out nuggets to be digested than to overwhelm the reader with too much at once. That being said, I would like to look at the rest of what Paul says in Gal 5:16-17...
It doesn't surprise us that the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, as a matter of fact, most of us would say, "ok, that's pretty obvious", but Paul's purpose seems to be painting a picture of conflict. I always picture in my mind a tug-of-war match going on here. They pull you in opposite directions. The Spirit has in mind the purposes of God, the sinful nature has in mind the purposes of this world and the evil one. The conflict is intense and requires us to act on one or the other.
The one who is in us (the Holy Spirit) is greater than the one who is in the world, yet we find ourselves leaning toward our sin nature way too often. Why? I believe its because we fail to keep the first essential principle of living by the Spirit...Feed the Spirit/Starve the flesh! I am talking about influences! What are you doing to cultivate a life lived in the Spirit? Do you surround yourself with influences that help you think about things above or do you cultivate your mind to think about things of this world? Romans 12:2, tells us to be transformed by the renewing of our mind! How are you renewing it? I counsel people often who are struggling with doing what is right even though they want to obey so desperately, and there seems to be a common denominator. INFLUENCE! The things that you choose to expose yourself to, will have a greater influence on your life than you think! We chalk up that exposure to mere entertainment and all the while it is feeding that hungry beast you posses (the sinful nature). You can't feed the sinful nature and live by the Spirit! It's self-defeating! You cannot feed the Spirit and the sinful nature at the same time either! That just leads to a more intense battle! You must surround yourself with things that will influence you to think about things from above...the things of the Lord! Encouraging media, the Word, and other believers are essential to your task of feeding the Spirit, and you must make hard choices to eliminate from your life the things that influence you negatively. I am not saying that we leave this world, but that you don't bombard yourself with worldly influences. You will always have relationships with those who don't know the Lord, and the only time separation is needed is when you find them influencing you negatively. This separation is not alienation, it is simply choosing not to let them be an influence in your life. I will talk more about this later, but for now consider what influences you have in your life and ask yourself the question, "Is this influence feeding the Spirit or feeding the sinful nature?" If its feeding the sinful nature, then you know what to do!
"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."
Gal. 5:16-17
It doesn't surprise us that the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, as a matter of fact, most of us would say, "ok, that's pretty obvious", but Paul's purpose seems to be painting a picture of conflict. I always picture in my mind a tug-of-war match going on here. They pull you in opposite directions. The Spirit has in mind the purposes of God, the sinful nature has in mind the purposes of this world and the evil one. The conflict is intense and requires us to act on one or the other.
"You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, for the One who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world."
1 John 4:4
The one who is in us (the Holy Spirit) is greater than the one who is in the world, yet we find ourselves leaning toward our sin nature way too often. Why? I believe its because we fail to keep the first essential principle of living by the Spirit...Feed the Spirit/Starve the flesh! I am talking about influences! What are you doing to cultivate a life lived in the Spirit? Do you surround yourself with influences that help you think about things above or do you cultivate your mind to think about things of this world? Romans 12:2, tells us to be transformed by the renewing of our mind! How are you renewing it? I counsel people often who are struggling with doing what is right even though they want to obey so desperately, and there seems to be a common denominator. INFLUENCE! The things that you choose to expose yourself to, will have a greater influence on your life than you think! We chalk up that exposure to mere entertainment and all the while it is feeding that hungry beast you posses (the sinful nature). You can't feed the sinful nature and live by the Spirit! It's self-defeating! You cannot feed the Spirit and the sinful nature at the same time either! That just leads to a more intense battle! You must surround yourself with things that will influence you to think about things from above...the things of the Lord! Encouraging media, the Word, and other believers are essential to your task of feeding the Spirit, and you must make hard choices to eliminate from your life the things that influence you negatively. I am not saying that we leave this world, but that you don't bombard yourself with worldly influences. You will always have relationships with those who don't know the Lord, and the only time separation is needed is when you find them influencing you negatively. This separation is not alienation, it is simply choosing not to let them be an influence in your life. I will talk more about this later, but for now consider what influences you have in your life and ask yourself the question, "Is this influence feeding the Spirit or feeding the sinful nature?" If its feeding the sinful nature, then you know what to do!
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