Right Before Your Eyes
by David Brenneman
"But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh. For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the Law. Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit. Let us not become boastful, challenging one another, envying one another." Galatians 5:16-26.
Something came to me yesterday afteroon that I find ties in with this passage from Galatians that was part of my morning reading plan.
Quite often there's those who are seekers of the fruits of the Spirit yet miss the fruits of the sinful body that's listed here too. We seek the will of God for us in Christ Jesus...which is our sanctification according to 1 Thessalonians 4:3a. While doing so...we can know if we're being tempted down a slippery slope by the things listed here that are deeds of the flesh.
Yesterday during this time of understanding...it came to me that there's been times when I have these battles of thought...finding myself mad about things my mind is going through that have no basis in fact. Situations that have never taken place and I now sit and wonder at the revelation that a question got asked in my mind of "Why are you getting upset and are wanting to do something about something that never happened in the first place?".
We can do that. We can have whole conversations in our minds about people that have never existed in the flow of time. We can be so involved in these sudo-conversations that we can become embittered. Angry. Vengeful. Sometimes in our dreams these things happen and sometimes during our day when our mind wanders we find ourselves seeing things in our minds that aren't real. So enveloped in the moment we don't realize we're on the cusp of being deceived into sinful thoughts and maybe actions.
These fruits of the sin nature are just as real as those fruits of the Spirit when they come forth in our lives. I'm not sure who's quote it was but there's one I read recently is that we are fruit bearer's not fruit creators. We will bear fruit, either good or bad. We either bear fruit that is that of righteousness or we bear fruit that is not. It completely depends on where our heart is.
I remember a story about a man who's disposition that he had was always cheerful even in the face of enraged people. When asked he simply said something to the effect of garbage in garbage out. What you take in is what comes out. You take in all kinds of vile things that's what will inevitably come out of you.
WE choose what comes into our lives more so than we think we do. Was reading in a devotional last night about something along those lines. Our choices we make to engage in what the Spirit is wanting us to or not engaging in it will be a huge part of our lives being tried by the fire of truth before Jesus one day. The opportunities missed because we were too busy, too this or too that. The times when we had a chance to even have a small part in pointing someone to Jesus that we avoided because of whatever excuse we'll have at the time.
We can take this list as shown in Galatians and use it as a warning list. We begin to see these things and we will know that which Paul talks about is about to happen.
For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please.
Work is important but what is even more important is that our character reflect Christ while at work.
Family life is important but what is even more important is that our character reflect Christ while with our family.
Jesus sacrified sleep to commune with His Father in the early mornings.
Jesus often got away from everyone to go talk with His Father.
These, we read, were non-optional for Jesus and if we're taking up our own cross to follow Jesus they ought to be non-optional for us as well. Even if it means missing a television show, something streaming, or even a football game, baseball game, basketball game or any other hobby we might have.
While such extras in life might be enjoyable to us they should never take the place of our training in righteousness that we are to be pursuing in Christ.
Personally I thought it entirely shameful to myself that I knew more, and still often know more, about things of utter uselessness in this world than I did and do about the Bible. I knew more about fictional characters in books and movies than I did those written about in the Scriptures. I could quote those things but couldn't really quote a dozen Bible verses. I could set aside time for those things but wasn't setting aside quality personal time with Jesus or the Spirit in the Word of God.
I was ignorant of these things of the flesh and how they are in opposition to the things of the Spirit.
Are you in that same boat? Are you excusing your sinfulness in order to not deal with it?
Are you intentional about your time to yourself but not your time with Jesus?
Are you even aware of how much time you spend seeking first your own kingdom here on Earth?
As I've also read recently...tall strong trees do not grow well when there's no challenges in life to cause them to grow that way. Their roots never have reason to go deep. Their branches stay content to just be short and look nice as something small. Big trees have seen the storms, have seen those things and bounce back because they were trained by those battles to dig deep.
How aware are you of just how much of your life has been you reacting to things in your life that are those things that you should be giving to Jesus to deal with?
Pray this: "Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me." Psalms 51:10.
"Restore to me the joy of Your salvation and sustain me with a willing spirit. Then I will teach transgresssors Your ways, and sinners will be converted to you." Psalms 51:12-13.
All NASB Scripture Excerpts used by permission.
New American Standard Bible
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