Spirit-filled versus Flesh-filled

Fruit of the Spirit....... Spirit works within you

Galatians 5:21-23

The VERY FIRST Fruit of the Spirit is: LOVE and then followed by:
2. joy
3. peace
4. patience
5. kindness
6. goodness
7. faithfulness
8. gentleness
9. self-control.
Against such things there is no law. (See verse Gal 5:18: If you are led by the Spirit, you are not under law.)

1 Timothy 1:16 But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display His unlimited patience as an example for those who would believe on Him and receive eternal life.

Flesh-filled means "If we do not yield and honor the Holy Spirit, our lives will not show forth the blessed fruits of the Spirit!" Biblically, as a Christian, I should be submitted to, be modified and be conditioned by the Holy Spirit. If I yield under the world's pressure, this tells me that I am are too weak spiritually to resist. Can we trust the Holy Spirit to convict of sin, to reveal Christ, to open our minds to understand spiritual truth? If He doesn't do it, it doesn't get done despite all our efforts.

No matter "how serious" a sin appear to be,the final decision is God's, NOT ours when we judge brothers/sisters in Christ. Some Christians often forget or do not know what Spirit-filled really means nor know how to practice Spirit-filled virtues. In Ephesians 5:18 where the present tense of the verb in Greek means: "Keep on being filled with the Spirit" which is outlined in Galatians 5:22-23 "The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control."

When a Christian who is saved by the conviction of the Holy Spirit, this Christian is living in a new Creature with holy conscience rather than sinful conscience. Every Christian must decide whether they will us their liberty to decide on their moral decisions. We are free, but our freedom must prove a source of real temptation of this world. We are free from the chains of sin because by grace we are saved by Christ that we are forgiven. Grace is we live in the Spirit AND also walk in the Spirit. The Holy Spirit dwells in us with all the power and gifts of God, necessary to enable us to walk the noble, spiritual, Son-like life with God. We all have to come to the understanding that while God wants us to be Spirit-filled that God's loving desire that we should reflect His own holiness and goodness.

Facing Temptations: (Read Romans 7 and Galatians 5)


EVERYONE FACES temptations and everyone is different which is why I hate when people focus on "specific sinful acts" when "we, ourselves" are just as bad as they are. One of Tozer quotes actually gave me a "lightbulb" when I tried to discern the difference between "sinners" and "sinful acts". "A pharisee is hard on others and easy on himself, but a spiritual man is easy on others and hard on himself" (A.W. Tozer). We should be judging ourselves rather judging others. This is where we should have a serious responsibility in this matter to search in our hearts about our motives when we try to glorify God. Paul said, "But if we judged ourselves, we would not come under judgment" (1 Corinthians 11:31). We can escape the critical judgment of God by doing our own exercising of critical self-judgment. The only proper attitude for a Christian is humble self-distrust by saying: "I am ignorant," and "I am willing to be taught, even when I am wrong and I am willing to be corrected." It is better to judge ourselves before somebody else does it because the criticism of others is not always accurate but God sometimes WILL criticizes us through other people (believers and unbelievers). "Each one should test his own actions. . . ."(Galatians 6:4a). A person's HEART. Please read the Scriptures and research on the topic of the "heart". Even Jesus spoke the issues of a person's heart. One great example is this verse: Matthew 5:28 "But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart."

Worst case scenerio, fear of something would happen is always often in everyone's mind. We are to "Watch and pray that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak."--Matt. 26:41. Biblically, Christians are no longer "in the flesh": "You are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him" (Rom 8:9). "If Christ is in us, though the body is dead because of sin, yet the spirit is alive because of righteousness" (Romans 8:10). Through the Sword of the Spirit, we have the power to overcome any temptations and evil that we face in this world. The key to holiness is submitting to the Spirit's control in daily life that will enable us to overcome the human nature and live through grace's sufficiency.

We all face temptations and we should be dealing with our OWN temptations. “O LORD, You have searched me and known me. You know when I sit down and when I rise up; You do scrutinize my path and my lying down, and are intimately acquainted with all my ways” (Psalm 139:1-3). The heart is where God meets us because that is where we make our decisions. Our hearts are where our desires and motives are located. It is important to understand that our hearts is the state of our "flesh". Our flesh search for pleasure, pride, passions and selfish motives. The heart is the source of our emotions, thoughts and motives. Sin by accident as part of our sinful nature: Those who are in Christ Romans 7:18 I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. Galatians 5:17 For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want.

Jesus Christ cleaned our sins and all God wants us to do is be Christ-like. If we give our hearts to God, then we will know what is sinful and what is not sinful. During our struggles with the flesh and facing temptations, I have to learn that we should not be looking at my own inadequacies because obviously, they will always be there. I just need to be looking at my adequacy of GRACE in the Holy Spirit, which will always be in me.

Being FILLED............................................


Matthew 9:8 "filled with awe"
Matthew 17:23 "filled with grief"
Matthew 28:8 "filled with joy"
Mark 1:41 "Filled with compassion"
Luke 1:15 "filled with the Holy Spirit"
Luke 2:40 "filled with wisdom"
Acts 2:4 "filled with the Holy Spirit"
Acts 3:10 "filled with wonder and amazement"
Acts 5:17 "filled with jealousy"
Romans 1:29 "filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity"
Ephesians 5:18 "be filled with the Spirit"
Philippians 1:11 "filled with the fruit of righteousness"
1 Peter 1:8 "filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy"

Do we not know what Spirit-filled really means nor we know how to practice Spirit-filled virtues? Have we have learned that it is God's will to submit to the Holy Spirit and keep on filling us (Ephesians 5:18)?

In Ephesians 5:18 where the present tense of the verb in Greek means: "Keep on being filled with the Spirit." Being filled with the Holy Spirit means we are to refrain from using our rights and privileges we are entitled to by God's grace because we desire to do God's will out of love and obedience as if we are after God's own heart. If the people are submitting to the Holy Spirit, who will give them fruit. Let the Holy Spirit do what He will through you. Spirit-lead is outlined in Galatians 5:22-23 "The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control." We are spiritual with spiritual attitudes of our hearts. If the people are submitting to the Holy Spirit, who will give them fruit. Let the Holy Spirit do what He will through you. Christians are no longer "in the flesh": "You are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him" (Rom 8:9). The Greek word for "dwells" is okv (oike), which means "I inhabit." "If Christ is in us, though the body is dead because of sin, yet the spirit is alive because of righteousness" (Romans 8:10).

"My temorary body is decaying at the same time, my inner being is being renewed day by day" (2 Cor 4:16). It is God's will that we submit to the Holy Spirit and keep on filling (Ephesians 5:18). Like an athlete when training, we should always keep drinking water so that we won't be dehydrated and feeling weak. With that thought in mind, we should always keep filling the Holy Spirit so that we are able to act and react any given situations. "My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness." (2 Cor. 12:9).