“He that is slow to anger is better
than the mighty; and he that ruleth
his spirit than he that taketh a city.”
Prov. 16:32
“He that hath no rule over his own spirit is like a
city that is broken down, and without walls.” Prov. 25:28
One of the most difficult things for a child of God to
consistently do is to rule their spirit.
To rule means to have power over or to govern. Just like a prison guard rules over an inmate
by determining when he comes out of his cell and when he goes back in; so are
we to rule over our spirit. So what
spirit are we trying to rule over? It’s
the spirit of the flesh. I have heard it
said, and I agree, that when a person is born again their innermost being
becomes a battle ground. Why? Consider the following verses. “So then they that are in the flesh cannot
please God. But ye are not in the flesh,
but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man
have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.” (Romans 8:8, 9) We can derive two things from these
verses. One is that not everyone has the
Spirit of Christ in them. The other is
those without the Spirit of Christ dwelling in them are solely flesh and cannot
please God in any way. How do you get
the Spirit of Christ? God puts it there
when he brings about the new birth. “And
because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your
hearts, crying, Abba, Father.” (Gal. 4:6) Up until the point of being born again the
flesh has total reign, but when the Spirit of God comes in, there are two
opposing natures dwelling in the same being.
The scripture tells us in Galatians 5:17 that these two natures are
contrary to one another. They don’t get
along. One wants this, the other wants
just the opposite. Paul spoke of them in
Romans the seventh chapter. He says, “For I
know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is
present with me; but how to
perform that which is good I find not. For the good that I would I do not: but
the evil which I would not, that I do.
Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that
dwelleth in me. I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present
with me. For I delight in the law of God
after the inward man: But I see another
law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity
to the law of sin which is in my members.”
What a wretched state we find ourselves in as we wait for the
manifestation of the sons of God. Our
sin nature is always lurking close by, tirelessly tugging and gnawing at us. It wars against the spiritual man
that is born when the Spirit of God brings us spiritual life. That wicked nature is what prompts us to
consider ourselves first, to lash out at others in anger, and to withhold
forgiveness and grace to those that have wronged us. It’s what takes our minds away from the
things that are holy and pure. It is
captivated by the sinful things around us and wants us to imitate them. It’s what make us lust after things we
shouldn’t. It wants to keep us from
reconciling with those we’ve had conflict with.
It very subtly pushes us toward worldly gain while keeping us blind to
the more important things we are forsaking.
This nature wants to rule over us.
The battle we face is disciplining that nature and keeping
it under subjection to the spiritual man that dwells in us. It can be very hard at times. The Bible tells us that a man that is able to
rule his spirit is greater than a mighty warrior that can take a city. It also tells us the man that doesn’t rule
his spirit will be open and vulnerable to the attacks of Satan.
I try to teach our children that we can place ourselves in
situations that make it much more difficult to rule our spirit. The simplest examples I use are being tired
or hungry. It is so much easier to stay
cheerful and kind to those around us when we are rested and full. Let fatigue and an empty stomach come upon us
and for many, including myself, we aren’t nearly as quick to let that gentle
spirit shine forth. If you don’t believe
that just hang out with an infant for a while.
As they grow I will expand the list of things that make it
difficult to rule our spirit. Some of
the things I will tell them are as follows…
Be very careful of the outside influences in your life. Don’t hang out with the wrong crowd. With enough exposure and time, the influence
of the ungodly can severely weaken our awareness of the presence of the flesh,
for “evil
communications corrupt good manners”. (1 Cor. 15:33) It’s a rare individual who doesn’t slowly
become like those he hangs around most often.
I’m not saying walk around with your nose in the air. There’s a difference between fellowshipping
with them on neutral ground and being part of their crowd. You know the difference; so do I. Another outside influence to be careful of is
what you listen to and what you watch.
Exposing yourself repeatedly to something has a way of desensitizing you
to it. “Set your affection on things
above, not on things on the earth.” (Col. 3:2) I can promise you Satan
loves television, radio, and computers.
Outside influences can slowly take the sting away from sinful things. It is impossible to rule the spirit of your
flesh if you lose the ability to recognize it when it shows itself.
Prayerfully groan to the Lord before you marry someone. Seek the counsel of those godly people that
know you best for “in the multitude of counsellors there is safety.” (Prov. 11:14). An unhealthy marriage is a fast track to
letting your flesh rule your thoughts and actions. Few things bring out the selfishness in a
person quicker than a divided marriage.
Earnestly seek the Lord before choosing a career. Jobs are stressful, some more than
others. What one person can handle with
minimal stress would push another over the edge. Stress will feed the flesh inside us and make
it all the more difficult to rule our spirits.
Know what stresses you out. Avoid
it if you can. Even if it means less
money, less prestige, and doing something less than what you desire.
Study God’s word. It
is essential in helping keep the flesh at bay.
We are to cast down “imaginations, and every high thing that
exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every
thought to the obedience of Christ.” (2 Cor. 10:5) How can we bring our thoughts into
captivity? By imprisoning them with
scripture.
Be a part of a true God fearing, gospel preaching church. They all claim to be but aren’t. Seek the scriptures in what the church should
look like and what its purpose should be.
Band yourself together with that body when you find it. For we are not to forsake “the
assembling of ourselves together” (Heb. 10:25). I have always found true worshippers to be
contagious. When they did right, it made
me want to. Having godly brothers and
sisters surrounding you will be paramount in your battle against the
flesh. If there were no benefit to
assembling with God’s people, I dare say the Lord wouldn’t have commanded it.
Don’t fall in love with money for “they that will be rich fall into
temptation and a snare, and into many
foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition.”
(1 Tim. 6:9) If money is the driving
force for you, expect a difficult time ruling your spirit. It has a way of blinding men’s eyes. They often don’t realize it until much damage
has been done.
Don’t become an addict.
There are things available in the world, some legal, some illegal, that
have a way of stimulating you. Avoid the
illegal ones and approach the legal ones with caution. We have a way of becoming dependent upon
these and don’t feel ourselves without them.
If you can’t ward of irritability and a sour attitude without a
stimulant, do your best to leave it alone.
You may find yourself unable to obtain it and the end result will be a
day with the flesh leading the way.
Sometimes they’re necessary though; know when that is.
Don’t take on more than you can handle; learn to say
no. It’s okay to have free time. It’s okay to have nothing to do for a
while. Juggling a bucketful of
extracurricular activities will leave your head spinning. Keep life simple. Running yourself ragged is a surefire way to
make it more difficult to rule the spirit of your flesh. But don't be idle. Know the difference between the two.
There will be things you can’t control that will call out
the spirit of your flesh. You’ll find
yourself in a traffic jam or the victim of identity theft. It may be a co-worker that knows how to push
your buttons. Those things are harder to
control. Do the best you can and beg the
Lord for the strength to keep the flesh from coming out. Sometimes I take the long way home because
the short way forces me to drive by the place where everybody throws their
trash out on the side of the road. It aggravates
me. I get home frustrated. So, I go the long way as to not give an
occasion to the flesh to put me in bad mood.
Our flesh raises its ugly head day after day. It coaxes our mind into entertaining
unhealthy thoughts. It spews anger and
gossip out of our mouths. It beckons us
to put ourselves first and move to the front of the line. It convinces us we are victims and we are
obligated. It will drive us to make more
and spend more just so you can have something others will lust over. It stirs up jealousy inside us. It makes us want to defile the marriage bed. It makes us gravitate towards everything that
is contrary to God.
The Spirit of God dwelling in us wants us to love one
another. It wants us to be joyful and at
peace. It wants us to be longsuffering
with those around us. It wants us to be
gentle, good, meek, and temperate. It
wants us to have faith in things we can’t see.
There is a battle inside every born again child of God. Put the flesh and the things of it in
subjection to the Spirit of God. Rule
your spirit, don’t let it rule you.
