March 4
Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. Galatians 5:16
Here Paul gives the principle by which we overcome ‘the flesh’. The first vital point is that it is not by confronting the flesh that we overcome its lusts. We must turn our hearts completely to the Lord, and fix our gaze on Him and on obeying the whisper of the Spirit in our conscience. By walking in the Spirit, we find we are filled with the Holy Spirit. The whole realm of walking in the Spirit is achieved by waiting on God’s Presence in our hearts and treasuring the life-giving perfume of His love. As soon as we turn to the Lord, the flesh will lose its power, and all the tyrannising force of carnal desires will evaporate in the face of the pure desires that are the very atmosphere of the Holy Spirit. If we confront the flesh without the Presence of God, we will quickly find ourselves entangled in a battle that we cannot win. The Bible does not suggest several methods to overcome the flesh, and leave us to choose the one that suits us best. The Bible teaches us the one and only method. Overcoming the flesh does not require a strong will, but it does require an obedient will. Don’t whine about the power of your ‘flesh’; turn your back on it, with all the defeats and shame it brings, and walk by faith in inner sensitivity to the Presence of the Lord through the Holy Spirit.
Share this devotional
Hearing God’s Heart is a daily devotional written by Les Wheeldon. Bursting with encouragement and inspiration, each daily reading draws the reader into a closer walk with God, helping you reflect, meditate and move into the presence of God.