‘So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves. 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. But when you are directed by the Spirit, you are not under obligation to the law of Moses. When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: 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. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God. But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things! Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there. Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives. ‘ Galatians 5:16-25(NLT)
If Christ is love and to love as Christ is the goal, then there will be resistance to this pursuit. If God is love, then Satan our enemy is diametrically opposed. Life is not only difficult, it is a battle. Just like sheep need a shepherd to remain on the right path and to remain safe, we need to follow our Lord closely to keep from wandering, becoming entangled in the world, lost in ourselves, or deceived by the enemy.
We can see the frailty of our frame and cry out with the Puritan, “O Lord, I am a shell full of dust . . . I am no rare object of valuable price, but one that has nothing and is nothing . . . I am deeply convinced of the evil and misery of a sinful state, of the vanity of creatures” (from “Man A Nothing,” in The Valley of Vision).
If God is love and we have trusted in Christ as our Lord and Savior, we know we are loved. We also know that we have been rescued from the kingdom of darkness that opposes love and have entered into the kingdom of this true love. Now we want to know how to walk in it. How do we do this? By keeping our eyes on the gospel and being energized by the gospel:
-the gospel is the foundation of true love
-the gospel displays love
-the gospel defines love
-the gospel enables us to respond in love
Daily we have to ask the Lord to help us follow Him, walk in His love, love Him, and extend His love.
Taking the Truth to Heart: Choose a Scripture to take to heart to renew your mind and transform your heart.
Putting Self to Death: What specific sin is being addressed in your life by the Scripture you wrote? Paul tells us very specifically to put off the old self.
Bringing the Truth to Life: Put on the new self–Christ. What very specific adjustments do you need to make in your thinking or attitude or behavior to submit to Him and apply His truth to your mind and heart?
from What Is True Love?