Growing in knowledge... God, help us be obedient!

I am constantly growing in my knowledge of scripture. I find it very exciting to hear things from new perspectives, and how other passages fit into a given topic. This evening at Bible study, we studied the flesh and also the fruits of the Spirit. 1 John 2 and James 4 give a good summary of the world. Cravings of sinful man, lust of the eyes, pride, fights, quarrels, coveting, murder, and evil desires. We also looked at what comes from the sinful nature. I won't take the time to list them. I think almost all of the sinful nature can be put into very few catigories. This is by no means a perfect catorigization, but it would seem that you could put just about any sin under pride and selfeshness. We need to be filled with Godliness, righteousness, faith, love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, self control, faith, holiness, compassion, kindness, humility, etc. So, we know that we are full of sin, and we need to be full of righteousness, but how does one change this? Let's take a quick look at Rom. 12:1-2 and Eph. 4:17-24.

1 Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.
2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.

17 So this I say, and affirm together with the Lord, that you walk no longer just as the Gentiles also walk, in the futility of their mind,
18 being darkened in their understanding, excluded from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the hardness of their heart;
19 and they, having become callous, have given themselves over to sensuality for the practice of every kind of impurity with greediness.
20 But you did not learn Christ in this way,
21 if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught in Him, just as truth is in Jesus,
22 that, in reference to your former manner of life, you lay aside the old self, which is being corrupted in accordance with the lusts of deceit,
23 and that you be renewed in the spirit of your mind,
24 and put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth.

Mr. Babb has said a couple times during Bible study that if we feed our flesh more than we feed the Spirit, the flesh is going to win. I am convinced that this is true. We need to have our minds renewed by the Word! In the closure of Bible study, he read some verses from Romans 8 that really put things in perspective. It is so easy to gain this knowledge and not put it into action. Let us drown the flesh in the Spirit!

5 For those who are according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit.
6 For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace,
7 because the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so,
8 and those who are in the flesh cannot please God.
9 However, you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him.
10 If Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, yet the spirit is alive because of righteousness.
11 But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.
12 So then, brethren, we are under obligation, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh--
13 for if you are living according to the flesh, you must die; but if by the Spirit you are putting to death the deeds of the body, you will live.
14 For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.