Galatians 5:17 - The Battle for Spiritual Snickers

"For the flesh is desiring against the Spirit, but the Spirit against the flesh, for these one another are opposing, in order that not what things you [all] are wanting these you [all] may be doing."

-War.  There is a battle being waged deep down in my soul, a desperate struggle for supremacy, for allegiance.  In this corner, weighing in at zero pounds (He does after all show up like the wind), the Holy Spirit of God, the promised Helper, come not just to help but to take over, to undertake a makeover of heavenly proportions.  But no lightweight pretender, this one.  He is the undefeated heavyweight Champion of heaven and earth, come to bring heaven to earth thru the agency of redeemed rebels.  Undefeated He is, but not undisputed.  And oh, there’s a dispute.

-In the other corner, my flesh, aided and abetted by both the world and the devil.  Think of the world as the trainer and the devil as the manager.  Together they have been teamed up almost since the beginning of time.  Strong allies, these.  Collectively they are forever hell-bent on exchanging the truth of God for a lie and the glory of God for that of anything-other-than.  Pretty much any cheap subsitute will suffice.  Or pricey.  Whatever it takes.  Anything other than God and what He wants.  Leave Him out of the equation entirely, that’s what my flesh and the world and the devil are wont to do.

-Deeds are born from desires, and thus we have these polar opposite outcomes being determined by these two sets of opposing desires.  The objective is deeds which please, doing that which really satisfies (yes, we’re talking about spiritual snickers...!).  Aren’t we all like mick jagger, constantly in search of satisfaction?  The truth is that whatever I may do apart from God and what He wants results only in dissatisfaction (and ultimately death).  There may be a fleeting experience of pleasure, but it is invariably only so much cotton candy.  This is especially true for those who have trusted Christ and are now indwelt by His Spirit.  If I am in Christ, my heart has actually be reborn and remade to find its most soul-satisfying pleasure in the things of God, in Him.  And if my ultimate goal in life is real satisfaction, to the extent that I give in to the desires of my flesh, I will find myself ultimately disappointed.  DISsatisfied.  Sooner or later.  More on deeds after v. 18...