“The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.”
‭‭Galatians‬ ‭5:19-24‬ ‭NIV‬‬
http://bible.com/111/gal.5.19-24.niv

Well there you have it. The Bible is very clear on what we should do and what we should not do.

Once we accept Christ as our savior, our flesh, or the part of us that wants to sin, is crucified and we are filled by the Holy Spirit. Unfortunately this doesn’t take away the temptation and our desire to sin. It just means that the Holy Spirit is available to help us avoid temptation. We must choose to call on the Holy Spirit and ask God to fill us with the Holy Spirit.

If you look at someone who exhibits the fruit of the spirit, which is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control, you see what it looks like when God lives inside us. You see a person filled with the Holy Spirit.

You see we are all full of something. Whatever we are full of is what comes out in the presence of others.  If you are full of the flesh then you will be subject to sexual immorality, impurity, debauchery, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions, envy, drunkenness, and orgies. The Bible is very clear that someone who lives in the flesh and behaves in this way will not inherit the kingdom of God.

So do a self exam. Look at these lists. You may say well I don’t have orgies or practice any type of sexual immorality. Perhaps you don’t practice witchcraft. Maybe you aren’t apt to get drunk. But are you known to go into fits of rage? Do you like to stir up trouble and strife to keep discord among others? Are you the reason for dissension in your family or maybe even your church family? Are you prone to jealousy? The Bible tells us that things like bitterness, rage, and malice grieve the Holy Spirit. You want to be sure above all things that you are not grieving the Holy Spirit.

The other thing I’ve noticed is that people who live without God and operate in the flesh or people who are phony Christians are miserable. There is no peace and joy in that kind of lifestyle.

We don’t just get handed the fruit of the spirit, we have to want it. We have to continually be in prayer. We must daily ask for God to fill us with the Holy Spirit.

Think of your soul as a gas tank. If it runs empty we know what happens. We have to continually fill it up. If you fill it with the fruit of the spirit it is like filling it with good pure gasoline. If you fill it with the desires of the flesh it’s like pouring sugar in the tank.

So my prayer for you today is that you will understand not only the importance of being filled with the Holy Spirit but also the peace, joy, and contentment that it brings.

Hope you have a great day!