Devotionals

Intro: In our passage today, the Apostle Paul has been talking to the Jews in Rome about their spiritual “sclerosis” or the hardening of their hearts. What causes a person to have a spiritually hard heart? According to Scripture, it is a refusal to repent of sin and accept the only way to forgiveness and salvation—Jesus Christ (Ro 2:4). Believers—the redeemed—are rescued by faith in the saving influence of the Spirit. Human deeds only reveal the evidence of salvation; righteous actions consistent with the Word of God are undeniably seen in the lives of the redeemed. What message do people get about God when they look at your life?

Circumcision refers to the sign of God’s special covenant with his people and it was something God required for all Jewish males. During this time, the Jews felt because they were descendants of Abraham and had been circumcised, they would enjoy a saving relationship with God. Therefore, they believed they could live any way they wanted and be sure of their salvation. However, Paul reminds them the outward act of circumcision was nothing without the inward circumcision to the heart [obedience to God’s Word]. The saving influence of the Spirit comes to cut [circumcise] unrighteous things out of the lives of God’s people that rebel against His Word or Testimony. So, Paul urges his Jewish brothers not to violate their consciences by sin and continually living in hypocrisy (Ro 2:21-23). To continually violate a conscience leads to spiritual “sclerosis,” a quenching of the Holy Spirit’s work, and a desensitizing of one’s moral compass. A hard heart leads a person into suffering and self-destruction; they are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God (Eph 4:18).

A true child of God and a true descendant of Abraham is a person who has allowed the Spirit to cut away or separate him/her from sin in order to live for God. Salvation is the work of the Spirit who convicts us of sin and does the necessary heart surgery—something we could never do for our selves. May we live in the Spirit with changed hearts—a genuine desire to please God. Practicing our faith in the Word and inward work of the Spirit is the true Way to salvation. When we live this way, we send a beautiful message of who God actively is within us.

Romans 2:25-29 (NLT)
25 The Jewish ceremony of circumcision has value only if you obey God’s law. But if you don’t obey God’s law, you are no better off than an uncircumcised Gentile. 26 And if the Gentiles obey God’s law, won’t God declare them to be his own people? 27 In fact, uncircumcised Gentiles who keep God’s law will condemn you Jews who are circumcised and possess God’s law but don’t obey it.

28 For you are not a true Jew just because you were born of Jewish parents or because you have gone through the ceremony of circumcision. 29 No, a true Jew is one whose heart is right with God. And true circumcision is not merely obeying the letter of the law; rather, it is a change of heart produced by the Spirit. And a person with a changed heart seeks praise from God, not from people.

Prayer: Lord, clearly You desire our heartfelt devotion and obedience to Your Word. Holy Spirit, stir that desire in all of Your children, today. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Intro: Two things believers should always remember about our faithful God’s covenant promises: 1) God’s promise of divine protection, and 2) God’s promise of divine provision. Life can seem pretty overwhelming at times, but we are never alone and are always surrounded by God’s protecting arms of love working in our behalf. He is our Creator and He knows our capabilities. As well, He knows our weaknesses, so he provides grace when we need it most.

Physical and spiritual attacks can threaten us, but God is our Protector. This world is fallen, my friends, and as a result we experience many hardships. David faced many angry and sinful people, but he still knew God was his Protector. Do you know God is your Protector? God is our spiritual hiding place; our refuge and shield. As well, He uses angels to protect us from evil (Ps 91:11-12). Actually, because God is the Creator, He can use anything as a means to protect His children. Sometimes, God even shields us from our own self-destructive behaviors.

God never promised that we would be exempt from the experience of physical pain or loss; He does promise to use all things as provision for us to grow spiritually stronger as we trust in His goodness. You are marked by the Spirit and you belong to the Lord. God has promised to protect His children from every spiritual attack and bring us into his glorious Kingdom (2 Tim 4:18).

Jesus—the Word of God—tells believers to ask God for provision, because the Father knows what we need (Mat 6:24-25). He will never withhold good things from those who walk with Him in righteousness into a quality of Kingdom life (Mat 6:33). The mystery of provision is revealed when we trust God and look for Him to bring the help we require. Sometimes, we just ask for the wrong things or with the wrong motives (James 4:3). May we remember God values righteous character development.

God’s love for you began before you were conceived in your mother womb, so He will always be Jehovah-Jireh, The Lord-Who-Provides and Jehovah-Ezer, The Lord-Our-Helper. If you are feeling overwhelmed today, David’s song is for you.
Psalm 124 (NLT) A song for pilgrims ascending to Jerusalem. A psalm of David.
1 
What if the Lord had not been on our side?
    Let all Israel [people of God] repeat:
2 
What if the Lord had not been on our side
    when people attacked us?
3 
They would have swallowed us alive
    in their burning anger.
4 
The waters would have engulfed us;
    a torrent would have overwhelmed us.
5 
Yes, the raging waters of their fury
    would have overwhelmed our very lives.
6 
Praise the Lord,
    who did not let their teeth tear us apart!
7 
We escaped like a bird from a hunter’s trap.
    The trap is broken, and we are free!
8 
Our help is from the Lord,
    who made heaven and earth.

Prayer: Lord, thank you for the spiritual protection and provision you bring to the lives of Your children. You raise us above this fallen mess Your creation has made of Your world. Please forgive us and help us overcome the things that try to overwhelm us. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

June 14, 2022

Intro: Seems like every day I am praying for wisdom either for myself or my spiritual family. Life requires godly wisdom, because the ways of the world are spiraling into a very foolish place. Please keep in mind the Bible describes a foolish person as an “unbeliever.” To be unwise is not to be intellectually limited. An unwise or foolish person just does not comprehend or believe the sovereign knowledge, authority, and power of God. Therefore, this person lives apart from God—against His commands, unable to comprehend the truth, or accept his or her sinful condition due to the law of sin and death (Ro 8:1-2).

As believers, we are to make the most of our time on earth as we serve our King and His Kingdom. We are to live wisely which means to live according to God’s purposes for redemption and worship—oneness with God. When we invest our time and energy into learning the Word of God, we begin to discern its value and receive its power to bring salvation. Our recognition of God’s power to draw us to Himself and grow spiritual life in us, will lead us into genuine worship and blessing. For this reason, the enemy uses deception as a way to encourage people to self-destruct.

Drunkenness is a waste of spiritual resources. However, it is more than drunkenness that Paul warns about in our passage, today; it’s debauchery. According to history, drunken orgies were associated with the pagan worship of the ancient god Bacchus; many believed they communed with spiritual deities during these sinful times. Paul basically identifies the spirits associated with these orgies as demonic and warns the Ephesians to choose to live under the influence of the Holy Spirit instead. In the gospel of Matthew, Jesus makes a similar warning about false prophets, deception, and lawlessness (24:11-12). That means when we know there is sin [lawlessness] in our lives, we must choose to embrace humility before God, confess and repent of sin [die to self], and surrender to the will and power of the Almighty. To live in harmony with the Holy Spirit is be filled with gratitude for our salvation in Christ; a rescue for our souls. So, continually be filled with the Holy Spirit, today.

Ephesians 5:15-20 Living by the Spirit’s Power
15 So be careful how you live. Don’t live like fools, but like those who are wise. 16 Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days. 17 Don’t act thoughtlessly, but understand what the Lord wants you to do. 18 Don’t be drunk with wine, because that will ruin your life. Instead, be filled with the Holy Spirit, 19 singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves, and making music to the Lord in your hearts. 20 And give thanks for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Prayer: Lord, every day Your children make choices that either lead us forward in our worship of You or farther away. So, help me to welcome the influence of the Holy Spirit in making me spiritually vibrant. May my choices today bring me closer to You. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

We are picking up from Friday in the Book of Ephesians, which we know is about God’s eternal plan in bringing all things together in Christ Jesus. The Apostle Paul does an amazing job of explaining how this plan works, and he includes how God has brought us together as the church and how we are called to a place of “unity in our faith and knowledge of God’s Son” (v. 13).

You might be thinking, how can I be united with everyone at church when I can’t even begin to relate to some of the people who attend Sunday morning worship? Well, my friends, your differences with people at church are by design; and today’s passage says that our diversity as a church is for a purpose: God’s purpose, which is for all of us, as a united church, to be “mature in the Lord” (v. 13).

Paul is not writing about us just becoming mature individually. Rather, he’s writing about the maturity that the church reaches as a body. Once we reach this place of maturity in the Lord, Paul tells us that “we will no longer be immature like children” (v. 14). As a mature church, “we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church” (v. 15).

When you and I come together, with everyone else in the church, as one united body, Jesus “makes the whole body fit together perfectly” (v. 16). Each of us plays our own part, but our part helps the other parts, so together we are growing and full of the love of Christ Jesus.

Pastor Mary preached yesterday about how we all need to come together in unity as the church for this coming year. If you missed yesterday’s sermon at the park, there is a link to it at the bottom of this devotion.

Ephesians 4:7-16 NLT
Unity in the Body

7 However, he has given each one of us a special gift through the generosity of Christ. 8 That is why the Scriptures say,

“When he ascended to the heights,
he led a crowd of captives
and gave gifts to his people.”

9 Notice that it says “he ascended.” This clearly means that Christ also descended to our lowly world. 10 And the same one who descended is the one who ascended higher than all the heavens, so that he might fill the entire universe with himself.

11 Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers. 12 Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ. 13 This will continue until we all come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God’s Son that we will be mature in the Lord, measuring up to the full and complete standard of Christ.

14 Then we will no longer be immature like children. We won’t be tossed and blown about by every wind of new teaching. We will not be influenced when people try to trick us with lies so clever they sound like the truth. 15 Instead, we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church. 16 He makes the whole body fit together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love.

Prayer: Jesus, we thank You for being the head of our body, the church. Help us, Lord, to work together to grow in our faith, as Your church, so that we can mature in You. We want to be equipped to do Your work. We ask all of this in Your Holy Name, Jesus. Amen.

Click Here for Sunday Worship at Seminole City Park

Friends, we are going to wrap up the week and there will still be some discussion about the Spirit; only, now it is not just about your life in the Spirit, it’s about how all believers are bound together in the Spirit.

In chapters 1 – 3 in Ephesians, Paul teaches about the believers’ new status as the children of God: how we are forgiven, adopted into God’s Family, we are redeemed from the slavery of sin, loved by God, strengthened with His power, and we are recipients of the riches of Christ Jesus.

So, when Paul begins today’s passage with “therefore” we know that what he is saying comes in light of what he has already spoken (in chapters 1-3). Paul now urges us, as believers, to walk in a new way. He is connecting our faith to practice. He is basically saying of course you know the message of Jesus, now you need to also know the person of Jesus. Knowing Jesus, means we are able to get closer and closer to walking out our faith and putting it into practice. Also, we need to do this together, as the body (or church) of believers. This is our commissioned way of living as one body and one Spirit, in Christ Jesus.

Ephesians 4:1-6 NLT
Unity in the Body

1 Therefore I, a prisoner for serving the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of your calling, for you have been called by God. 2 Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love. 3 Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace. 4 For there is one body and one Spirit, just as you have been called to one glorious hope for the future.

5 There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism,
6 one God and Father of all,
who is over all, in all, and living through all.

Prayer: Thank You, Jesus, for loving each of us despite our faults. Thank You for Your forgiveness. Help us, Lord, to be one united body in Your Spirit. Help us to be patient with one another, and to put our love for each other ahead of anything else. We ask this in Jesus’ Name. Amen

This week’s devotions have been heavily focused on the work of the Holy Spirit. It is very fitting as this week piggybacks on Pentecost, also as we finished up our study on the Fruit of the Spirit last night, and we all desperately need Jesus’ help each and every day through the work of His Spirit within us.

Earlier this week we were learning from the Apostle Paul’s ministry to the believers in Corinth, and today we will continue to learn from him through his ministry to the Ephesians and other churches within the surrounding area.

In chapter 1, Paul begins with a blessing and praise to God. He goes on to talk about our inheritance as believers, “And now you Gentiles have also heard the truth, the Good News that God saves you. And when you believed in Christ, he identified you as his own by giving you the Holy Spirit, whom he promised long ago. The Spirit is God’s guarantee that he will give us the inheritance he promised and that he has purchased us to be his own people. He did this so we would praise and glorify him.” (v. 13-14)

Paul goes on to thank God for all believers. He prays for our spiritual wisdom and insight so that we can grow in our knowledge and relationship with the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. He wants our hearts may be overwhelmed with the Light of Christ, and for the darkness of this world to never overshadow that brilliant Light of Christ in us. It is by the Light of the Christ that we grow in the confident hope that God has so graciously given to those of us who call on Him and who He calls His holy people.

Ephesians 1:17-20 NLT

17 asking God, the glorious Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, to give you spiritual wisdom and insight so that you might grow in your knowledge of God. 18 I pray that your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can understand the confident hope he has given to those he called—his holy people who are his rich and glorious inheritance.

19 I also pray that you will understand the incredible greatness of God’s power for us who believe him. This is the same mighty power 20 that raised Christ from the dead and seated him in the place of honor at God’s right hand in the heavenly realms.

Prayer: Jesus, we continue to praise You for the work of the Holy Spirit in and through our lives. May You overwhelm each of us today with Your Light, and may it shine ever so brightly for others to be drawn to You. Help us to share Your message with someone today. We ask this in Your Name, Jesus. Amen.

Click here if you missed any of the last 9 Bible studies that focused on the Fruit of the Spirit

Friends, we are picking up from yesterday’s devotion and finishing chapter two of 1 Corinthians (v.12-16).

If you recall, the Apostle Paul is ministering to the believers in Corinth, and he is presenting the Truth about the work of the Holy Spirit. We know that a believer’s faith is based on Christ’s power through the work of the Holy Spirit, and that it is not based on human wisdom. The believers who are willing to allow the work of the Spirit will begin to understand the Truth, and those without the Spirit are limited to human reasoning. The Holy Spirit, in each of us, makes things possible to understand. We are told “Don’t let anyone capture you with empty philosophies and high-sounding nonsense that come from human thinking and from the spiritual powers of this world, rather than from Christ.” (Col 2:8). Remember, there are spiritual powers that come from this world, and they are dark powers that belong to the enemy. You and I do not belong to him, we belong to Christ, and so we must connect to the living Spirit of Christ. The spiritual powers of this world are false, and they offer what appears to be resolutions, but those are temporary resolutions. The Spirit that you and I call on, the One that is housed within us, offers us great eternal wisdom that exists far beyond this earthly temporal realm and into the infinite heavenly realm. You and I are living for eternity now, and so we must continue to connect ourselves to the living Spirit of Christ at all times.

1 Corinthians 2:12-16 NLT

12 And we have received God’s Spirit (not the world’s spirit), so we can know the wonderful things God has freely given us.

13 When we tell you these things, we do not use words that come from human wisdom. Instead, we speak words given to us by the Spirit, using the Spirit’s words to explain spiritual truths. 14 But people who aren’t spiritual can’t receive these truths from God’s Spirit. It all sounds foolish to them and they can’t understand it, for only those who are spiritual can understand what the Spirit means. 15 Those who are spiritual can evaluate all things, but they themselves cannot be evaluated by others. 16 For,

“Who can know the Lord’s thoughts?
Who knows enough to teach him?”

But we understand these things, for we have the mind of Christ.

Prayer: Jesus, we pray against the dark spiritual powers of this world. We pray for a revival of Your Holy Spirit within Your believers. May Your Church rise up, and when others witness Your Spirit operating within Your believers, may they too want to connect to You. We pray for more hearts to know You, Jesus. Help us to be vessels who bring hearts to You. Allow Your Helper to work through us as we speak of Your unending love. We ask this in Your Holy Name, Jesus. Amen.

June 06, 2022

Yesterday was Pentecost, and if you were not able to join us there is a link at the end of this devotion so you can share in a beautiful time of worship with so much insight on Pentecost and our Helper, the Holy Spirit.

In the Book of Acts, chapter two, we learn that on Pentecost Sunday, after Jesus ascended into heaven, His believers gathered together, and at once there was a loud sound from heaven (like a mighty windstorm) that filled the house. Flames (or tongues of fire) rested on each of the believers, as they were filled with the Holy Spirit. Then they began speaking in other languages, as the Holy Spirit gave them the ability. (v. 1-4)

Friends, that same Holy Spirit is available to you and me today. I realize that the believers in Acts had a very physical experience, and they were all together at once when they received the Holy Spirit. But Jesus wants the same for us. Remember, He physically changed each of our lives when we came to Him through salvation, and as we grow in our commit to our relationship with Him, He graciously allows His Holy Spirit to grow and become more powerful within us. It is by the wisdom of the Spirit that you and I are guided in the ways of God, rather than by the ways of this world.

In today’s passage, the Apostle Paul provides us with a message of the Spirit’s wisdom. As he ministers to the church (believers) in Corinth, please remember he is also ministering to you and me, and don’t forget who Paul (Saul) was before he met Jesus. His life was completely renewed by the powerful work of the Spirit as he allowed it to forever change him and as he was willingly to continuously let its wisdom grow within him. Paul explains to the believers (and to us) how the Spirit matures within us, and it happens as we grow closer and closer to Jesus and as we become more and more disconnected from this world. We see today how God uses Paul to help other believers at different stages on their faith walk. He wants to do the same with you and me. But we must remember to allow the Spirit of Christ to operate in and through us so that the wisdom of God is revealed to others, and not our own human response because in our flesh (which is of this world) we have no power.

1 Corinthians 2:1-11 NLT
Paul’s Message of Wisdom

1 When I first came to you, dear brothers and sisters, I didn’t use lofty words and impressive wisdom to tell you God’s secret plan. 2 For I decided that while I was with you I would forget everything except Jesus Christ, the one who was crucified. 3 I came to you in weakness—timid and trembling. 4 And my message and my preaching were very plain. Rather than using clever and persuasive speeches, I relied only on the power of the Holy Spirit. 5 I did this so you would trust not in human wisdom but in the power of God.

6 Yet when I am among mature believers, I do speak with words of wisdom, but not the kind of wisdom that belongs to this world or to the rulers of this world, who are soon forgotten. 7 No, the wisdom we speak of is the mystery of God—his plan that was previously hidden, even though he made it for our ultimate glory before the world began. 8 But the rulers of this world have not understood it; if they had, they would not have crucified our glorious Lord. 9 That is what the Scriptures mean when they say,

“No eye has seen, no ear has heard,
and no mind has imagined
what God has prepared
for those who love him.”

10 But it was to us that God revealed these things by his Spirit. For his Spirit searches out everything and shows us God’s deep secrets. 11 No one can know a person’s thoughts except that person’s own spirit, and no one can know God’s thoughts except God’s own Spirit.

Prayer: Jesus, thank You for the gift of the Holy Spirit. Help us to be more receptive to allow it to operate in and through our lives. Quiet the ways of this world within our souls and guide our souls to become one with the Spirit. Please impart Your wisdom to us as we guide others to Your loving arms. We ask this in Your Holy and precious Name, Jesus. Amen.

Click Here for Pentecost Sunday Worship: https://youtu.be/eE673WjNywA

Intro: Our passage today, is a continuation from our reading from yesterday. If you missed that devotional, please take time to read Galatians 5:16-25 before proceeding. When believers walk in the Spirit [guided] and remain filled with the Spirit [abiding in fellowship or oneness] the evidence of that relationship with God is revealed in the fruit of the Spirit that is produced in our individual lives. Fruit is the revelation of the believer’s faithfulness to the gospel promise. Believers are called to live in spiritual and moral excellence based on the Word of God; in this way we take a relevant biblical truth and make it a personal truth. Please don’t use our culture as a marker to govern your life; use the Word of God because it is the Spirit’s work to exalt the Word in our lives.

Sowing and reaping are true spiritual principles; but, sowing and reaping are also revealed in the laws of nature. A sweet friend of mine sent me a picture of her flourishing garden, yesterday, and it is clear that what she sowed into the soil was growing and will in time bring a harvest of good things. The same principle is true in the spiritual realm. When we sow to the Spirit, in time we will reap or harvest spiritual fruit. When we sow to our flesh, in time we will reap a harvest from our fallen flesh. Quite frankly, this law reflects the judgment of God who commands us [for our well-being] to sow to the Spirit. We should be quick to resist sowing to our fallen flesh, because we know evil hides in it. When evil is left unchecked—when we do not allow the Spirit to liberate us from sin—our condition to rebel against God just worsens. Our flesh gets stronger, because we have rejected the loving work of the Spirit within us.

This Sunday we celebrate Pentecost—a Greek term meaning The Feast of Weeks. Pentecost is significant in both the Old Testament, as well as the New Testament. In the Old Testament, seven weeks after Passover, the Feast of Weeks celebrated the end of the wheat reaping season when people brought the first fruits of that harvest to God. This feast foreshadows the coming of Messiah and His ministry. Every feast is symbolic of an important aspect of God’s plan of redemption through Jesus. In the New Testament, Christ’s last words of instruction to his disciples before he ascended to heaven was for them to wait for the coming of the Holy Spirit (Luke 24:49). Jesus sowed into the Spirit, so we could all reap a harvest from the Fruit of the Spirit. As Christ foretold, the Holy Spirit descended as tongues of fire at Pentecost to fill the disciples with power from heaven (Acts 2:1-3). The Spirit is producing a harvest in us now according to the New Covenant. “In the last days God says, I will pour out my Spirit upon all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy. Your young men will see visions, and your old men will dream dreams. “In those days, ‘I will pour out my Spirit even on my servants—men and women alike—and they will prophesy” or release messages from God’s Word (Acts 12:17-18).

I hope we all realize the life Jesus died to bring us is the highest quality and most abundant life we can experience while we live in this fallen world (John 10:10). Don’t be dominated by your emotions or attachments to what God calls sinful desires. Live in the New Covenant promise and bear the Fruit of the Spirit. If God calls you out of sin, it is because he has something so much better for you. Trust him, because God is Good! Have a blessed weekend…

Galatians 6:7-10 NLT
7 Don’t be misled—you cannot mock the justice of God. You will always harvest what you plant. 8 Those who live only to satisfy their own sinful nature will harvest decay and death from that sinful nature. But those who live to please the Spirit will harvest everlasting life from the Spirit. 9 So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up. 10 Therefore, whenever we have the opportunity, we should do good to everyone—especially to those in the family of faith.

Prayer: Lord, thank you for the work of the Holy Spirit to help us produce righteous fruit. You are the First fruits offering, Jesus, and we thank you for sowing yourself into the lives of every believer. We are the first fruits of the Spirit and our lives are an offering to you. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Intro: In his letter to the Galatians, the Apostle Paul responds to false teachers in order to defend the authority of the gospel. The church in Galatia—occupied by law abiding Jews and Gentiles—is experiencing confusion and controversy. These Galatian believers are struggling to identify the difference between adherence to the religious law [legalism], being lead by their flesh, or being guided by the Holy Spirit into the liberating new life—faith in the gospel—made available by Jesus the Christ.

When Jesus broke through time and space to come to earth, the good news [gospel] announced the arrival of the kingdom of God. By the time the epistles were written, the gospel was revealed as faith in Jesus and what he came to accomplish with his life in order to grow God’s people for the kingdom. Jesus did not come to gather a group of polished religious performers; he came to take upon himself the judgment of God for the death penalty of sin, make believers right with God, and through faith set disciples free from sin through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Preceding our passage for today, the Apostle Paul has clarified the religious law cannot save anyone and that salvation comes through faith in Christ alone. Moving in faith by obeying the Word of God, as well as bringing a desire to please God and hear from the Holy Spirit is the right start to appropriating God’s power for overcoming sin. We need to walk with the Spirit and that requires continuous action as we obey the Word; this is how we live in the Spirit’s power.

As human beings with a fallen nature, we have conflicting forces working within us. We have the Holy Spirit who desires to help produce righteousness in our lives and it is in conflict with our flesh [human nature w/emotions] most of the time. These two forces are not equal in power. God’s power is supreme, but because God has given humanity free will, we can diminish the Spirit’s work in our lives when we give our demanding flesh authority. We can grieve the Holy Spirit when we do not desire his wisdom or hunger for righteous things. Living by the Spirit’s power is how we continue to crucify our flesh in this spiritual battle. Paul lets us know the kind of sin our flesh wants to produce in our lives. Overcoming sin is not something done to the believer but by the believer in the Spirit’s power—we choose to put to death the will of our sinful nature. We, too, have to make up our minds as to who will rule our lives. Praise God his grace is sufficient and his power is made perfect in our weakness (2 Cor 12:19).

Galatians 5:16-25 NLT Living by the Spirit’s Power
16 So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves. 17 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. 18 But when you are directed by the Spirit, you are not under obligation to the law of Moses.

19 When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, 20 idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, 21 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.
22 But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!

24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there. 25 Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives.

Prayer: Lord, thank you for giving believers the Helper for the spiritual battle we face each day with our flesh. Help me to pick up my cross and put to death any sinful desire that tries to take authority over your Word. I know each time I deny myself, I am closer to you and the life you have given me to live. In Jesus’ name. Amen.