Sanctification Is a Process
ICS Daily Devotions
Galatians 5:16 -18 (NKJV) I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.
The flesh is the sum of our appetites, desires, wishes, and needs whose purpose is the satisfaction of self. It is everything in our life that wants to live independently from God and does not bow to God. The flesh is a part of our being that has gotten used to living a life of sin, being seduced by the world, and reluctant to submit to the Lordship of Christ. All of us are imperfect and will have to deal with this part of our being until we go to heaven. However, if we can manage the flesh in our lives, we will experience peace, love, joy, and victory.
The flesh is part of the soul in the makeup of our tripartite being. The tripartite being is made up of the spirit, soul, and body. Although Jesus has enabled us to walk in the Spirit, the key to having that victory is in our decision making. Before we accepted Christ into our lives, we were so used to doing what we wanted and whenever we wanted that our natural reaction is to respond in the flesh rather than choosing to walk in the Spirit.
After we have received Christ, people who haven’t seen us for a long time should see a difference in us. If not, something is wrong. It means that we have not dealt with the flesh daily because if we are allowing God to mould us daily, there should be a change in our character and temperaments for the better. In fact, some of our marital or inter-personal relationship challenges can be easily resolved if we could reign in the flesh and choose to walk in humility, love and extend grace.
Nonetheless, there will be a struggle between the flesh and the Spirit of God in us. Living the consecrated life or walking in holiness is a lifelong process until we get to heaven. There is a constant fight or tussle over the decisions that we must make daily of whether to yield to the Spirit of God or to continue to yield to the old master of our lives. However, if we are serious about sanctification, we need to learn to live from the inside out, because simply trying to change our behaviour by using the 10 commandments, the law and statutes is doomed to fail as religion cannot change a person from outside in. Instead, we need to live through the new creation and empowerment of the Holy Spirit. Our inferior habits will change progressively as we grow from spiritual infancy to spiritual maturity. Sanctification is a process and a continuous choice to yield to the Spirit rather than to the flesh.
Sermon Series: The Make-up of Man
