“But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.” (Gal. 5:16)

Makes real good sense doesn’t it? You’d think we would have it figured out by now. The flesh and the Spirit are not partners. They don’t mix in the same way that oil and water don’t. They’re incompatible. There is a law at work here. Spirit only produces spiritual things and flesh only produces fleshly things and you can’t force them into any other arrangement.

You can’t walk by the law of flesh and fulfill the desires of the Spirit. Those that try walking in the flesh find only more flesh. Flesh begets flesh and Spirit begets spirit. Find the flesh overwhelming in your life? Change your walk. If you walk by the Spirit you will end the desires of the flesh.

The desires of the flesh are great. We are first of all human and have physical desires. As long as we are not driven by those desires we are okay. Satisfying the natural desires in the proper way and amount is expected. When those desires take over the natural man and become unnatural then problems arise. What for instance is the difference between eating and gluttony? Between drinking and drunkenness? Sexual relationships within marriage and without?

The Spirit helps our weaknesses of the flesh. The Spirit helps us keep our desire at the proper level. As long as we walk by the Spirit we will not gratify improper desires of the flesh. Without checks, the flesh can never be satisfied completely and the ego will seek the flesh’s gratification.

Task for Today: First recognize that the flesh part of your humanity has desires and that they can easily get out of hand. Understand that the flesh cannot control the flesh. The flesh will not deny itself for the thoughts and the intents of the heart of man are evil continually. Protect yourself by walking in the Spirit. Let Him rule your heart and your mind. Let the Spirit control your tongue and your eyes.