I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that you cannot do the things that you would. But if you be led of the Spirit, you are not under the law (Galatians 5:16-18)
In the previous article, ‘Can you resist the temptation?’, sin was discussed and how sin begins with lust and eventually leads to death. The Word warns us, to not walk after the flesh, but after the Spirit. The perfect example in the Bible is the story of Adam and Eve, which shows us what happens when you decide to no longer walk in the Spirit but after the flesh.
The commandment God gave to man
And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die (Genesis 2:16-17)
After God created all things and put Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden and gave them dominion over the earth, God gave them one commandment. They could freely eat of all the trees in the garden, except for one tree; the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. If they would eat from that tree, they would surely die.
God gave Adam and Eve a variety of trees. These trees were more than enough for them. There was only one tree, they were not allowed to eat from. Just one!
Adam and Eve obeyed the commandment of God until the serpent came.
The lust of the eye and lust for power
The devil went into the serpent, who was in the garden, and seduced Eve with his words. His words ensured that Eva began to doubt the words of God. When Eve began to doubt and acted upon that doubt, the lust was birthed in her and Eve began to lust after the forbidden fruit.
God had not only commanded man to not eat from the forbidden tree, but God had also warned them, that if they would disobey Him and eat from the tree of good and evil, they would surely die.
The devil, who was cast upon the earth because of his disobedience to God, also knew this.
The devil knew, that if they would obey him, they would become disobedient to the words of God. Because of that they would sin and bow before him; their ‘new god’, and give the dominion that God had given them, to the devil.
Remember, that the devil wanted to be like God and wanted to be exalted and worshipped, just like God. The devil wanted to have power and dominion over the creation of God. He wanted to reign over the earth and over the people. Therefore, the devil sought a plan to take the dominion from man and have power over them and the earth.
And so, the devil used the serpent, who was already in the garden, to seduce man, so that they would become disobedient to the will of God.
Eve was seduced by the words of the serpent and fulfilled the lust of her senses and the lust for power, by eating the fruit. And Adam was seduced by the words of Eve and also ate from the tree.
Lust produces sin and sin produces death
Both Adam and Eve became disobedient to the words of God. When lust was conceived, it brought forth sin and we all know what came out of it… death. God had warned them, but they did not believe God’s words, but went their own way. They didn’t stand by God’s words, but they doubted God’s words; His truth.
Instead of believing in God, who was their Creator and Father, and with Whom they walked and Whom they knew, they believed in a stranger, a serpent, instead. They believed and obeyed the serpent, and so the devil became their new father.
The devil is the father of the generation of the old creation; those who do not believe in Jesus Christ and are not born again in Him. They have the devil’s nature and believe and obey the words of the devil and are led by the lusts and desires of their flesh. They walk after the flesh and habitually live in sin and therefore their final destination shall be eternal death.
Redemption from the power of death through the blood of Jesus
But thank God, there is a way out! Namely, to believe in Jesus Christ and accept His sacrifice; His blood, which cleanses us from all iniquity and sin and has reconciled us with the Father.
Jesus broke the power of sin over man’s life at the cross on Calvary. Jesus has redeemed you from that power. He has redeemed you from sickness and disease and from sin and death, by giving His life for you. It is only by the blood of Jesus and His sacrifice!
From the moment you become born again in Jesus Christ, your spirit is resurrected from the dead and becomes alive and connects you with the Father. Through the baptism with the Holy Spirit, you receive His Spirit and He will dwell inside of you. His Holy Spirit lives inside of you and will comfort, help, guide, teach and empower you to walk as a son of God on earth and represent, preach and bring the Kingdom of God on earth. If you submit to Him, you shall walk in the Spirit.
Renew your mind with the Word
The only visible and tangible thing of God, is the Word of God; the Bible. The Bible is God’s Word and is your Mirror and Blueprint for your life as the new creation (Read also: ‘God’s Word is a Mirror‘).
If you want to get to know the real you, you have to renew your mind with the Word of God.
By renewing your mind and applying God’s words in your life, you will obey the Word and become a doer of the Word.
When you obey the Word and become a doer of the Word, your spiritual transformation through regeneration in Christ will become visible in the natural realm. You will become the person, who God created after His image and you shall walk in the Spirit as the new creation (Read also: ‘The hearers vs the doers‘).
Saying goodbye to your former life
When you become born again, you say goodbye to your old life. You say goodbye to your old former life and the works of the flesh and your old father, who is a thief, a liar, a deceiver, a destroyer, and a murderer.
The devil was not your real father and didn’t want the best for you. His purpose was to keep you in the bondage of death and ensure that you would remain a slave of sin, so that eternal death would be your final destination.
Why would you still believe the devil and trust him?
But now that your flesh has died in Christ, your covenant with him is broken and you are freed from Him. Therefore, you shouldn’t trust him anymore.
When you become born again, and your spirit is raised from the dead, you are reconciled with your real Father, who loves you and wants the best for you. The only thing God wants is to have a real relationship with you, His child.
That is why, God has sent His only Son, Jesus Christ, and gave His life for you to restore what was broken in the garden of Eden (John 3:16).
How to walk in the Spirit?
Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh (Galatians 5:16)
When you have laid your own life down and obey the Word and are busy with the things of the Kingdom of God and walk after the Spirit, you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.
If you want to be freed from the lusts and desires of your flesh, then you should focus on Jesus and not yourself. When you walk in the Spirit and obey the Word of God then your spirit will rule with the Holy Spirit over your flesh.
Your flesh (body and soul) may crave and scream, because your flesh has had its way all your life and wants to be fed by fulfilling the lusts and desires of the flesh. The flesh wants you to sow in your flesh, instead of your spirit. But your spirit together with the Holy Spirit will say NO!!! and silence the flesh. When you walk in the Spirit and be led by the Spirit you shall listen to the Holy Spirit and obey the Holy Spirit, who will speak the Word and will never contradict the Word.
If you decide to not obey the Holy Spirit, you will disobey the Word of God and you know what happens, when you disobey God and obey your flesh and give into its lusts and desires.
Don’t be deceived by your carnal lusts and desires. But stay obedient to the Word of God and walk in the Spirit. God is your real Father and He loves you! Do you love Him? If you love Him, you will obey Him.
“Be the salt of the earth”
