By: Randy Adams
Living by the Spirit’s Power
Galatians 5:16-26 “So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves. The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, so you are not free to carry out your good intentions. But when you are directed by the Spirit, you are not under obligation to the law of Moses.
When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God.
But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!
Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there. Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives. Let us not become conceited, or provoke one another, or be jealous of one another.”
Do Not Love This World
1 John 2:15-17 “Do not love this world nor the things it offers you, for when you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you. For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father, but are from this world. And this world is fading away, along with everything that people crave. But anyone who does what pleases God will live forever.”
Take Up Your Cross and Follow Jesus
Luke 9:23-26 “Then he said to the crowd, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross daily, and follow me. If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it. And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but are yourself lost or destroyed? If anyone is ashamed of me and my message, the Son of Man will be ashamed of that person when he returns in his glory and in the glory of the Father and the holy angels.”
Questions to Reflect Upon
- Are you being led by the Holy Spirit?
- Who is in control of your life?
- Are you living in Christ, through Christ, and for Christ? Or are you living for yourself? Compromising with the world and its sinful culture?
- Have you become complacent, self-sufficient, self-satisfied?
- Have you submitted and surrendered EVERY area of your life to Jesus Christ?
- Do your thoughts, attitudes, words, and actions reflect what you truly believe and point people to Jesus? Or are you indistinguishable from the rest of the world?
- Do you love the world and the things of the world and your sinful nature more than God?
- Do you crave and seek pleasure, power, position, and wealth more than God? What are your priorities?
- Are you putting Christ and God’s will before your own?
- Are you willing to follow Jesus, no matter where He leads and no matter the cost?
- Are you intentionally, continually following Jesus Christ and joining Him in His work to seek and save the lost?
- Are you trying to hang onto your life and all of the false promises and desires of your flesh and this world?
- Have you denied Christ through your thoughts, attitudes, words, and actions?
- Are you, in reality, ashamed of Him when pressed by others?
Matthew 6:33 “Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.”
1 John 1:8-10 “If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth. But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness. If we claim we have not sinned, we are calling God a liar and showing that his word has no place in our hearts.”