I say then walk by the Spirit and you will not carry out the desires of the flesh. For the flesh desires what is against the Spirit, and the Spirit desires what is against the flesh, these are opposed to each other, so that you don’t do what you want.     Galatians 5:16-17 HCSB

As Christians we are called to do what is opposite to our nature. By nature, we are sinful little creatures. We desire things that are sinful or bad for us. We want to do things to satisfy the flesh. We want to fulfill the lusts of our flesh. We want to be angry and bitter towards those who have come against us. We want to seek revenge. We want to do all kinds of things we should not do. Why, because that is what comes naturally. But God calls us to be better than that. He calls us as Christians to do things His way. His way is opposite what comes naturally.

It sounds so easy, just walk in the Spirit. But then Paul explains that this is not easy at all. Because we naturally want to satisfy the desires of the flesh. But the desires of the flesh are in contrast or totally opposite of the Spirit or God’s will for our lives. We have to deny our flesh in order to walk in the Spirit. But once we commit to walking in the Spirit, we will find it easier to deny our fleshly desires. We will find it easier to do what God wants and not what comes naturally.

The devil wants us to act naturally. The devil also loves it when people advise us to trust our heart. He wants us to trust our heart because our hearts are deceitful. Jeremiah 17:9 tells us that the heart is more deceitful than anything else and incurable-who can understand it? The devil loves it when he can convince us to live this freestyling life where we just act naturally, do what comes naturally and follow our hearts. Don’t do this. Fight against the devil. Resist the devil.

Many marriages end in divorce. Why? Because people followed their hearts. It sounds like a good story for the engagement party, but it’s not such a good thing in divorce court. We should never marry someone because our heart tells us they are the right person for us. We should consult God. We should adhere to Proverbs 3:5-6 and trust in God completely and lean not to our own understanding and acknowledge God in all we do. This is particularly important when you are choosing the person with whom you intend to spend the rest of your life. Many of us have followed our hearts only to have them broken, present party included. I’ve been there, done that and got the t-shirt.

We must always remember that the flesh is what comes naturally, the Spirit is God’s Holy Spirit which comes to dwell in us. To put it simply, the flesh is influenced by the devil’s desires for our lives while the Spirit influences us to do God’s will in our lives. The flesh and the
Spirit are enemies of each other. They cannot reside together. This means we have to choose one over the other. We have to commit to one and let the other go.

Our pastor explained the Holy Spirit in our lives the other night as us giving more and more of ourselves over to God. I often say that I need more and more of the Holy Spirit, but in order for me to have this I must be willing to give more of myself to Him. I must be willing to give it all over to Him.

If you have been doing what comes naturally or following your heart, it has probably been chaotic, and you have probably experienced a lot of heartache. But you can change all that by acknowledging God in all you do. You can turn to Him and focus on Him. You can love Him with your whole heart. Through prayer and Bible study you can discern what God’s purpose is for you. When we love the Lord with all our heart and strive to fulfill His purpose for our lives, He will work all things out for our good (Romans 8:28) even the bad stuff.

Don’t take my word for it, try it yourself. You have nothing to lose but heartache and shame. I assure you; you won’t be disappointed.

Have a great day!