When the Spirit Takes Control
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. (Galatians 5:22-23 NASB)
Good news! You don’t have to serve our old master, sin, any longer! By the Spirit‘s filling, evidences of our new nature emerge.
So what occurs? What, for example, is produced when the Spirit is in full control? Paul answers that question directly in the verses above. And that is just a brief sampling of what He produces within us. Magnificent thought! By turning the controls of our life over to Him who lives within, we begin to model the life Christ modeled when He lived and walked on earth. When that happens, the transformation process kicks in.
We can produce the things of the flesh by setting our mind on such or we can produce the things of the Spirit by giving Him control of our life. It’s that simple. We become the followers of whichever master we choose to obey. That is precisely what Paul wrote to the first-century Christians in Rome:
Don’t you realize that you become the slave of whatever you choose to obey? You can be a slave to sin, which leads to death, or you can choose to obey God, which leads to righteous living. (Romans 6:16)
Living under the control of our flesh is a deathlike existence. We are miserable, feel guilty and ashamed, and the emptiness within is worse than bad. But when we are operating under the dominating influence of the Spirit, “the things of the Spirit” are reproduced in us and through us.
And what are some of them? Romans 8 leaves us with quite a list.
- Life and peace. (See Romans 8:6)
- Absence of fear and closeness to God. (See Romans 8:15)
- Inner assurance . . . doubts gone! (See Romans 8:16-17)
- Inner awareness that “all things” are working together for good and God’s glory.
And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. (Romans 8:28 NASB)
The longer you walk under the Spirit’s control, the more evident these influences will be in your life.
Taken from Flying Closer to the Flame by Charles R. Swindoll. Copyright © 1993 by Charles R. Swindoll, Inc. All rights reserved worldwide. Deepen your intimacy with the living God by reading Embraced by the Spirit, an updated release of Flying Closer to the Flame.
