The Old Sinful Nature and The Holy Spirit

Deuteronomy 25; Deuteronomy 26; Deuteronomy 27; Galatians 5
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Scripture

Galatians 5

16 So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves. 17 The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, so you are not free to carry out your good intentions. 18 But when you are directed by the Spirit, you are not under obligation to the law of Moses.

19 When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, 20 idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, 21 envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God.

22 But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!

24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there. 25 Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives. 26 Let us not become conceited, or provoke one another, or be jealous of one another.

Observation

There is a story about an Indian that used to have a black dog and a white dog and he would fight them for money. He would make lots of money on these dogfights because he always knew which dog was going to win the fight and he would bet on that dog. Sometimes the white dog won and sometimes it was the black dogs time to win. Someone asked him how he knew which one was going to win to which he replied, “oh that is easy - the one I feed the most.”

The old sinful nature is at war with our new nature and the one that is winning is the one that we are feeding the most. If you are not eating daily from the Word of God then your evil sinful nature is winning and the result or the fruit of your life will be: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these.

If you are feasting on God’s Word everyday then the fruit of your life will be: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

Application

I plan to feast on the Word of God so the Holy Spirit guides me.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, help me display the fruit of the Holy Spirit in my life today!

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