Life by the

Perhaps you’ve witnessed someone exhibiting their not so shining behavior when under the influence of alcohol or maybe you’ve just heard the stories. Either way, you’ve probably realized they become capable of doing things incredibly far outside of their normal realm when under the influence. Why? Alcohol takes over. The person is no longer in control but is forced to yield to the influence.

Paul’s alternative is to be filled with the Spirit. He wants us to understand that likewise, when we are filled with the Holy Spirit, we are also not in control. While they both rely on being under the influence of another, the results are very different. Rather than acting out of control, we are instructed to yield to the direction and leading of the Holy Spirit.

How do we know if we are yielding to the control of the Holy Spirit? Galatians 5:16-23 paints a candid picture of life in the flesh and life in the Spirit. These lists are both prescriptive (things we put effort forth) and descriptive (things to watch for) but when we read them exclusive one or the other, we can quickly lose focus.

¹⁶ So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. ¹⁷ For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want.¹⁸ But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.

¹⁹ The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; ²⁰ idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions ²¹ and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.

²² But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,²³ gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. ²⁴ Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.²⁵ Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. ²⁶ Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.

I visit the doctor in hopes of getting healthy. I describe a list of symptoms I’ve been experiencing. Then the doctor will use his expertise to hopefully assess my symptoms, diagnose me and prescribe what I need.

The same is true for this passage. If, when I hold my life up to the light of this passage and merely try to avoid these behaviors rather than realizing that they also indicate the condition of my heart, I miss the point. It would be like me having an oozing wound on my leg and the doctor prescribing me to just wear pants.

The acts of the flesh are undoubtedly behaviors and habits we should avoid, but life in the Spirit can’t be simplified to a checklist of “do’s” and “don’ts”. The acts of the flesh are also symptoms.

As I ask the Holy Spirit to run my heart through the scriptural diagnosis of those verses, I will confess, I’ve found a few things that I need Him to deal. There are times when jealousy threatens to creep into my heart over what another woman can do in ministry. There are times when my flesh wants to respond in a fit of rage when I’m ministering to a woman who in lieu of obeying God just wants Him to show her the way for the 47^th time rather do what He’s already told her. There are times when my selfish ambition tempts me to think that I’ve done enough and it’s time to take some time and rest for me.

I could say to myself, “I need to try harder to avoid these reactions but then I’ve merely wallpapered over my condition rather than let the Great Physician deal with it.

In the hectic pace that life and ministry often bring, it’s easy to start running on what we think is a sort of spiritual reserve rather than the actual Spirit. When the enemy can’t make me bad, he definitely makes me busy. This isn’t a deliberate decision to get out of step with the Spirit, but when I allow the demands of my life and ministry to take me out of regular intimate fellowship with God, I lose my connection which is the power source. I quickly start to see symptoms of the flesh.

When my flesh takes over, there’s no room for the Spirit of God to do the filling or leading. When the Spirit of God is leading, there’s no room for the acts of the flesh. They cannot coexist but are contrary to one another.

¹⁷ For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want.

If you find yourself showing symptoms of fleshliness, remember that you need to be filled with something else. Remember these things:

To be filled with the Spirit requires emptiness.

There’s a song I heard a few years ago that has stuck in my mind. It’s called “Empty Me,” by Chris Sligh and he could’ve written it for me. The chorus has resonated in my heart as both a confession and a request:

Lay your heart before Gods, the One who sees all and ask Him to rid you of anything that will hinder your capacity to filled to the measure with anything other than His Spirit.

To be filled with the Spirit is to relinquish control.

Paul’s directive to be filled with the Spirit as opposed to being drunk with wine reminds us that being filled with the Spirit means that we are under another’s direction. At any fork in the road where the flesh and the Spirit are contrary to one another, we need to be reminded that we were not intended to sit in the driver’s seat. Our own way tainted with our selfishness and fear is too dangerous. God is in control. He is the one leading the dance. We must go where He is going. Priscilla Shirer stated, “The need to be control is often rooted in fear. What fears cause you to desire control?” He is trustworthy. Believe that His way truly is best and His Spirit will never lead you astray.

If you find your heart showing symptoms of being plagued with “fleshliness” ask God to treat it, empty you and fill you with Himself instead.

Mom/Pastor’s Daughter/Teacher/Women’s Ministry Team Lead

Stephanie grew up in the household of a church planting pastor. Many years of watching her parents joyfully serve in fruitful ministry have led her to have a similar passion for reaching the lost and sharing God’s truth with women through Bible study, doing life together, and more recently, blogging!
Stephanie taught kindergarten and middle school in the public school system before taking time off to be with her favorite student, her 1-year old daughter Sophie. Her and her husband Mike have been married for 6 years and just welcomed their second baby, Jonah to the family in September 2013.
They have made their spiritual home at the Pathway Church in Calgary, Alberta (her late father’s second church plant). Stephanie is passionate about seeing people, especially women, realize and live out the abundant life that Christ meant for them. She teachers and writes from the lesson’s that God has taught her from walking with Him through the many seasons that life has already faithfully brought her through.