“Walk in the Spirit, and I will not fulfill the desires of my flesh.” (Galatians 5:16)
What does it mean to walk in the Spirit? How do I put feet to my faith?
One evidence of God’s working in our lives is controlling our thoughts, words, and actions. It involves moderation, constraint, and the strength to say “no” to our fleshly desires and lusts. Our flesh is under the influence of sin. One definition of sin is “filling a legitimate need through illegitimate means.”
For example: often, we fill the need to be loved with food, pleasures, the internet, serving in the church. For years, I attempted to satisfy my need to be loved with food, and you can still see the result of that decision today. Even though today, that void is filled with God’s unconditional love, as you can see from the family photo in my earlier post, I still carry the visible evidence of over-indulgence.
However, one benefit from the lockdown we experienced in March was coming face to face with my addiction to sugar and junk food. I was content with my addiction. I was accepted, and not openly judged, God was using me, I was willing to stay right where I was. I had convinced myself that my life was full because I was doing what I enjoyed. But I also had to admit, in those quiet moments before the Lord, that He had something better for me. There was so much more God wanted me to experience if I was only willing to repent, admit my addiction, and stop eating junk foods. But had I not done this several times in years past?
Every day is fresh and new. With each brand-new day, God offers us new opportunities to please Him. On May 25, I admitted that I needed both motivation and accountability to start exercising again, to stop eating junk food. My journey to victory began.
I cannot remember how many diets I have used and successfully lost weight. On my last attempt, I was within 30 pounds of my goal weight, had not eaten sugar or junk food for two years, daily walked 3-5 miles, and in a moment, it was over. In a moment, with one encounter, I returned to the bondage of my past abuse and slowly began adding pounds. My flesh was delighted with my choice! Sound familiar?
Several years ago, God filled my emptiness with His love; I no longer crave the need to be loved. God also cut the chains of bondage to my past abuse. I was living in freedom, and I rejoiced in that freedom. I was growing, fulfilling my passion for teaching women the Word of God, even to the dream of writing my studies.
It is true, I am disciplined in many areas, and especially in studying God’s Word – time spent alone with Him. But every time I stood in front of a mirror, every time I put something on that just did not fit as comfortably, I was confronted with the evidence of my addiction and feeding my flesh with what it craved. I faced my “weight” every day and told myself it was okay. My weight would not keep me from heaven or from living my dream. My life was full and rich. I was content with my addiction. Except I still walked in front of my fellow believers, carrying with me the evidence of following the dictates of my flesh.
Every other time I faced my food addiction, I had repented, agreeing with God that my food addictions were sin. I asked the Holy Spirit to enable me to resist the temptation of addictive food choices. So what was different this time? Why do I say to you today: My flesh is no longer in charge of what I eat. I will not return to feeding my fears, my cravings, my flesh with food. I no longer hold on to clothes that are too large, quietly thinking if this does not work? No longer, they go into the thrift store box.
Why was I now able to write in my journal on June 2, only nine days from beginning my journey, “I am free from sugar; I no longer crave sugar.”
Time to see how the correct application of Scripture freed me from my fleshly, destructive habit. Let’s begin with Galatians 5:16, “Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.” How many times I have taught this passage of Scripture, but obviously, I was not applying it in my food addiction.
My Missing Link!
Second Peter 1: 5-6, is often called Peter’s ladder of virtues. As I studied this passage, I noticed that knowledge, self-control, and perseverance were linked together. Why? How are they related? God was providing me with building blocks on how to overcome, how to walk in the Spirit, put feet to my faith!
What knowledge had I learned, that if I applied, would change my pattern of failure? I educated myself about my body. I learned about sugars, preservatives, and how they related to my recent “brush” with cancer.
Each morning I began drinking 16 oz. of celery juice (green yuk!). Because I have a strong dislike of celery unless covered in peanut butter or cream cheese, this was a struggle. At first, I was only able to drink 8 oz. but in time I could gulp 16 oz. I have moved from a strong dislike to tolerable. But it helps to know that the taste is only for a moment!
I also purchased a mini trampoline (with a bar) and began jumping. In the beginning, I could only do wh
at are called health jumps – a total of 5. My body screamed….STOP!!!! Because of practicing consistency rather than intensity, I now jump 15 minutes each morning. And this I really, really enjoy, rebounding to praise music every morning!
Now that I have the knowledge, I am to add self-control. When you hear the word self-control, what comes to mind? Some possibilities might be willpower, self-determination, gritting your teeth, and just doing it, or self-discipline.
God has given His children, a Helper that the world cannot have; One who strengthens us, dwells in us – forever – the Holy Spirit. (John 14:15-17)
The word self-control can be misleading if we emphasize “self” deceptively thinking we can control our flesh through willpower and self-determination. Digging into the root of this Greek word helps us to understand God’s truly incredible provision for His children.
This Greek word translated, self-control, speaks to being controlled by an inward strength, an inward force. Where the Spirit does His work, He is to be in control; we are strengthened inwardly by His strength, energy, and lordship. Instead of imposing restraining habits upon our self-life, He invades the very fortress of our self-life. He deals with self’s desires; our natural, fleshly will power. We absolutely cannot control the flesh in our power, not now, not ever! Do not fall into this trap. The only One Who can control the fallen, anti-God energy of the flesh is the Holy Spirit! To be self-controlled (Spirit-controlled) is to live freely in grace, not in bondage to the desires, passions, and appetites of the flesh.
There is a paradox here: to be Spirit-controlled results in being self-controlled. As we walk in the Spirit (Galatians 5:16), He produces in us the ability to control every area of our lives in line with His divine purposes. However, this implies an active responsibility on our part.
We must be enabled, not merely helped. What is the difference? My dictionary tells me that the meaning of help is to give or provide what is necessary to accomplish a task or satisfy a need; to assist; facilitate. The word help implies we have some ability but not enough; we need someone else to supplement our partially adequate skill.
By contrast, enabling means to give power, equip. It implies that we have no ability whatsoever, entirely powerless. But when by faith, we renounce self-sufficiency and embrace reliance on the power of the Holy Spirit, we receive divine empowerment, enablement, and strength to obey our Lord and Savior.
And to all this, I am to add perseverance, endurance. 
What will keep me going in this direction for the rest of my days, never again addicted to food?
It is in finding the “why” that will cause us to be consistent every day, changes I am making today will become life changes. Previously, my why would be, “Isn’t it obvious, I need to lose weight? I’m fat!” “My doctor tells me I need to lose weight.” And the list goes on!
But guess what, those reasons will never break my habit of food addiction. The result of making changes in my diet will be weight loss, more energy, smaller clothes, but from my experience, I will not persevere, hold fast to my new habits.
So back to Scripture. I considered the life of Christ. Repeatedly He said He came to do His Father’s will. Because He loved His Father, He only did what His Father told Him to do. And for what reason: to glorify His Father.
My ‘light bulb moment’!
God created my body. Only He knows what I need to feed my physical body. As I gain knowledge about different foods, about my internal organs, I practice self-control (Spirit-control) based on what I have learned. It is saying “yes” to the Spirit. “Yes” to Christ’s promise of experiencing abundant life, full, rich life every day through every choice I make! It is not saying “no” to certain foods. The key is in the order; do not reverse it. “Yes” to the Spirit, “no” to the habit!
I do not follow a “diet.” I do not say, “no, I can’t have that cookie, those
chips.” I can choose to eat whatever I want to eat, but when I make the choices, my flesh is choosing. When I walk in the Spirit by surrendering my food choices, every day, every meal, every moment of every day, I am walking in obedience, submission to the Spirit within. Surrendering–yielding to the Spirit’s control–results in empowerment. He creates in me the strength to say “no” to my flesh, to the temptation. At that instant, all interest in the temptation, the impulse disappears. The Spirit is in control; my flesh has been subdued. And my Father finds pleasure in my choice and is glorified.
Putting feet to our faith, practicing what we say we believe unleashes the Holy Spirit’s power within. Obedience equals Holy Spirit power! I have received physical, emotional, and spiritual blessings from God as I daily, moment by moment, open my life to the control of the Holy Spirit. Obedience opens the door to God’s purposes for us. He invites us to seize the opportunity.
Jesus walked His earthly life in full surrender and dependence on the Holy Spirit. And why did He choose to walk in the Spirit’s power? Because He loved His Father and His obedience gave His Father great pleasure. I am not making the choices I am to become physically healthy or to lose weight. Those are only the results I experience because of my selections.
I choose to surrender to the Spirit’s control because when I do, I please the Father, and I fulfill His purpose for me. And what is my objective, my purpose, or goal? The same as Jesus had as He journeyed on this earth. He had one resolve to glorify the Father. (John 12:28)
Are you clutching or holding tightly any habits that do not glorify your Father? Surrender to the Spirit’s control – you will be empowered to make choices that please your heavenly Father!