In Conflict

Gal.5:¹⁶ [NIV] “So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. ¹⁷ For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want.”

You will never build a walk with God, a marriage, a fit body, or a robust bank account by obeying the world’s law of instant gratification. I also struggled with wanting instant gratification with prayer and getting anointed. I remember praying for hours in some wilderness. God will say, take off your wristwatch and take a pen; and I learn at His feet. I would lie on my face and pray for hours and I was actually feeling really anointed. Then one day, one man was dying so they came to call me. I said the time has come for the power of God to be released.

When I got there, I drove everyone out of the room like Jesus did and I p-r-a-y-e-d the man to heaven; the man died. I said to God, is this how You want to disgrace me? So this is Your plan? I am not following you again. It was not funny at the time because I almost backslid. But God was merciful and guided me in a right path. And thank God many dead people have been raised from the dead to His glory, in Jesus Name. Again, it is important to mention that there are no shortcuts. You need to go through the grind, put your nose to the grind and just grind it out. However, when the results start coming also, it takes a lot to stop it; it flows like a dam that has been broken.

We are delving deeper with our study into the second bedrock of character, which is discipline. Please read Galatians 5:16-26 in the New International Version of the Bible. This is a very powerful passage of scripture and I encourage you to read it every day of our study on character. Gal.5:¹⁹ “The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; ²⁰ idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions²¹ and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like.” People are into idolatry and witchcraft because God is too slow for them and that is instant gratification. Notice however that this portion of scripture unlike the fruit of the Spirit is not finite; the works of the flesh ends with and the like; in other words you can take this list and add to it.

Prayer: Father, I resolve today not to gratify my flesh but to walk by the Spirit, in Jesus Name. Amen!