I am blessed in that one of the schools I attended was a great little Bible College in the South. It is know for training missionaries. They also had something called "Total Life Training." Everything from waking up each day at 6:15 AM for devotions to regulations on clothing was part of the "training." Levies were not allowed for classes and young ladies were not to wear tight fitting or revealing clothing.
One Saturday I went to the local mall to pick up a few things and I noticed two groups of guys. One from the local University and the other from my school. A few attractive girls walked by wearing tight fitting pants. The group from the University hardly noticed while the group from my school all nearly got whip lash from turning their heads so fast.
Legalism, the law, does not teach you how to handle your sinful desires, or any desires at all. You can make all kinds of rules and do all types of "spiritual" activities and yet have no clue how to handle you desires. Especially since we live in a world that simply says the desire to procreate is an animal instinct so base that any attempt to deal with it is futile. The Bible declares,
"So, I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. 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. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under law." Galatians 5:16-18
Do you know that there is a real "conflict" for your very soul? We each have two natures, one of the flesh and the other of the Spirit. It's funny when cartoons, TV shows and movies picture an angel and a little devil on someones shoulders battling it out for control of someones mind and decisions. The world wants to make light of it because they want to deny that God has given us each a conscience and that we CAN choose. But, the truth is that when we live by the Spirit we can choose to do the right thing, to love others as we love ourselves. God will provide the strength when you need it and the way when you struggle to find it.
Father, help me to live by the Spirit and not gratify those sinful desires. Help me to gratify the Spirit by serving others. Praise be to you in us today!
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