Wiley Graf
God has made an amazing promise in Galatians 5:16. To all who choose to walk in the Spirit, He has promised deliverance from lusts of the flesh. The key to victory is hiding in the plain sight of Scripture. Victory over the flesh is guaranteed, so long as I am walking in the Spirit.
I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh (Galatians 5:16).
THE GALATIANS 5:16 REVELATION
The year is 2017. Early Fall. Late September or early October. I don’t recall the exact date. Since the July Fourth Weekend, I have been poring over Bible Commentaries, studying passages on the Holy Spirit.
How often I had read Galatians 5:16 and moved on. How often I had thought to myself, “I’ve been born of the Spirit, so, of course, I am always walking in the Spirit.” But Galatians 5:16 says that if I am walking in the Spirit, then I will not fulfill the lust of the flesh. And since coming to Christ in 1989, I had, on more than a few occasions, still chosen to fulfill the lust of the flesh. I’m walking in the Spirit (or so I thought), but still fulfilling the lust of the flesh? This ought not to be! What am I missing?
Initially, this was a bitter pill to swallow. For I was now aware that I was not quite the sanctified Christian that I had always fancied myself to be. But despair would soon give way to gladness, as this verse also seemed to be suggesting a way of escape. Being a born-again, Spirit-indwelt child of God is a necessary condition for conquering the flesh. But I must also be walking in the Spirit. And apparently, to some degree/regularity exceeding my Fall 2017 walk.
THE GALATIANS 5:16 APPLICATION
Walking in the Spirit is the key to repelling attacks of the flesh (Galatians 5:16). Walking in the Spirit is the key to discovering God’s promised way of escape from temptation (I Corinthians 10:13). As a born-again believer, I can mortify the deeds of the flesh by choosing to walk in the Spirit (Romans 8:12-13). “But what,” the reader asks, “does it mean to be ‘walking in the Spirit’? What does ‘walking in the Spirit’ look like?” Here are but a few examples for the reader’s consideration:
Reading the Bible and prayer head the list. But both are non-limbic events that, for the addict, are largely ineffective against the limbic attacks (think emotional, visual) of the flesh when it is at peak strength.
• The palpable heart-tugs felt during the pastor’s “nailed it” sermon last Sunday
• The lump in the throat during the missionary’s slide show the week before
• The Drama Team’s moving skit last Easter
• The choir’s rendition of a favorite hymn that always brings a tear
In each of these latter four visually oriented, emotion-charged examples, the believer/viewer is, at least for a brief time, walking in the Spirit. During these times, it is impossible to fulfill the lust of the flesh (Galatians 5:16).
It is impossible for the choked-up and teary-eyed to fulfill the lust of the flesh while the Holy Spirit is tugging on their heart (Galatians 5:16).
A filling of the Spirit and a lust of the flesh can never occur at the same time (Galatians 5:16). Hmmm. If only these “walking in the Spirit” moments could be bottled and instantly recalled whenever the flesh makes an unwanted house call. Good news, fellow believers. With today’s technology, now they can be.
BOTTLING AND RECALLING THOSE “WALKING IN THE SPIRIT” MOMENTS
In A Way of Escape, readers learn how to bottle and instantly recall these “walking in the Spirit” moments. Readers learn how to build a library of Spirit-anointed, flesh-diffusing apps. Apps that are custom-fitted to the reader, and his/her unique Spirit-filling triggers.
FRESH HOPE FOR THE STILL-STRUGGLING
The still-struggling now have another option. The still-struggling now have fresh hope for discovering that long-sought-after way of escape (I Corinthians 10:13). A way that, most notably, does not require enlisting the aid of an accountability partner or group.
A WAY OF ESCAPE
A Spirit-Powered Battle Plan for Purity
(Accountability Partner/Group NOT Required!)
