Galatians 5:16-24

Galatians 5

16 But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.

17 For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do.

19 Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, 20 idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, 21 envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.

24 And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.

As we mature as believers, one of our main objectives is to walk in the spirit, overcoming the desires of our flesh. This is not easy! From the time we are born, we are taught to bend to every desire of our flesh. As we get older, our flesh starts desiring things that according to scripture are not profitable for us.

There is an extensive list in this passage of the works of the flesh. They are things we struggle with daily. Envy, jealousy, impurity, anger, dissension… They are all products of our sinful fleshly desires. But Galatians says that if we belong to Christ, we must crucify the flesh with its passions and desires. Have you done this? Died to your flesh and moved beyond living for yourself? It is an ongoing process; a decision that is made countless times each and every day!

When you decide to live for the spiritual, rather than for your flesh, the evidence of that is love, joy, peace, self-control, and the other attributes in verses 22 and 23. We are called to live and walk in those things.

The fruit of the spirit should characterize who we are and all that we do. It is the opposite of the work of the flesh. There is no room for hatred, anger, bitterness, jealousy, gossip, cliques, impurity, lust, depression, anxiety, worry, disobedience, or the demeaning of others. Why then do we live more in these things than the fruit of the Spirit? Because our spirit and flesh are at war, and if we are not conscious of the battle, we cannot win.