This year, due to a diagnosis of coronary artery disease, I have had 
the challenge of changing many things in my diet and habits. My diagnosis is “mild” but the steps to take care of it are radical change. I began by thinking of all the things I had to do….my new list….and quickly became overwhelmed.
Then I began to concentrate on learning what is NOT good for me to do, if I want to see a reversal of the disease, or a halt in progression of the arterial blockages. This was more helpful to me in the beginning because I needed to know, when in doubt, what I should say “no” to and stay away from. There are so many correlations to the spiritual life, but let’s just look at one that deals with living in the Spirit rather than the flesh.
We often make a list of our “to-do’s” or our “should-do’s” and try to line up to the things that we think would make us better. What would happen if instead of that list, we began to understand the list of things that lead us down the wrong path, so that we could be armed with information that would help us make an educated choice when we are at a crossroads.
Today let’s zero in on the first few things on the listing of acts of the flesh, or sinful nature, in Galatians 5.
- Sexual immorality ( sex outside of God’s design, sexual perversion, pornography)
- impurity (life lived from more than one source or style, mixed with another substance, divided)
- debauchery (to lead away from virtue and corrupt)
Sexual immorality is often magnified in our minds as something as bold and brazen as prostitution. But, it is something as insidious as engaging in sexual activity with anyone that is not our marital partner. This is very challenging for single women, isn’t it? And, wild to think that we can live a life in the Spirit’s Power that would enable us to wait until the marriage bed for sexual intimacy. The act of the flesh in this area is also anything that will lead us down the path…pornography, flirting with sexual innuendo, flirting with a married man…etc…you fill in the blanks, you get the idea. Sexual intimacy is beautiful and created by God. It is even intensely sensual, which was also created by God. But, it was created to be enjoyed the way God created it to be enjoyed…in marriage, with one partner, and yes with abandon and passion…only then.
1 Cor 6:12,14,18
“Everything is permissible for me, but not everything is beneficial. Everything is permissible for me, but I will not be mastered by anything. The body is not meant for sexual immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body. Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ. Flee from sexual immorality. All ins a man commits are outside his body, but he who sins sexually sins against his own body. Do you not know your body is a temple of the holy spirit…you are not your own. Therefor glorify God with your body.”
Impurity might be thought of as something dirty. But, here we can see that we are beginning to gravitate towards the flesh when our heart is divided. It is easy to have a divided heart. A divided heart is one where we are loyal to God and then to other things too. Impurity is living from two sources rather than living from the One only source.
Psalm 86:11
“Teach me your way, O LORD, and I will walk in your truth: give me an undivided heart that I may fear your name.”
The word undivided in Hebrew is the word, yahad, which means to join and be united. So the heart that David was asking for was a heart that was united to God’s heart. The way to keep our life pure is having a heart that is united and joined to the heart of God. I think this verse in Psalm 86 is a great verse for us to pray for ourselves and our families.
Debauchery is a crazy word isn’t it? But it simply means anything that leads us towards evil. What leads you to evil? In what setting do you get tempted the most in? Everyone is different so you need to know yourself, your weaknesses, and your place of past bondage’s. Knowing this and being aware will help you stay away from situations that will lead you straight into evil.
Proverbs 12:20
“There is deceit in the hearts of those who plot evil, but joy for those who promote peace.
Tomorrow we will continue looking at the acts of the flesh for understanding how NOT to live DOWN.
Todays Prayer
Father, I desire to honor you with my body, committ to you the condition of my heart, and walk in ways that will draw me closer to you. I desire to learn to Live Up or Walk IN your Spirit. Work your word in me and teach me how to live. Show me the areas that I may have been blinded to that you want to free me in.
