Series: Pentecost Sunday - Life by the Spirit

You see addiction comes in many forms. For some its alcohol, or narcotics or sex or porn. For others addiction may be gluttony or a lust for power, or material comfort, or popularity, or fashion, or body image or simply being in control. For others, it may be an INVERTED DESIRE of the flesh – an inability to trust, an inability to really love, an inability to really commit to anyone or anything. These are all fleshly primal instincts – that are a form of addiction in many peoples lives. Sadly, as sinners (and without God’s help) A) we don’t control our fleshly desires, instead B) our fleshly desires control us.

Now this fleshly desire controls us because of 1) a fear of death, 2) need for security, 3) lack of trust, 4) demonic influence and 5) even an insatiable desire for meaning and happiness. Basically, the pursuit of happiness (in a world that is decaying before our eyes) – means that like greyhound dogs chasing a pretend, elusive rabbit around the race track – we all keep running after a pretend, elusive idea even though we are exhausted and we know it is killing us. We can’t stop…

But through the death and resurrection of Jesus (knowing that we are loved, knowing that we are forgiven, knowing that we have life beyond the grave) the Holy Spirit begins to set us free from this slavery to fleshly desires. Look again – at verse 17.