The Troublemaker Within Us - Part 2

Welcome to the In Touch Podcast with Charles Stanley for Wednesday, October 4th. How can believers overcome powerful temptations such as anger, pride, materialism, or lust? Today's podcast helps uncover what Scripture says about gaining victory over the troublemaker within us. I want you to turn, if you will, to Galatians chapter five. Galatians chapter five, the apostle Paul has been talking about the freedom that we have in our life once we trust the Lord Jesus Christ as our personal Savior. And so one of the things he says in this thirteenth verse, he gives a little warning of this fifth chapter. He says, For you were called to freedom, brethren, only do not turn your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. Then beginning in verse sixteen, he says, But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desires of the flesh. For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh.

For these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, outburst of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, Indian drunkenness, carousing, and things like these of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control against such things, there is no law. Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live with the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit.

Now, let's look at it this way. It's the heart at the heart of every single sin you and I commit. Whenever we commit any kind of sin, what we've said is we have decided to yield to the flesh.

We have chosen to get in the position that is hostility toward God. Now, I'm not saying that God is all upset and angry and going to throw you in the fire. I'm not saying that. I'm simply saying this.

He knows if you follow that path, you're going to be in trouble. Watch this. And when somebody says, well, it's just natural. Right. And the Bible says the natural man receiveth not the things of God. Watch this.

Because something is natural and it feels right and feels good, because something seems to be, you know, well, that's just human, that does not mean it's right. Listen to what he says. Because what he does, he divides, he divides, now watch this carefully. He divides the work that is the work of the flesh in us in three different categories.

And the first category, listen to, watch this, turn if you will now to verse nineteen. First category are sensual sins. Sensual sins.

Listen to what he says. Now, this is the way the flesh operates in people's lives. Look, he says, immorality, impurity, sensuality, that is, all kind of lustful appetites. And notice, there's nothing wrong with eating. But there's such a thing as gluttony. There's nothing wrong with sex within the bounds that God has given us. There's nothing wrong, listen, with power when submitted to the living God. So you and I can take every single appetite or desire that we have and as long as it is subdued and brought under subjection to the Holy Spirit in our life, there's nothing wrong with those things. It's when they get out of control.

Now watch this. So he says the first set of sins here are those sensual sins. Then he says the second are superstitious sins. Look, idolatry and sorcery. Now somebody says, well, listen, those are the things I may be guilty of once in a while, but never idolatry. I don't have any images in my house. They're not wood.

They're not stone. Not any of those things. So count me out on idolatry. No, count you in. How do I count you in?

Simply this. Because idolatry is anything, whether it is a person, whether it is something you own, whether it is yourself, your self-image, or whether it's your children, whatever it is. Whatever, listen, stands between you and the living God. Whatever you place above the living God in your life is an act of idolatry and its hostility toward God. It is of the flesh. Idolatry is anything that you place before the living God in your life. Then if you'll notice, he says, sorcery. What does that mean?

Witchcraft, all kinds of occult, all the occult business, all the witchcraft, all of that is absolutely flesh in the eyes of God. And then there are those social sins, the things that relate to other people. Look at this. He says, for example, he says, now there is enmities, deep hatred toward other people that looks to express itself. Strife is one of the ways enmity expresses itself. Jealousy is an act of the flesh. Somebody says, well, but you just don't understand.

I don't have to understand. Jealousy is the work of the flesh. How do I know that?

Because here's what he says. The deeds of the flesh are jealousy, outburst of anger. Somebody says, well, now I have a temper. That's the way God made me.

No, he didn't. God did not make you with a temper. You developed it.

You know how you developed it? Out of self-centeredness and selfishness. That is the heart and the root of a temper. I don't have my way and I get my way.

I'm going to express myself. That's just pure flesh. When you say as you fly off the handle, you flew right out of the Spirit right into the flesh. Because you're living in the flesh when you fly off the handle.

Outburst of anger. Then he says, disputes, dissensions, factions. And you see, all of that's flesh. All of that stuff is flesh.

It does not fit who we are as children of God. Now listen. Then he says, envying. Now you say, well, does that mean that I'm not to desire anything?

No. The only way progress is ever made in life is somebody has a desire to build a bridge. Somebody has a desire to build a computer.

Somebody has a desire to fly. So we have many, many wonderful, wonderful things because of desires. Nothing wrong with desire, but what's the difference between desire and envy?

Here's the difference. I may desire that and be nothing wrong with having that. But when I desire yours and I want what you have, then all of a sudden I've gone from spirit to flesh. We never have a right to desire what somebody else has.

Something like they have, fine, but not what they have. And then if you'll notice, he says the flesh is also expressed in drunkenness. Let me ask you a question. How can you justify drinking? You know what he says? He says drunkenness is flesh. Where does that start? It doesn't start with a filth.

It starts with a taste. And my friend, what you do when you start to drink, you're choosing a dangerous pathway. Drunkenness is of the flesh, is of the devil, and it's sin, any way you name it.

I don't care what kind of label you put on it. You say, well, I just do it for this reason, that or the other. Why do you do it? Don't you know that God can satisfy any hunger of your heart? Whatever is motivating you to think that you've got to have a drink over here so you have a little peace and quietness, that's the flesh.

Look, you cannot have peace and quietness and contentment in your life without Christ. And this is why people take one drink, keep drinking. Why?

Because they're still looking for it. Maybe a little bit more will help, won't help. Then he says carousing. Now, you know what carousing is?

That's just act natural, just do your thing, just have a big time. And you think we Christians can't have a big time without carousing? Yes, we can. You see, none of those things fit who we are. It doesn't mean that we are less than anybody else. We're the sons and daughters of the living God.

We have God living on the inside of us. We're not perfect. We are so imperfect. We have our weaknesses, our frailties. We sin against God. We confess it. We repent of it.

We move on because we don't want that in our life. Do we have those tendencies? Yes.

Will we always have them? Yes. Do we have to yield to them?

No. Unless we choose to. You can't ever say, well, the devil made me do it.

He can't make you do anything as a child of God. We sin. We get in the flesh because, listen, we're tempted by something and we choose to yield. We don't have to. You say, well, do you ever reach a stage you don't?

It's not going to happen. As long as we're in these fleshly bodies of ours, we're going to hit those moments of weakness and frailty and we're going to yield. The difference is we deal with it.

We know it doesn't fit us. We step out of that back into the Holy Spirit. So how long does it take you to get from the Spirit to the flesh? Well, it takes you just a thought if you choose to follow that thought.

How long does it take you to get from the flesh back in the Spirit? Father, thank you for showing me that was not right. Forgive me of my sin. I truly repent of that, God.

You're on. God isn't going to say because you sinned, well, well, well, well. Now let's stir that up and you've got to just feel bad enough and have enough pity party and you've got to wallow in that long enough till I think you deserve to be forgiven. You know why I know that I'm instantaneously forgiven? The cross.

He took our sin dead and full once and for all at the cross. I don't have to wallow around in sin rather to step back into relationship with God because He says the blood of Jesus Christ, His Son, is continually cleansing us from all sin. So what I want you to see here as you look at these, you say, well, now I don't see my particular sin in there.

You keep looking. You'll find that it isn't a matter of whether it's in there or not, it's a matter of whether you're willing to be honest about it or not. Because most anything that you and I would commit, for example, somebody says, well, it doesn't say anything about gossip. Oh, yes it does. It says something about disputes and dissension and factions. And besides, if you want a fuller list, go to Romans chapter one.

Now we don't have time to do that. It's a long list of the flesh. What I want you to see is what he's saying is he says, now this is the way it expresses itself. Now, now let's talk about the deceptive part of it. Somebody says, well, now, you know, I do a lot of good deeds. People know I do good deeds. They appreciate my good deeds.

You say, how could I perform good deeds and be in the flesh? Here's the reason. Because you're doing them because you want approval.

You're not doing them because you love somebody. You want approval. You like that. And so you work because you want approval. You want acceptance.

You want people to look up to you. You can even sacrificially serve God. Pay the price. Serve God and be in the flesh. Well, how in the world could you serve God and be in the flesh?

Well, that's real easy. Because you want promotion. So you sacrifice. You work hard. You want promotion. You want acceptance. You want people's applause and that praise.

That is pure flesh. And you know what? You get no reward because you have it. Somebody says, well, now, I give a lot to the Lord's work.

Well, wonderful. May you keep on giving. What's your motivation? You tell people how much you give. You just lost your reward.

That's flesh. You can do good deeds by the Spirit. You get rewarded. You can sacrifice the Lord's work. You get rewarded.

You can give large sums of money or small sums and get rewarded. Whenever my motivation is other than because I love God, because I love the person I may be serving, because I love to give and because I'm going to have a generous spirit, if it's anything else than that, it's pure flesh. That is the deceptiveness of it that some people think, well, surely God's going to reward me when the reason they're doing it is absolutely, totally of the flesh. Because the truth is, self is at the heart of all flesh. Now, here's the big question.

The big question is this. How do I deal with this big troublemaker on the inside of me who is always in conflict with the Holy Spirit? Look, if you will, in this fifth chapter and the sixteenth verse. Here is a promise from God. But I say, Paul says, walk by the Spirit, that is, follow His direction, His promptings, His leadership, and you will not carry out the desires of the flesh. And notice what he says and what he doesn't say. Are you listening?

Say amen. He says you will not carry out the desires of the flesh. He did not say you wouldn't have bad thoughts. He didn't say you wouldn't be tempted. He didn't say that. He said, when you and I walking by the Spirit, when these things hit us, we will not fulfill them.

We'll not carry them out. You can't keep something from hitting your mind. You can determine how long it stays in there and what you do with it.

You can determine that. So notice what he says now. Watch this. But I say, walk by the Spirit, that is, follow His direction, His promptings, you'll not carry out the desires of the flesh. What do I mean by promptings?

Now watch this. Here's what I mean by a prompting. Let's say that I'm heading in some direction and I'm getting ready to make a decision about which way I'm going and I just say, Lord, I just need some help here. And he gives you a little prompting. And then what do I do? I ignore the prompting and choose my reason. You know what I do?

Take the wrong turn every time. That's just one simple illustration. What I want you to see is this. He is so interested in your personal life, He will prompt you about many things, not just some big temptation, but the promptings of the Spirit. Now, with that in mind, I want to give you three words. If you will jot down these three words and if you will understand how simple but how profound and how meaningful and powerful they are, you will find your Christian life taking on a whole different perspective. And what you'll find is that you'll find less defeat, fewer defeats. You'll find more peace, more contentment, more success, more joy, more self-control in your life than you've ever experienced so that the Christian life's no longer a burden. It becomes a buoyance in your life that lifts you up every day. Three words.

Are you ready? Number one, persuaded. What do I mean by persuaded? You have to be absolutely persuaded. You cannot live the Christian life in your own strength. Once you start doing it in your strength, you're gone.

Persuaded. Persuaded that I cannot live the Christian life myself. I can't do it. I don't have the strength to face that kind of temptation. I can't do it.

He says I can't. Now I'm coming to the place I realize I can't. You say, well, I think I can handle it.

Then you know what? Your flesh will present you with something you cannot handle. This is why people come to counsel us and this is why they come to Paris to say, I never would have believed it of myself.

I never would have, I never thought I'd do, I just can't believe I would do that. Sure you can. Anything you try to do in your strength, you're going to blow it. Not going to work. You've got to be fully persuaded that you cannot in your strength live the Christian life. The second word is a tough one. Surrender. Surrender what? Surrender your mind, your will, your emotion, your conscience, your consciousness, your body, your soul, your spirit. Surrender yourself to the Holy Spirit.

You say, well, how do I do that? Let me tell you how you don't do it. You don't run down some church aisle and say, I just want to yield everything.

No. If you want to yield everything, this is the way you yield everything. And it takes courage. You have to say to the Spirit of God, Holy Spirit, reveal to me every aspect of my life. Show me my areas of weaknesses and my frailties. Because I want to yield every aspect of me. I yield my mind to you to think your thoughts. I yield my will to you because I want to do your will. I yield my body to you.

Every aspect of it. My eyes what I look at. My ears what I hear. My lips what I speak. Every aspect of my body is yours to guide, to control, to discipline any way you see fit. I want to walk and to live in absolute submission to your will. Now what will make all of that happen?

One thing. The third word is trust. I've got to believe that He will do exactly what He says He will do. Listen to what He says. Walk by the Spirit. Submit it all to Him. Fully persuaded that only He can do it.

You will not carry out the desires of the flesh. Now watch this carefully. You say, did I just do that once?

No. You do it today. And it's a wise thing every morning to wake up and just say to Him, Father, today, I'm totally yours. I can't live the Christian life today. I can't do the things that I'm facing today. Because is it not true that there are things in your life that you feel inadequate?

What do you do? You kind of, oh, God, I can't handle this, Lord, if you don't help me today, it's going to blow it bad. You know what He wants you to say?

You can't do anything very well apart from Him. The truth is, listen, think about this. Here's Almighty God who is willing to live out in your life every single day what is necessary in order for you to become the person you ought to be and to accomplish the work that God has set up for you to accomplish in your life. And it's yours for the asking. And all you have to do is to make that decision. Will you ever fail again?

Yes. But now you're going to know the difference. And you know what? You'll never be satisfied hanging around and lounging around in the flesh once you have decided and once you have experienced what it means to walk in the Spirit. Thank you for listening to Part 2 of The Troublemaker Within Us. If you'd like to know more about Charles Stanley or In Touch Ministries, stop by intouch.org. This podcast is a presentation of In Touch Ministries, Atlanta, Georgia.