Fruitful Living
HOLY SPIRIT III
So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under law – Galatians 5:16-18.
HOW TO LIVE IN THE SPIRIT
One thing above all distinguishes me from a non-Christian or from myself before I became a Christian: the indwelling life of Christ the Holy Spirit brings to me.
This is not simply an idea. It is a reality. I can know that Christ is my Savior and have perfectly orthodox ideas about Him, but that is different from having His living presence within me. As a Christian I have two natures perfectly united within myself by the working of the Holy Spirit: my human and the living presence of Christ. To live in the Spirit means the living presence of Christ has the authority. To live in the flesh means I have taken over the rule, and Christ does not have freedom to operate in me.
How do I learn to live in the Spirit, to activate the presence of Christ within me? I must take two basic steps.
- First, I must say yes to the Spirit. I must recognize Him and ask for His help. The most natural way to do this is in daily prayer. It seems as if the Holy Spirit thrives on recognition. As I recognize His presence, He makes that presence effectual.
I need to recognize the Holy Spirit day by day, so that He is free to work in me. Then, as I go about the activities of my daily life, I just say, ‘Lord, I’m going through these outward acts, and I am trusting you to work out their eternal dimension. The results both in my inner life and in the lives of the people I touch are up to you.”
One way, then, to release the Spirit within me is simply to recognize Him. Another way, related to the first, is to deal decisively back in its own hands. I simply must not allow the flesh that chance. Paul said, “Live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature” – Galatians 5:16.
Paul didn’t say, ‘Don’t have the desires of the flesh.” Everyone has those desires, and it would be hypocritical to deny it. We are still of the flesh, and there is nothing wrong with the flesh – so long as it is not in the driver’s seat. But we tell the flesh, “No, you cannot have the steering wheel.” Even though we have the desires of the flesh, we don’t have to act them out. And when we say no to the flesh, we free the Spirit to act.
Larry Christenson puts it this way:
I had a disagreement with my wife one morning while we were traveling together in Europe. I was really angry with her. I felt she had been completely off base. We were going to take a train ride, and I was thinking, “If we get a compartment all to ourselves, I am going to really straighten her out.”
As we were riding down the hotel elevator, reedy to check out, I sensed the Holy Spirit saying, “Don’t talk about it.” The massage was very clear. This irritated me, and I mentally started to argue. “No,” the Holy Spirit said, “don’t bother. It’s not worth the time.” I recognize the Holy Spirit speaking, and so I didn’t say any more.
The whole thing was resolved in a far different way from what I had expected. We got a compartment all to ourselves on the train. I said nothing to my wife about our disagreement. She had a real burden to pray about one of our children, and so we had a good prayer time together. When we walked off a couple of hours later, the little thing I had been concerned about had just vanished. It had no more importance at all.
The Spirit, you see, had really wanted us to intercede for our child. All I had to do to release the Spirit was to decline to gratify the desire of the flesh to set my wife straight. The rest just happened; the Spirit took over. But in order for the Spirit to take over, I had to be willing to say no to the Spirit. At the moment of saying no, we may not know precisely what the spirit wants to do. But we can be sure He will tell us later, once we have cleared the way for Him to act.
Most people today have an individualistic mentally. They may have social relationships, but they think of themselves primarily as solitary individuals. This should not be true of Christians. What makes the Christian life so exciting is that we have been removed from a life of solitariness into a life of being united with another. This union needs to be quickened day by day. Day by day we need to become more aware of the presence of Christ living within us. We can do this if every day we say no to the flesh and yes to the Spirit.
Paul says it beautifully in Galatians 5:16-26 – So I advice you to live according to your new life in the Holy Spirit. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves. The old sinful nature loves to do evil, which is just opposite from what the Holy Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are opposite from what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, and your choices are never free from this conflict. But when you are directed by the Holy Spirit, you are no longer subject to the law.
When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, your lives will produce these evil results: sexual immorality, impure thoughts. Eagerness for lustful pleasure, idolatry, participation in demonic activities, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outburst of anger, selfish ambition, divisions, the feeling that everyone is wrong except those in your own little group, envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other kinds of sin. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God.
But when the Holy Spirit controls our lives, He will produce this kind of fruit in us: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Here there is no conflict with the law.
Those who belong to Jesus Christ have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to His cross and crucified them there. If we are living now by the Holy Spirit, let us follow the Holy Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives. Let us not become conceited, or irritate one another, or be jealous of one another.
EQUIPPED FOR BATTLE
Can the Holy Spirit fight our daily battles for us? There may be emergencies in which we see the Holy at work, and we realize that He has, in a sense, taken over when we are at the end of our resources. But the task of the Holy Spirit is to teach us, to convict us, and to give us a perspective that will make us more effective in fighting our daily battles. He equips us to fight, rather than taking over our battles for us.
Source: Inspired by writings of Larry Christenson.
Stay Blessed!
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Health experts generally agree that mental health is not simply the absence of illness but the presence of qualities that allow individuals to live fulfilling and purposeful lives. Among the most recognised components are:
Wellbeing – This refers to emotional stability, peace of mind, and the ability to maintain balance during life’s ups and downs. In Islam, gratitude (shukr) is emphasised as a foundation of wellbeing: “If you are grateful, I will surely increase you [in favour].” (Qur’an 14:7). A thankful heart fosters optimism and resilience, reducing stress and anxiety.
Personal abilities – Mental health involves recognising one’s strengths and limitations and making productive use of them. The Prophet Muhammad s.a.w. highlighted the value of strength, whether physical, emotional, or spiritual: “The strong believer is better and more beloved to Allah than the weak believer, while there is good in both.” (Sahih Muslim, Hadith 2664).
Coping strategies – Resilience is essential for managing stress and adversity. The Qur’an provides reassurance: “Indeed, with hardship comes ease.” (Qur’an 94:6). Effective coping prevents temporary setbacks from becoming long-term crises.
Productivity – A sound mind enables individuals to contribute positively to their work, studies, or trade. Islam values effort: “And that there is not for man except that [good] for which he strives.” (Qur’an 53:39).
Contribution to society – Good mental health extends beyond the individual, fostering social harmony. The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم taught: “The best of people are those that bring most benefit to the rest of mankind.” (Daraqutni, Hasan Hadith).
Together, these components demonstrate that mental health is both a spiritual and practical pursuit, aligning Islamic principles with modern psychology.
The Islamic perspective on mental health
Islam does not deny the reality of psychological suffering. The Qur’an and Sunnah acknowledge sadness, anxiety, and grief as natural human experiences. For example, Prophet Yaqub (Jacob, peace be upon him) cried until he lost his eyesight due to grief over Yusuf (Joseph) (Qur’an 12:84). This demonstrates that emotional distress is not a sign of weakness in faith but part of the human journey.
The Prophet Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم also recognised worry and sadness. One of his daily supplications was: “O Allah, I seek refuge in you from worry and grief, from incapacity and laziness, from cowardice and miserliness, from being heavily in debt and from being overpowered by men.” (Sahih Bukhari, Hadith 6369).
Classical scholars also wrote extensively about emotional balance. Imam Al-Ghazali, in Ihya Ulum al-Din, discussed the purification of the heart from diseases such as envy, arrogance, and despair, which today parallel cognitive and emotional disorders. Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyya emphasised patience (sabr) and hope (raja’) as remedies for distress, noting that despair is among the gravest of spiritual illnesses.
Crucially, Islam encourages seeking medical treatment. The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said: “Make use of medical treatment, for Allah has not made a disease without appointing a remedy for it.” (Sunan Abu Dawud, Hadith 3855). Thus, combining prayer, counseling, and medical care is part of a balanced Islamic approach.
- Imam Alhaji Saeed
Abdulai, the Author
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Finally, how can we become holy? Holiness only results from a right relationship with God by believing in Jesus Christ as Saviour (accepting His gift of eternal life). If we have not placed our faith in God’s Son alone to save us from our sins, then our pursuit of holiness is in vain. So, we must first make sure we are born again believers – John 3.
If we truly are believers, then we recognise that our position in Christ automatically sets us apart from the world – 1 Peter 2:9. After all, we have a relationship with the living God! Then we must daily live a set-apart life, not trying to “blend in” with the world, but instead living according to God’s Word as we study the Bible and grow in it.
In Mark 7:9-16, the Lord Jesus tells us that the way we think is what defiles us and robs us of truth and holiness. The Pharisees had replaced God’s rules of faith and holiness with their own rules and regulations which they tried to force people to follow.
They saw themselves as experts of God’s word but promptly added so much to it that it was no hope of God. It is idolatry to claim that our interpretation of God’s word is as important as God’s word itself, and it is especially dangerous to set up unbiblical standards for others to follow.
We should always look to Christ Jesus for guidance about our behaviour, for He alone is the visible image of the invisible God as we read in Col. 1:15-19:
“The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For in Him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through Him and for Him. He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. And He is the head of the body, the church; He is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything He might have the supremacy. For God was pleased to have all His fullness dwell in Him.”
Walking in the truth and holiness
Paul’s epistle to the Ephesians speaks a lot about walking in truth and holiness. I would like to focus on what he says as a means of grasping the sheer privilege of being God’s channel for truth and holiness. This is found in Eph. 4:17-32 and I shall take it by the verses.
Introduction
- In Eph. 4:1, we saw where Paul began to describe our “duty” to “walk worthy of the calling with which you were called.”
- In doing so, he first called us to “walk together in unity” by admonishing us to:
a. Display the “attitude” crucial for maintaining unity – Eph. 4:2-3;
b. Understand the “basis” of the unity we have in Christ – Eph. 4:4-6;
c. Utilise the “gifts” given by Christ to His church that serve to keep the body of Christ together and growing – Eph. 4:7-16. - In the last half of chapter four – Eph. 4:17-32, Paul continues to describe the sort of “walk” that is worthy of our calling, especially as “a holy temple in the Lord.”
a. Whereas the first half emphasised “Walking Together in Unity;”
b. This section emphasises “Walking in Truth and Holiness.”
- Rev. Dr Joyce Aryee,
the author
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