Galatians 5:16

But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh.

I have two “nephews” of the ages six and three. When I am around them, I am never sure the best way to act whenever I do not want them to do something. On the one hand, I feel it is important for them to beware of the danger or to know that it really is not appropriate to be doing such a thing. However, I am also afraid that if they have not thought about doing it already, then my warning will give them ideas that they would not have otherwise. By telling them what not to do, I bring their focus on to the thing I want them to avoid. And if their mind gets latched on the idea, the battle is probably already lost.

As Christians we can find ourselves in a similar conundrum. Many times we focus on what we are not supposed to do. The problem with that is two-fold. The first is that we now have turned our focus to that action. If we continually repeat, “Do not do such and such,” then our minds are constantly coming back to that idea, and when the wander, it generally is not far from the thing we are telling ourselves to do. The other is that we are not filling our mind with other things. The easiest way to forget about something, whether it be pain, temptation, stress, or anything, is to put our attention somewhere else.

The most effective place to put our attention is on the spiritual. In the surrounding verses, Paul tells the Galatians that the spirit and the flesh are diametrically opposed. This is our key to victory! We do not have to focus on not doing sin, but instead we can be proactive. We can make it our goal to be spiritual. We can learn to be better in love, joy, and all of the other fruits of the spirit (5:22-23). We can spend time with God in prayer and Bible study. We can associate with other Christians. And here is the best part: if we grow in the Spirit and walk in His paths, we will by nature avoid the deeds of the flesh. Since they cannot co-exist, if we have the Spirit we will remove the flesh with its passions and desires from our lives. Next time when you are faced with temptation, instead of focusing on what you are not allowed to do, focus on becoming closer to the Lord and the battle will be yours!

But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh.