Walking in Spirit (Part 3)

Gal 5:16-18 reminds us of the control the Spirit is to have in our lives and the struggle we all face with the old sinful nature. But it also reveals the victory we should experience on a daily basis. Paul writes in Gal 5:18, "But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law." Here the Spirit is regarded as a guide to whom the believer is expected to submit. We submit to His guiding. The answer is to surrender your will to the Holy Spirit. Literally this verse says, "But if you are willingly led by the Spirit then you are not under the law."

In Rom 6:12-13 there is a companion passage that talks about surrendering or yielding to the Lord. "Let not sin therefore reign in you mortal body that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof. Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God." The victory we are to have cannot be done without Jesus. It will not be done without you. Your moment by moment prayer to the Lord ought to be, "Lord, help me to cooperate with you so you won't have to operate on me."

So how do you yield? How do you apply this? There needs to be the removal of sin. Verse 12 says, "Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body." Have you ever chosen against king sin whereby you say, "I don't have to obey you so I choose not to obey you. These members of my body are no longer yours, not my eyes, not my hands, not my feet, not anything." As verse 13 says, "and do not go on presenting the members of your body to sin as instruments of unrighteousness;" So there needs to be the removal of sin and then the reign of the Savior. Verse 13 continues "but present yourselves to God as those alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God." This refers to a once and for all yielding. Not dabbling with it. Not saying, "Well, I will try it in the morning and see how it works" type thing. Once and for all, now and forever I give myself totally to the Lord Jesus.

Does that mean you won't sin anymore? No. It does mean you don't have to sin. That is deliverance from the control of sin in your life. That is what I would call our conquest in sanctification through the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit. Yet you will find that the daily struggle will continue. So let me give you five things to do in light of the ongoing conflict. First, stay humble, watch and pray, keep your eyes on Jesus, take little steps in the right direction every day, and when you fall get up and move forward for the Lord.

Remember that your struggle is not sinful. God allows it so that we will look to him for daily solutions instead of instant miracles. The struggle itself is evidence that you belong to God. Through the struggle your soul is made strong and you are being made fit for heaven. And Hallelujah one day we will be with Him in heaven forever! God bless you and don't forget that God loves you and so does First Baptist Church.