So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. – Galatians 5:16
An old American Indian chief was mentoring a group of young braves and telling them about the struggle within. He said, “It’s like two dogs fighting inside of you. One is a good dog that wants to do the right thing. The other is a bad dog that wants to do wrong.”
He went on, “Sometimes the good dog is stronger and seems to be winning the fight. And sometimes the bad dog is stronger and seems to be winning.”
At this, one young brave asked the chief, “Which dog is going to win in the end?”
The chief answered, “The one you feed.”
You may have heard the term, “Starve the flesh and feed the Spirit” as a means of creating a pattern of obedience to God’s commands in your life. But the Bible even takes it a step further, commanding us in today’s passage to “walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.”
In other words, putting the flesh to death isn’t something you have to actively do – it happens automatically when you walk by the Spirit!
Follow the Lord’s commands. Listen to His Spirit within you. Feed obedience within you, and your sinful desires will starve!
Prayer Challenge
Pray that God would help you walk in step with the Holy Spirit and overcome sin.
Questions for thought
What do you think is the biggest challenge to walking by the Spirit?
How might your life look differently if you made it a daily priority to walk in obedience to God’s commands?