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Christianity is not for sissies and it is not
for girlie-men. It is a war and you are a soldier on the battlefield.
The Apostle Paul told Timothy to, "...wage the good warfare".
He told the Ephesian church, "take up the whole armor
of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day"
(Eph. 6:13). We are in the Lord's army now let us fight.
The enemy of our eternal soul is Satan. Some may
doubt his existence; however, the Bible informs us that he is
real; he is active; and he is our archenemy (1 Pet. 5:8). He wants
us to fall in defeat, just like Goliath! He wants us to turn and
run, just like Demas (2 Tim. 4:10). He wants us to yield to temptation,
just like the Apostle Judas Iscariot (Luke 22:3). Satan is active
and he wants to win.
Some of the most intense fighting can be found
in the human heart between the flesh and the spirit. The Apostle
Paul wrote, "...the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the
Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another,
so that you do not do the things that you wish" (Gal. 5:17).
Satan wants us to fulfill our own fleshly desires by immersing
ourselves in the "works of the flesh", not so with the
Lord; he wants us to imbibe in the "fruit of the Spirit".
In Galatians 5:19-21, the Apostle Paul writes
down 17 specific examples of the "works of the flesh".
All of them are readily available for Satan's employment and deployment.
He has and will use each one of them to tempt an unsuspecting,
ill-prepared Christian. Do not let that Christian be you. Warn
others. Remember, Satan is a relentless foe! Be on guard always!
For the sake of space, I am going to break down
Paul's list into three different categories. The first category
is sexual sins: adultery, fornication, uncleanness (impurities),
and lasciviousness (lewdness, debauchery, licentiousness). God
is the Creator of the sexual union. He approves of sex but only
within a God approved marriage (Heb. 13:4). Therefore, impure
minds, filthy actions, and lustful out of control behavior are
not authorized by God's word. In fact, that kind of behavior will
cause a Christian man or woman to lose his or her soul (c.f. Matt.
5:28).
The next category deals specifically with misguided
allegiance: idolatry, witchcraft (or sorcery), instances of drunkenness,
and revelries (or orgies). God's word teaches us that our complete
mind and body must be used in the service of God. We were made
to glorify God (Is. 43:7).
Frequently, Paul and others described themselves
as bondservants of God and Christ. In serving God, there is not
time to serve such sinful passions as just mentioned. Yet, it
is amazing to see how many are earnestly contending for such sinful
passions as social drinking and the like.
Finally, the last category deals with personal
relationships: hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath,
selfish ambitions, heresies (or factions), envy, and murders.
The church is composed of individual Christians who must work
together in the greatest cause on Earth; there is not time for
bickering or fighting in the ranks of God's army. Paul wrote,
" But if you bite and devour one another, beware lest you
be consumed by one another (Gal. 5:15)!"
The Christian must be on guard against the "works
of the flesh" and faithfully engaged in developing and demonstrating
the "fruit of the Spirit" (Gal. 5:22-23). The word fruit
in that passage is singular. Therefore, the picture in our mind
should not be a wide assortment of different fruits laid out on
a countertop so pick and choose which one you want. Instead, it
is a picture of a fruit basket so you must take them all. God
expects us to develop and demonstrate each one in our lives!
Again, the Christian is a soldier and he is in
a battle; however, he is not a brute, roughneck. He or she is
to be like Jesus Christ. Every single characteristic or demeanor
found in the "fruit of the Spirit" was actively demonstrated
in the life of Jesus Christ. He did so perfectly! Let us all follow
the Lord's example!
Heading the list of the "fruit of the Spirit"
is agape love. Agape love is the type of love that seeks the highest
good of others. This is the type of love demonstrated by God and
by Jesus Christ (John 3:16; 2 Cor. 13:14). In 1 Corinthians 13,
the Apostle Paul helps us understand what agape love is all about!
I encourage you to read it carefully noticing the mindset of a
loving Christian.
The "fruit of the Spirit" also includes
joy and peace. Sometimes Christians get depressed. We are human
too! Jesus was in the midst of despair (Luke 22:43). However,
we do not need to stay in that state of mind. The Apostle Paul
found himself in the midst of distress; however, it did not hinder
him from doing God's will (c.f. Acts 18:9). The Christian in the
midst of depression and distress will always have before her a
constant reminder of God's love, grace, and mercy. The difficulty
may still be present, however, joy and peace will radiate outward
into a dark and dismal world.
The remaining six characteristics that make up
our fruit basket I have divided into two categories. The first
category has to do with our interactions with other people: longsuffering
(patience), kindness, goodness, and gentleness. Many of the problems
generally associated with people would be avoided if each party
demonstrated those characteristics in dealing with others. Of
course, a dose of agape love would also be beneficial! Do you
remember the "works of the flesh" that stand in direct
opposition to these characteristics? They were hatred, contentions,
jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, heresies (or
factions), envy, and murders. That is an incredible contrast!
The last category has to do once again with our
allegiance to God. Every Christian must be completely faithful
to God. There is no room for divided allegiance. A slave cannot
serve two different masters (Matt. 6:24). It is imperative that
we build our faith by listening carefully to what God has to say
in His word (2 Cor. 5:7). Upon hearing His word we must be actively
engaged in applying it to our lives (James 1:22).
Applying the word of God is not always easy. Satan
is actively trying to tempt us into listening to his demands.
He wants us to follow his will and do his bidding. Therefore,
the child of God, the soldier will need to exercise some self-control.
Self-control is needed in every aspect of life. If one truly wants
to lose weight, it will require self-control. If one wants to
complete her education self-control is required. If one wants
to win the battle between the flesh and the Spirit self-control
is necessary.
Christians are involved in the greatest battle
on Earth. Satan is the enemy. He wants Christians to practice
the "works of the flesh" while God wants us to eliminate
the "works of the flesh" completely from our hearts
and minds. The battle between the flesh and the spirit is a difficult
one; however, God is able to help us. Let us all strive to eliminate
and discard the "works of the flesh" and develop the
"fruit of the Spirit".
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