Hippopotamas or Eagle?

Galatians 5:16 (NLT)
16 So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.

Later in Galatians 5 the apostle explains the desires of the flesh this way -- The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies and the like. The flesh of our souls wants to act against that which is right. Matthew Henry tells us -- The best antidote against the poison of sin is to walk in the Spirit, to be much in conversing with spiritual things, to mind the things of the soul, which is the spiritual part of man, more than those of the body, which is his carnal part, to commit ourselves to the guidance of the word, wherein the Holy Spirit makes known the will of God concerning us, and in the way of our duty to act in a dependence on his aids and influences.

 

 

Carl Sandburg the poet once wrote, ““There is an eagle in me that wants to soar, and there is a hippopotamus in me that wants to wallow in the mud”. I think many of us in our daily lives feel that way. We want to do that which is good and then comes along something that just makes us want to wallow in sin. The Apostle Paul had the right answer for us – we need to walk by the Spirit. We need to allow the Holy Spirit to guide us in our daily lives. We also need to be in a spirit of companionship with The Lord in that we desire to be closer to Him. We do that by reading The Bible, which is God’s word. We also become closer to The Lord through prayer, having a conversation with Him about what is going on in our life and then waiting for His response.

When I saw Sandburg’s quote on eagles there was another quote nearby from another person. It said, “When you soar like an eagle, you attract the hunters.” We also need to remember when we feel like we are on top of the world Satan is right there as our hunter ready to take us down. Again, being close to God, standing firm in your faith, holding on to God’s promises will help hold you away from the temptations that come towards you.

May God bless you, keep you safe, and walk with you daily through your life.