Galatians 5:16 (NIV)
“So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.”
There’s a tension in the Christian life that doesn’t go away. Paul lays it out plainly here. It’s the pull of the flesh versus the leading of the Spirit.
The contrast is sharp. One produces a list of destructive patterns. The other produces something entirely different—what Paul calls “fruit.” That word matters, because a tree produces the type of fruit that it is supposed to according to its type. A pear tree produces pears, not apples. If we are now God’s, we’ll produce God-type stuff.
And that brings everything back to the opening command: walk by the Spirit. If that’s happening, the outcome follows.
But then Paul raises the stakes. He says those who belong to Christ have “crucified the flesh.” That’s not mild language. It’s not about managing bad habits or trying harder. It’s about a decisive break—treating those old desires as something that no longer has authority.
That’s where this gets practical. It’s easy to say, “I want the fruit of the Spirit in my life.” It’s harder when the moment comes, when impatience, pride, or selfishness shows up and demands to be followed. That’s the exact point where this passage is meant to impact us.
Walking by the Spirit isn’t abstract. It’s a choice, over and over again, to follow His leading instead of defaulting to old instincts. You can’t serve both. One will win in each decision.
So the question today isn’t just what you believe—it’s what you’ll do when that tension shows up. Choose, in that moment, to follow the Spirit—and treat the pull of the flesh as something you no longer obey.