Not Under the Law

Scripture: I say then, walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh. These are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. Galatians 5:16-18

Observation: Paul begins to outline his "flesh vs. spirit" conversation, which will include the fruits of the spirit, with the initial explanation of the conflict between spirit and flesh. The conflict, interestingly, echoes back to his prior teaching on "law vs. faith" when he says that, if you are led by the spirit, you are not under the law. In this, he is making a direct connection:

-- The law aligns to the flesh, and thus when one attempts to comply with the law through the strength and efforts of their own flesh, they will fail and commit acts of sin.

-- Faith aligns to the spirit, and thus when one expresses faith and belief in Jesus through the spirit, they will be served by the spirit and thus not sin.

Most interesting is the phrase "if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law". This is explicit ... faith in God, belief in Jesus, and thus receipt of the Holy Spirit, means you will not be burdened by the laws of God. However, this is tricky. This does NOT mean you can do what you please (as Paul points out in Galatians 5:19-21), but rather Paul means this: When you have the spirit, you will not be personally fighting against the lust of the flesh and desires of this world, and thus are relieved from that unwinnable battle, because the Holy Spirit will relieve you of those earthly desires.

Application: I am starting to be able to tell more and more when I am personally aligned with the Holy Spirit, and the evidence is in my actions. There are times where I am a wreck - I am mad, I curse, I am envious, lustful, angry, selfish, spiteful. I hate these times! I feel them, and I fail to pray my way out of them, and they occupy wasted time in my life. Then there are other times where I am at peace even when in the center of chaos and other angry people. In these times, I will communicate with God right through the situation, and realize I am easily guided through it.

So when being 'in the spirit' is clearly so much easier than giving into the earthly flesh, why do I do the latter? I don't want to. This continues to be my path to maturity. I need to continue to seek the Holy Spirit in my life daily, and get my actions, thoughts, and heart aligned to God every moment, not just from time to time.

Prayer: Dear Lord, my father, I seek your spirit in my life today. Not just for a time to I seek this, but all the time, every moment. Please help me remember your love, and desire your presence, in a way that relieves me from the law and the battles of this earth. Amen.