Very often we perceive and think
wrongly that walking in the Spirit is some form of a mysterious act and it is
totally impossible and only few who know this secret are able to do it. What a
great mistaken view! Apostle Paul says if we are hostile to the working of the
Spirit of God, the flesh is continuously hostile to the Spirit and this will be
evident in the works of the Spirit. Plainly it will be manifested in the works
of the flesh, and in our behaviour and it will be very evident to people around
us. Even if we try to hide it beautifully it will become evident and it will be
manifested. The Bible uses the analogy of good tree vs. bad tree. A tree is
known by its fruit and more accurately our actions and deeds reveal who we are.
While the fleshly nature may not be visible every minute, its deeds become
obvious and the inner man is exposed by his or her deeds and words. King James
Bible calls theses deeds as the desire of
the flesh.
It is impossible to be spiritually mature, when one is emotionally
immature, says Peter Scazzero, in his book on emotionally healthy Spirituality. He was a Pastor of a growing
church, and he says we have to stop mind reading on others and clarify
expectations. As we continue to climb the ladder of integrity, it is important
we should develop a rule of life to implement emotionally healthy skills.
We can categorize sins in to the
following 4 categories: sexual sins (sensual sins); religious sins (idolatry
and sorcery). Social sins (interpersonal relationship) and drunkenness. When
some one preaches on lust of the flesh we
immediately think of it as the sexual sins, but that alone is not the sole
manifestation of the depraved flesh. But lust can manifest itself in one of the
above categories. Unfortunately the world clothes sin with such a glamour that
if we are not grounded in the Word of God any one can be deceived in its
glamour. It is important we check from time to time the glamour of sin with
Scripture.
It is important to realize that sin is equated
with smartness and in our blissful unmindedness we failed to realize that sin
can out smart us and push us into a downward spiral which eventually becomes
hard for any one to come out. Sin can come in various forms and can be
concealed in such a way to make it very attractive superficially. By changing
the label or the heading of a book definitely does not change its contents; so
also is sin, in spite of its attractiveness does not reduce the harm for anyone
who plunged into it very often unaware. This sin can lead any one to eternal
ruin and doom which is the truth. Unless we are washed by the penitent precious
blood of Jesus Christ, our souls can be easily tarnished and that will be the
tragedy of tragedies.
In a nut shell when a Christian speaks of
growing in the fruit of the Spirit
that means how Spirit of God works within us in this world, and slowly conform
us to His image. Spirit of God works in
such a way that His purposes for each believer on this earth are carried out
and for future glory. Spirit of God enable a believer to change his or her
character from inside out and they become people of love and begin to bear
fruit. This is like a tree planed in a garden, it has to be nurtured, pruned, weeded,
watered and cared for and when the right time comes it begins to yield its
fruit and the tree is known by its fruit. So also is a life of a believer, and
the residing Spirit of God, some times prunes us, and it may hurt us, but it is
for our good so that we may yield fruit bountifully. Abundant spiritual fruit
brings hope and hope for tomorrow because of Jesus Christ in whom we believe.
Apostle Paul describes the fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5:22,
as deeds of the flesh found in Gal:
5:19-20. the nine fruit of the Spirit are love (agape), joy (chara),
peace(eirene), patience (makrothumia), kindness (chrestotes), goodness (agathosune) faithfulness (pistis)gentleness (prautes), self-control (egkrateia).
The Galatians passage may also be read as listing the other eight as subsets of
the first: love. The Greek words mentioned above can be researched further for
more understanding. Below is a table regarding the works of the flesh or the
deeds of the flesh. One may choose to study the works of the flesh against the
fruit of the Spirit of God, which comes only from God.
|
Greek: eidololatria, pharmakeia, ecthrai, eris, zelos, thumoi, eritheiai, dichostasiai, haireseis, Amplified: Idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, anger (ill temper), selfishness, divisions (dissensions), party spirit (factions, sects with peculiar opinions, heresies), (Amplified Bible - Lockman) Barclay: Idolatry, witchcraft, enmity, strife, jealousy, uncontrolled temper, self-seeking, dissension, heretical division, (Westminster Press) KJV: Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, NLT: idolatry, participation in demonic activities, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, divisions, the feeling that everyone is wrong except those in your own little group, (NLT - Tyndale House) Phillips: worship of false gods, witchcraft, hatred, quarrelling, jealousy, bad temper, rivalry, factions, party-spirit, (Phillips: Touchstone) Weymouth: enmity, strife, jealousy, outbursts of passion, intrigues, dissensions, factions, envyings; Wuest: idolatry, witchcraft, enmities, strife, jealousy, angers, self-seekings, divisions, factions, (Eerdmans) Young's Literal: idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, strifes, emulations, wraths, rivalries, dissensions, sects, |
Galatians 5 Commentary Galatians 5:16-23 ... Galatians 5:19-21 Commentary ... KJV: Idolatry,
witchcraft, hatred, ..
19 Now
the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication,
uncleanness, lasciviousness,20 Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies,
21 Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. Galatians 5:19-23.
When apostle Paul follows the list of
the fruit of the Spirit by saying "against such things there is no law",
he was talking about the fact that the religious authorities and the Hebrew
Torah (law) are generally positive toward a life with these characteristics.
Even a staunch enemy of the church will likely find these qualities appealing.
These are known to be positive characteristics by almost everyone, in most
eras, in most lands. These fruit come from God because they are the way God
is, so wherever God is at work, these fruit are what it's like. As you live
in this fruit-ful way, you're being drawn closer to God and integrated more
into God's purposes. And, as you grow closer to God, you will think, act, and
live more fruit-fully1.
End Notes:
What are the
fruit that the Spirit grows
in you? ... nor rejoice in sin; ... using the Spirit's
gifts to grow the Spirit's fruit,
...
Website References:
... emotional
abuse is even more devastating than physical abuse.
Emotional abuse
tears at a person's self-esteem and can
greatly impair ... Can we pray for ...
Physical and Emotional Abuse. Physical
abuse is just as damaging to young bodies and souls, and
sadly, just as prevalent.
1stholistic.com/Spl_prayers/prayer_for-those-affected-by-violence.htm
Special Prayers,
Prayer for Those Affected by Physical,
Sexual, Political or Emotional Violence. SpecialGifts.com ...
We pray for those who have suffered abuse,
...
Submit your prayer
requests for other Christians to pray for. ... pharmacy and physical
therapy. ... Prayer Request: Emotional Abuse.
Prayers for Relationships
cyberparent.com/abuse
Emotional, verbal, mental, physical abuse,
with abusers and abused in men, women, ... They often turn
into physical abuse. Physical
abuse always escalates.
nationalprayerbank.com/prayer/healing/emotional
... Prayers
for Healing: Emotional | Post prayer requests
... healing from sexual and emotional abuse,
... Please pray for emotional healing and physical
healing.
www.focusonthefamily.com ›
… › Understanding
Emotional Abuse
Is your
church a safe place for victims of emotional abuse
... prayer partners and provide ongoing emotional
and ... Cycle of Physical and Emotional Abuse,
...
But, unlike physical
abuse, the effects of emotional abuse
on mental health are long-term and ... I believe it also took the help of a
Higher power,prayers from ...
Emotional abuse; Physical abuse;
Sexual abuse; Sexual assault/date rape; Other major life
traumas; Integrative Medicine, Whole Person Care. As you’re experiencing a ...
marriagemissions.com/dealing-with-emotional-and-verbal-abuse...
“Emotional
abuse leaves few physical scars. ... He is
putting me through so much abuse and pain. I’m so confused. I pray
to God to please give me guidance, ...
Information
about the impact of emotional abuse on
relationships and on mental health.
ezinearticles.com ›
Relationships
2012-10-29 · The
word enmeshment is often used in the world of psychology,
therapy and in every day relationships. These could be with family, friends and
with intimate ...
Murray
Bowen; 8 Concepts; Triangles; Differentiation of Self; Nuclear
Family Emotional System; Family Projection Process; Multigenerational
Transmission Process
Book
references:
1. Peter
Scazzero. Emotionally Healthy Spirituality.
Thomas Nelson Publishers; 2011.
2. Goldenberg,
I and H. Goldenberg. Family Therapy: An overview, 8th Edition. Pacific
Grove , CA
Other references:
1. Allender, Dan and Tremper Longman III. Intimate Allies. Carol Stream , Illinois
2. Goldenberg, I and H. Goldenberg. Family Therapy: An overview, 8th Edition.Pacific Grove , CA
2. Goldenberg, I and H. Goldenberg. Family Therapy: An overview, 8th Edition.
3. Richardson, R.W. Family
Ties that Bind. Vancouver
4. Thomas Garry. Sacred Marriage, What if God designed
marriage more to make us holy than to make us happy. Toronto :
Harper Collins Canada
5. Mary E.DeMuth. Author of Ordinary Mom, Extraordinary
God, Authentic parenting in a postmodern culture, practical help for shaping
your children’s hearts, minds, and souls. Eugene , Oregon
6. William T. kirwan. Biblical Concepts for Christian Counseling,
A case for integrating Psychology and Theology. Grand Rapids , Michigan
Recommended reading & resources:
7. Dr. Larry Crabb. Effective Biblical Counseling, How caring Christians can become capable
counselors. Grand Rapids ,
Michigan
8. Everett L. Worthington JR. Hope-focused marriage counseling, Author of
forgiving and reconciling, A Guide to brief therapy. Illinois
9. Barkley, Russell & Robin, Arthur. Your Defiant Teen, 10 Steps to resolve conflict and rebuild your relationship. New York
10. David Furlong. Healing
your family patterns, how to access the past to heal the present. London
For further reading:
1. Millard J. Erickson. Christian Theology. Grand Rapids
2. R.T. Kendall. Understanding Theology,
Developing a Healthy Church in the 21st Century. 1996, p. 357-364.
3. Jay E. Adams. A Theology of Christian
Counseling, More than Redemption. Grand Rapids
4. Louis Berkhof. Systematic Theology. Grand
Rapids
5. Robert P Lightner.
Handbook of Evangelical Theology, Historical, Biblical, and Contemporary Survey
and Review. Grand Rapids ,
MI
6. Charles Ryrie. Basic Theology. Chicago
7. A. H. Strong. Systematic
Theology. New Jersey
8. Wayne Grudem. Systematic
Theology, An Introduction to Biblical Doctrine. Grand Rapids
9. Steven W. Waterhouse. Not By Bread Alone, An Outlined Guide
To Bible Doctrine. Amarillo
10.John Theodore Muller, Th.D. Christian
Dogmatics, A handbook of Doctrinal Theology for Pastors, Teachers, and
Laymen. St. Louis ,
Mo
11. Prayers To Move Your Mountains. Nashville
12. John White. Parables, the
Greatest Stories ever Told. Illinois
13. ESV Study Bible. English Standard Version. Crossway Bibles, Wheaton ,
Illinois
14. The Matthew Henry Study Bible.
King James Version. Iowa
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