“So, I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh”
Galatians 5:16
In this passage, Paul is speaking the truth to the Galatian Christians. That truth applies to us as Christians, even today. He says to the believers not to waste their freedom in Christ on serving their own self, “flesh” and selfish desires. Instead, he has told those free in Christ to serve each other in love a life of self-sacrifice lived out in response to god’s love for us.
Have you ever been in a mindset spiritually where your reason, because of pain or sufferings, makes seeing one picture of Faith twice, overlapping and leaving you disoriented? Thinking I need an all God’s creatures’ minute, but having feelings of spiritual emptiness. Wondering what happed to my love of truth and commitment to the Word of God. Where has it gone. So much like a trance questioning, what is the God honoring move? God knew it would happen and has given us a lot of helpful advice in His Word.
Sing the following Lyrics:
All God's creatures got a place in the choir
Some sing low and some sing higher,
Some sing out loud on a telephone wire,
Some just clap their hands, or paws, or anything they've got now
James warns that we can be double-vision or double-minded (literally, “double-souled”) in our understanding and relationship to God. When we pray or think about the Lord, does a competing thought or picture enter your mind, such as a lust for money or distaste over God’s intervention in our lives. Suddenly, a real contest arises over which vision we prefer. Then we have doubts, and doubts have a way of multiplying, producing a double-minded soul. This is a serious challenge to our faith.
As much as we view that spiritual emptiness from day one of our journey of faith until the very last day, we (the righteous) must live by faith. Whether we are brand-new followers of Christ or seasoned, mature believers who have walked with the Lord for many years, we must trust God “from start to finish” and rely on His mighty power—the power of the gospel—to change our lives and the lives of those we encounter.
By its nature, sin is never satisfied. It demands more and more that makes us rebellious against God. As we speak of the sin nature, we refer to the fact that we have a natural inclination to sin; given the choice to do God’s will or our own, we will naturally choose to do our own thing. Which causes our feelings of double-minded emptiness—possibly? Or how we feel physically which impacts how we feel spiritually. The sin of apathy toward God or sluggishness in our daily lives need never be truly so because all who are born again have received the baptism of the Holy Spirit the moment they believed in Jesus. So, the key to overcoming spiritual emptiness is to “fill up” with the help of the Holy Spirit. Maybe that sounds obvious enough, but how exactly does one do that?
It is done by conquering the enemy within, we must yield to the Holy Spirit: “Walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh” (Galatians 5:16). The power to win does not come from within us, as we are just jars of clay; rather, “this all-surpassing power is from God” (2 Corinthians 4:7).
Jesus spoke of this danger, “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money”. Matthew 6:24, This is double-mindedness, and it blows cold air on a heart aflame. Which is so impossible. Those who try to love both will become unstable in all their ways. If someone struggles with being double-minded, he or she should read, study, and memorize the Word, for it is the Word of God that produces faith (Romans 10:17). And he or she should pray for faith. God freely gives what is good to those who ask Him (Luke 11:9-12), and it’s good to ask for an increase of faith (Luke 17:5; Mark 9:24).
If our trust in God is going to grow, we have to learn to step out in faith, moving out of our comfort zone and taking chances goingfrom faith to faith echoing a progressive, daily development of faith “from one degree of faith to another” akin to the “ever-increasing glory” of 2 Corinthians 3:18.
If we believe that God will sustain us for that day, we can be free to carry out His will, regardless of the consequences. Whenever we face temptations, God will always provide a way out so that we will not be overcome (1 Corinthians 10:13). We need to look for that way out, and praise God when we find it. First Peter 1:7 says He will use trials to test our faith and to make us stronger Christians; we will be given much honor if we can stand strong and not waver. “Yet faith comes from listening to this message of good news – the Good News about Christ” (Romans 10:17). Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!” (Romans 7:24-25).
God Bless You and This Ministry!
No comments:
Post a Comment