CHANGING YOUR BEHAVIOR – Dr.
Neil Anderson
Galatians 5:16
Walk by the Spirit, and you
will not carry out the desire of the flesh
A careful distinction must be
made concerning your relationship to the flesh as a Christian. There is a
difference in Scripture between being in the flesh and walking according to the
flesh. As a Christian, you are no longer in the flesh. That phrase describes
people who are still spiritually dead (Romans 8:8), those who live
independently of God. Everything they do, whether morally good or bad, is in
the flesh.
You are not in the flesh; you
are in Christ. You are no longer independent of God; you have declared your
dependence upon Him by placing faith
in Christ. But even though you are not in the flesh, you may still choose to
walk according to the flesh (Romans 8:12, 13). You may still act independently
of God by responding to the mind-set, patterns and habits ingrained in you by
the world you lived in. Paul rebuked the immature Corinthian Christians as
"fleshly" because of their expressions of jealousy, strife, division
and misplaced identity (1 Corinthians 3:1-3). He listed the evidences of
fleshly living in Galatians 5:19-21. Unbelievers can't help but live according
to the flesh because they are totally in the flesh. But your old skipper is
gone. You are no longer in the flesh and you no longer need to live according
to its desires.
Getting rid of the old self was
God's responsibility, but rendering the flesh and its deeds inoperative is our
responsibility (Romans 8:12). God has changed your nature, but it's your
responsibility to change your behavior by "putting to death the deeds of
the body" (Romans 8:13). You will gain victory over the flesh by learning
to condition your behavior after your new skipper, your new self which is
infused with the nature of Christ, and learning to transform your old pattern
for thinking and responding to your sin-trained flesh by renewing your mind
(Romans 12:2).
Prayer: Lord,
knowing that I am no longer controlled by sin is such a liberating concept. I
can walk today in freedom from my old self, the world system, and the devil.
Praise Your name!
Sid Stewart
Executive Director
864 226-6193
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