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The War Between the Flesh and the Spirit: A Battle of Surrender

“I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that the gospel I preached is not of human origin.
I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it;
rather, I received it by revelation from Jesus Christ.” (Gal 1:11-12)

A difficult walk

It’s not long after you become a Christian that you realise that as Christians, we are in a lifelong battle between our flesh and the Spirit. It’s war! Our natural sinful nature rages against the work of the Spirit of God in us and countering it is Paul’s exhortation, “Keep in step with the Spirit” It’s not a path of gold right now, it’s a rugged one strewn with potholes and ruts and we need to walk with caution and care, holding each other’s hand.

This relentless conflict is described in Galatians 5:17 as a war between the flesh and the Spirit, where both are opposed to one another. It’s like water and electricity! You didn’t expect it when you first began to consider the Cross and what God has done for you, but it slowly dawns on you.

The bad list

The flesh is the part of us that desires to satisfy our selfish desires and passions and the manifestations of the flesh are a catalogue of depravity with nothing of eternal value in them and none of them bringing honour or worth to our lives or to the God we serve. The list is a shameful one: sexual immorality, impurity, idolatry, hatred, jealousy, anger, and drunkenness. The works of the flesh are not limited to the outward actions that we commit, but also include the inward attitudes of our hearts (Matthew 5:27-28).

The list is formidable, with a checkbox adjacent to each item, and throughout our lives, each one is marked off.

The reason I started with Galatians 1:11-12 is because the response to the dreadful works of the flesh in our lives is the Gospel, and it is important that the gospel we turn to is not something procured by a philosophical argument, but by the revelation of Jesus. The Greek word for “revelation” is “apokalupsis” (ἀποκάλυψις), which means “unveiling,” “disclosure,” or “manifestation.” It refers to the act of revealing something that was previously hidden or unknown. What is encouraging for us is that this uncovering of our predicament allows a response to grace, forgiveness and mercy allowing God’s kindness to flood our lives and help us begin living with values and character traits that are eternal and will never be stripped away. The contrast to the odious works of the flesh and the fruit of the Spirit listed in Galatians 5:22-23 is breathtaking.

It’s worth pausing to think on this, the works of the flesh are temporal. When you die, so do they but the fruit of the Spirit, the character of God embedded in your spirit is eternal. The “fruit” of the Spirit is a singular noun, indicating that these characteristics are interconnected and grow together in a person – they are the result or outcome of the Holy Spirit’s work in your life.

Character & fruit

The fruit are not mere external behaviours, but inward attitudes that flow from a heart surrendered to God and demonstrate a rich transformation of character that reflects the likeness of Christ. There is no law against the fruit of the Spirit – and no wonder, such beauty should exist eternally!

In Christ, we find love pure and true,
Joy and peace that constantly renew,
Patience and kindness, ever so bright,
Goodness and faithfulness shining with light,
Gentleness and self-control, guiding us right. (Galatians 5:22-23)

Living for God requires His help, and we remain dependent on Him, which will continue to be true for all eternity.

The war between the flesh and the Spirit is not just a battle of willpower, but a battle of surrender. In Romans 6:12-13, Paul writes, “Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions. Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life and your members to God as instruments for righteousness.” We have a choice in the matter. We have to surrender one way or the other — we can choose to surrender ourselves to the passions of the flesh — or we can choose to surrender ourselves to God and allow the Spirit to work in us (Romans 6:12-13).

Lifelong battle

The ebb and flow of the battle is like the story of Moses in Exodus 17:11 but little by little as we keep in step with the Spirit, we overcome.

It’s not a battle of “mind over matter”, but one where we proactively and intentionally set our minds on things above, not on earthly things. for we died, and our life is now hidden with Christ in God. We need to willingly and without hesitation, cooporate with the power of the Holy Spirit to overcome the works of the flesh and produce the fruit of the Spirit in our lives (Galatians 5:16).

It’s a long, lengthy battle that we will face as long as we live in this world. It’s a battle between our natural sinful nature and the work of God in us. One leads ultimately to death and destruction and the other leads to life and growth in Christ.

What about moments of crisis in our conflict? Help is at hand! In addition to relying on the Holy Spirit, it’s also important to surround ourselves with our friends and family the church!

We can gather together with fellow believers, providing mutual encouragement and accountability in our journey with God fully convinced by Hebrews 10:24-25 which encourages us to “consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.”

Being a part of such an absolutely brilliant and inspiring community of believers, where the gospel is powerfully proclaimed and God is passionately worshipped with wonder and enthusiasm, and where the gifts of the Spirit flow like a mighty river, provides invaluable support and guidance as we courageously navigate through the intense struggles of the flesh-spirit war.

Casualties?

As with war, there will always be casualties and it’s also important to remember we are not perfect, and we will stumble and fall at times, but… remember God is gracious and forgiving, and He will always welcome us back with open arms when we repent and turn back to Him. (1 John 1:9) Let’s remember, any work of the flesh in our lives (and it will happen time and time again.) is easily and quickly resolved in repentance and asserting faith in the forgiveness of God.

The hardest and most difficult thing about sin, or recurrent sin sometimes is not asking God to forgive, or having a resolution to turn away from sin but the earnest acknowledgment that in the words of the great hymn, “The vilest offender who truly believes, that moment from Jesus a pardon receives!”

Am I forgiven, have I reached a point of no return? Have I exhausted His love and forgiveness? Good questions but go back to our opening verse: “I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that the gospel I preached is not of human origin. I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it; rather, I received it by revelation from Jesus Christ.” (Gal 1:11-12)

This gospel is a gospel that saves, delivers, protects and brings life and liberty.

It’s a worn phrase now but worth saying again, “There is nothing we can do to make God love us more and absolutely nothing to make Him love us less.”

Here is love, vast as the ocean, loving kindness as a flood… Let the fruit of the Spirit bloom in your life and watch Christ’s glory shine through.

Discerning the Truth: Navigating the Prophetic Ministry with Care

Predictions without any outcomes

From my perspective, the prophetic ministry has been experiencing a bit of a glitch in recent years. It is controversial, but much of what we have heard and seen (especially in America) has taken on a style of ‘pep-talk’ or nice encouragement rather than revelation. Some have even gone as far as to make their stance on the prophetic ministry to be long lists of predictions. Much of this has also been predictions without any outcomes. By that I mean there are predictions of events and deaths, but nothing indicating anything that God is as actually doing or saying, or what is required of us as a reflection on or about those events – no sense of urgency…

Discern the truth

As believers, we are called to discern the truth of God’s Word and distinguish it from the opinions and ideas of man which is absolutely crucial in the prophetic ministry where the potential for deception and false teachings can be high. The prophetic ministry can bring considerable encouragement and edification to the body of Christ, but it is vital that it remains grounded in the truth of God’s Word and uses discernment when evaluating the messages that have been received or proclaimed.

Pointing to Christ

One key aspect of much needed discernment in the prophetic ministry is distinguishing between personal opinions and divine revelation. God’s Word is the ultimate and only source of truth, and any prophetic message that contradicts or goes beyond what is revealed in scripture should be carefully examined and viewed with suspicion. We do well to raise the question as to does the message align with the character of God as revealed in the Bible? Does it exalt Christ and direct people towards Him? There, of course, can be things that are shared that seem off, but those moments can sometimes be that what was said, could have been said better, rather than being anything more untoward.

Good, healthy and heavy fruit?

Another crucial aspect of discernment is weighing the fruit of a prophetic message. We must look beyond the surface and examine the effects it produces in the lives of those who receive it. Does the message produce lasting transformation and a deeper relationship with God, or does it merely offer temporary comfort and emotional highs? We must also examine the character and motives of those giving the message to ensure they are not seeking personal gain or attention. This can be done by observing their fruit over time, looking at their track record of accuracy and humility. That is easily done if that ministry or gifting is expressed by someone in the local church, it can be more difficult when it is someone visiting the Church.

While not all prophetic messages will be perfectly accurate or complete, this does not mean that we should accept any message uncritically. We should approach every message with an open heart and mind, but also with a high regard for scripture and a commitment to seek the truth of God’s Word in any application. It is important to weigh prophetic messages against the entirety of Scripture, rather than isolated verses or passages to ensure they align with God’s character and revealed will. Context is everything!

Elephants!

It’s also important to mention the elephant in the room, that the prophetic ministry is a calling from God, not the result of an ‘activation’ or frequent use of the gift of prophecy and should be approached with humility and a deep reverence for His holiness. It is not a platform for self-promotion or personal gain, but a sacred responsibility to be stewards of God’s message to His people. That doesn’t stop anyone from stepping out frequently in the gift of prophecy, in fact the bible urges us to, “eagerly desire the gifts, especially prophecy.” The gift of prophecy draws on encouragement, exhortation and building people up – its main resource in doing that is by pointing people unambiguously to Christ. Reminding, informing and refreshing the heart of the believer to trust in Christ and not be spooked like a horse in the face of adversity or difficulty.

Growing in God

To cultivate discernment in the prophetic ministry, we can study the Scriptures, grow in our relationship with God, seek guidance from mature believers and practice humility. It is a slow, deliberate but essential process. The potential for deception and false teachings in the prophetic ministry is something we avoid better by evaluating the message and the messenger with discernment and by asking ourselves if they align with the character of God as revealed in the Bible and if it exalts or glorifies the Lord.

In short, in these difficult days, our role in the prophetic ministry is to bring encouragement and hope while remaining focused on the gospel message and the mission of the Church, which is to make disciples of all nations. We must challenge ourselves and others to be faithful stewards of the prophetic message and use discernment in all that we do.

It is revelation, not platitude that causes the unbeliever to exclaim that, “God is with you!” because the secrets of their heart have been thrown open!