February WOW!

The Tug-of-War

“I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusts against the Spirit and the Spirit against the flesh and these are contrary to one another so that you do not do the things that you wish.”

                                      Galatians 5:6-7

Coffee Hour @ Chicklit Power...

Welcome to Coffee Hour @ Chicklit Power and our second WOW of the year. Oh, how we are in desperate need of these weapons of warfare and words of wisdom to pull us through these constant tug-of-wars we find ourselves in. Grab your coffee and come on in. Let’s look at two verses that used to make me scratch my head in questioning wonder.

As you read these verses, can’t you just visualize this unbelievable tug-of-war? And oh, how thick is the rope so as not to tear. Nope, victory comes from the pulling, tugging, the struggle or even the letting go! I can hear you say, “But if I let go, that means I lose, right?” Not necessarily. Excuse me as I bow my head for some help from The Spirit!

Amen.

Okay. Let’s go: As I began to study these verses, I became a bit overwhelmed by the task and not sure which angle to take, where to start to build the framework. The more I dug, the more I realized I know so little and have so much to learn. For instance, “walking in the Spirit” is in the Bible 42 times! Well, don’t worry; we won’t be walking to and through all 42! We may visit a couple just to clarify this very complicated principle of “walking in the Spirit” so we may set our feet on solid ground and walk with The Helper given to each of us, The Spirit.

And as a point of clarification, I’m not speaking of a ghost, either, as in the movie Ghost, who shows up intermittently and is able to look right into the face of his earthly wife and watch the tears stream down her face as she laments his passing. He reaches for her, almost as if to steady her, as she struggles to take her first steps without him. And when she needs to make her first decisions and choices, without him, he tries to whisper to her. He watches as she senses that he’s there with her, and reaches for him, grappling with reality and a spirit that comes and goes, struggling to let go, fighting to hang on, and how obvious is her desperation for him to come back to her? Oops, this blog isn't about a ghost, but wasn’t that such a sad movie?

No, that’s definitely not the type of spirit I’m referring to, nor is it who or what this Scripture is referring to. The Spirit referenced in our WOW is the promise of The Comforter, our Tour Guide, our Director, our Counselor, our Helper, our Running Partner – oh my goodness. I just discovered that this same Holy Spirit we are going to be talking about, so we can be walking about with Him, has over 3100 names! Whew, I promise, we’re not going to go there either but let me give you just a few! :) They may help you to discern His presence in your life a little easier in the tug-of-wars of life: dove, wind or breath, fire, and here’s a big one: water! Could it be that water/Spirit washes us, cleanses us?

That is a study in and of itself about the Spirit and the symbol of water, but that’s for another blog series! Let’s walk to another reference for “walking in the Spirit.” Get your walking shoes on and come with me to: Romans 8:1 (NKJV)

“There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.”

Before I go any further, let me make one more clarification: when we talk about walking in the Spirit, with the Spirit, it is assumed that the one doing the walking with or in is filled with that same Spirit. In fact, being “filled” and “walking in” the Spirit are used synonymously in the Word. And don’t think I’m talking about someone exhibiting an abundance of “spiritual” kicking and hooting and hollering down the aisles of the sanctuary for attention, as I’ve seen some do! I’m not talking about that kind of “spirit filled.” No, the Spirit with which we are to walk with is the gift given to each of us in exchange for our lives.

Let me leave you with this thought-provoking question: What in your flesh keeps rearing its ugly head or hand to grasp for that rope in a tug-of-war to pull you away from the Spirit who longs to walk with you?

Join me tomorrow as we observe from the front row various tug-of-wars.

Evinda