The Escort

Happy Sunday! Today we are continuing in our study of the Holy Spirit. If you're trying to walk always in the Spirit, you know that there's a tug of war going on in your life. As Christians, there are two natures in us, our old sin nature and our new life in Christ, and both are struggling back and forth for control.

One illustration that helps me understand this comes from a story of a man long ago that owned two wolves, a white one and a black one. He taught the wolves to fight on command. Every Saturday he would go to town, and a crowd would gather, and bets would be placed, and the wolves would fight. One week the white wolf would win, and another week the black wolf would prevail.

And the owner of the wolves always would win money by choosing the winner before the fight. Years later a friend asked him how he always chose the winner. "Simple," he said. "I would starve one and feed the other. The one I fed would always win because he was stronger."

I use that story because if we feed our spiritual lives and allow the Holy Spirit to empower us, he will rule and we will win. However, if we starve our spiritual side and ignore God's word, the flesh will rule. Last week we looked at Ephesians 5 and Galatians 3, and I encourage you to read them if you have not.

Today I want to read to you from Galatians 5, verses 16 to 18. There we are told, "Live by the Spirit, I say, and do not gratify the desires of the flesh. For what the flesh desires is opposed to the Spirit, and what the Spirit desires is opposed to the flesh, for these two are opposed to each other, to prevent you from doing what you want. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not subject to the law."

Here the battle is defined, the tug of war for our souls. Here we are given great words to help us, where when we are told, "Live by the Spirit, I say, and do not gratify the desires of the flesh." Other translations say "walk by the Spirit," or even better, "keep on walking by the Spirit." I like that: keep on walking.

Years ago I wrote to one of my heroes in the faith, and I asked him what specifically I could pray about for him. His response was wise. He said, "Pray that I finish well. Pray that I finish well." He had seen over the years leaders mess up and walk in the flesh for a brief moment and ruin their reputations.

The list recently released by the Southern Baptist Convention is sad proof of this. Many there did not finish well. My friend Tom knew that it was vital to keep on walking in the Spirit.

I want to give you a little walking theology for just a moment. In Ephesians we're told to walk in humility. In Romans we're told to walk in purity, and First Corinthians, walk in contentment, and II Corinthians, walk by faith. Ephesians again tells us to walk in good works and also to walk differently than the unconverted.

Ephesians also tells us to walk in love and walk in light and walk in wisdom. Second Thessalonians tells us to walk separated, in that beautiful walk, separated. Third John tells us to walk in truth. The only way to do any of this is to walk in the Spirit.

My key point last week was to say that the key to the Christian life is to be filled with the Holy Spirit and to walk always in the Spirit. Sadly, the news shows the results of those walking in the flesh. Every day there seems to be another shooting, and politicians are more and more hateful all over the world, not just in our country. Too many people are losing the battle.

We have a problem with evil in our society. As Christians we must win the battle every day. We must walk in the Spirit every day.

I have a birthday coming up in August. I'll be 63. Time flies. I am so looking forward to that birthday, because I hear that it's the age when the devil will give up on me, and I'll no longer have that tug of war going on ever again. Smooth sailing after 63.

Of course, you know I'm joking. We must always be on guard, no matter the age. Sadly, the battle lasts as long as we do in this world.

As we have studied the Holy Spirit over the past several weeks, I better understand the meaning of Galatians 5 18: "But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not subject to the law." What this means is that if you're walking by the Spirit, you're no longer in a situation where you're, where you are controlled externally by fear of the law. The transformation and the work of the Spirit controlled me from the inside. We're no longer under external constraint of the law; we're now under the internal compulsion of the Holy Spirit.

I do not want to kill or steal or commit adultery. I want to please God. The law doesn't scare me, because I'm changed. I want to make God's desires my desires.

We have a battle facing us. If we're going to win this battle, we need to always walk in the Spirit. I live in Atlanta. If you know Atlanta, you know there is traffic, lots of traffic.

Not too long ago I officiated a funeral of a dear friend of mine. He had been a policeman once upon a time, and a coroner, and he was a decorated veteran. Hal was a great man. After his funeral service we headed 30 or 40 miles to the national cemetery.

We took back roads and highways, and there was very little traffic. Why? We had escorts, lots of them, dozens of them. They blocked roads and let us run red lights and stopped vehicles from entering the highway. They were clearing the path all the way to our final destination.

I was driving right behind the hearse, and my job was to follow. If I followed, all would be well, and I would arrive safely at my destination. I could have decided to veer off course, to go on my own, but why would I do that? I had an escort.

All of us do. The Holy Spirit is waiting to escort us every day, and we need to follow.

Pray with me. Father God, we thank you for the Holy Spirit that protects us and guides us, and help us to walk in integrity and in joy and in peace. Father, we have to make the choice to accept your offer of filling our lives, and we have to check that daily. So Father, help us to continually be filled.

Help us to let the escort of the Holy Spirit take us to wonderful places safely. Father, thank you for that gift. In the name of Jesus I pray, amen. God bless.