Spirit Controlled!

Gal.5: ²² “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,²³ gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.”

You would notice that the qualities listed in today’s Scripture reference, require a commitment to delay gratification. Notice also that in the original,

 it is the fruit of the Spirit and not the fruits of the Spirit. Some school of thought [which I tend to agree with] says that the fruit of the Spirit is love.All these other qualities listed – joy, peace, forbearance, gentleness, self-control, are all embedded in love. When you cut open an orange for instance, it has sections on the inside. Love is the orange and the other qualities are the sections you find when you cut open the orange. Love pretty much covers everything.

Peace for example, requires a commitment to delayed gratification. In the marriage setting for instance, do you want to be right or do you want to have peace? If all you want is to be right and to start and win every argument, then you are sacrificing your peace on the altar of being right. But if peace is your desire, then you have to crucify self and that means delayed gratification. Most married couples would agree with me that sometimes when you step back, you will realize the argument has moved beyond the issue at hand. And it has become about proving to be smarter, or having more power as the head. If all you want is to be right, that is instant gratification but if you want peace, that is delayed gratification.

However, living by the Spirit calls for delayed gratification. A classic example is, you want to sleep and the Holy Spirit is telling you worship Him. Going ahead to sleep will be instant gratification. Denying yourself of sleep to worship is delaying gratification.

I want to thank all the single people that are walking by the Spirit and have chosen to abstain from sex until marriage! When you do not follow the Holy Spirit, you are asking for trouble because  a lot of things will follow. I also say that being married is not an antidote to sexual temptation. You still have to learn to delay gratification.

Thought: Walking by the Spirit requires a commitment to delayed gratification.

Prayer: Father, because I belong to Jesus, I crucify my flesh with its passions and desires to the cross. I choose to live by and keep in step with the Spirit, in Jesus Name. Amen!