The apostle Paul tells us, “Those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God” (Romans 8:14). What does it mean to be led by the Spirit of God? It means that the Spirit of God is the controlling and directing force of your life.
Prior to coming to Jesus Christ, our flesh was the controlling and directing force in our lives. We were by nature the children of wrath (Ephesians 2:3); we were governed and ruled by our flesh. Satan loves for us to be ruled by our flesh, he doesn’t have to do a thing, we do it for him.
When we are ruled by our flesh we start demanding our own way, pushing other people around, abusing the rights of others, and flaunting our power and wealth. Some of the characteristics of a person that is being ruled by their flesh is that of being temperamental, hard to get along with, greedy, arrogant, and selfish (cf. Galatians 5:19-21).
When you are around this type of person there seems to be a constant tension, and you never know how they are going to react to a situation. You sense that they are explosive people; they give off those kinds of vibes. It’s like being around a powder keg with the fuse lit, and you realize that they could blow at anytime.
People that are controlled by their flesh seem to get upset over almost everything that takes place in their life. They seem to be angry with someone or about something most of the time, and have the idea that everything bad that happens to them is someone else’s fault.
There are these self-assertion classes, and they encourage people to “assert yourself.” Stand up for your rights, and don’t let anybody run over you; become a rotten, cantankerous, and irritable person that everyone will seek to avoid. We see this type of person in restaurants, and I feel sorry for the waiters and waitresses. The problem of going around and giving everybody a piece of your mind is that you soon become empty headed.
It doesn’t matter if you can speak in tongues, walk on water, and can quote ever verse in the Bible, if you are temperamental, hateful and hard to get along with, you are being led by your flesh, not the Holy Spirit.
In contrast to that are the people whose lives are controlled by the Holy Spirit. I enjoy being around people whose lives are submitted to God, with their lives and temperaments being controlled by the Holy Spirit. In these people we see the fruits of the Spirit spoken of in Galatians. “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance” (Galatians 5:22-23).
When we put our faith and trust in Jesus as our Lord, we are born again by the Spirit of God. It is then that the Holy Spirit comes and indwells the believer and He becomes the controlling authority and directing influence in our lives—but only if we allow Him to rule.
It takes a strong desire and discipline on our part to be led by the Spirit; it is not something that comes naturally or easy. Paul wrote, “The flesh desires what is against the Spirit and the Spirit desires what is against the flesh, they are in conflict with each other” (Galatians 5:17). The apostle Paul fought this battle with his own flesh (cf. Romans 7:5-25). This battle rages on in the Christian’s life as long we live in this body of flesh.
The Holy Spirit does not force Himself upon our life. He does not force us to surrender to Him—but He requires it. The Holy Spirit will not lead us until we surrender our life to Him. We must voluntarily yield ourselves to be led and controlled by the Holy Spirit. Paul wrote, “Walk in the Spirit and you will not fulfill the desires of the flesh” (Galatians 5:16).
How beautiful it is to be around those people who are led and controlled by the Spirit of God. No matter what comes up, you know they are going to handle it with grace, because they know that the Lord is in control of all the circumstances of their life. You can always relax and enjoy being around a person whose life is controlled by the Spirit of God. They are “others centered,” and seeking to do good for others, even at the expense of neglecting themselves.
Paul said, “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others” Philippians 2:3-5). What a great world this would be with everyone seeking the best for others—never being selfish or self-seeking.
The person that is controlled by the Spirit of God is not only a beautiful life to others, but it is a beautiful life to live. It’s glorious when you realize that God’s Spirit has taken control of your life. The fruit of the Spirit is love, and one of those characteristics, by which this word “agape” is defined, is that of temperance. There is that glorious even-tempered aspect of being controlled by the Spirit of God.
Men and women that are controlled by the Holy Spirit seek to do their best in the job or work that God has assigned them to do. They never take the glory for this work, but they give this glory to the Lord. Paul said, “May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Galatians 6:14).
Are you controlled by the Holy Spirit, or your own flesh? It’s a choice you make for yourself. We can start the New Year by being led by the Spirit of God if we will yield our life to Him.