Julie
Active Member
DAY 73
How Do You Want to Live?
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.
Galatians 5:22–23
When we are born again (2 Corinthians 5:17), we receive a new nature, which wants to follow and please God. But this doesn’t replace our old sinful nature, which wants to indulge our selfish, self-centered, fleshly desires with the things of the world. The two natures exist side by side and are in conflict with each other. The strongest one always wins.
In Galatians 5, Paul characterizes this as a battle between the works of the flesh (the old nature) and the fruit of the Holy Spirit (the new nature). The more you feed your spirit the Word of God, the stronger it will become, and vice versa.
Works of the flesh are listed in Galatians 5:19–21, and you can read about the fruit of the Spirit in today’s scripture passage. When you consider the emotions involved in the works of the flesh and those produced as we walk in the Spirit, which way do you want to live?
I recommend focusing on walking in the Spirit rather than trying not to walk in the flesh. Paul says, “Walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh” (Galatians 5:16).
I spent many years trying not to walk in the flesh. But I later realized that if I focused more on walking in the Spirit than on not walking in the flesh, there would be no room for the flesh. Only then did I begin to make progress. Hopefully this advice will help you cease striving to avoid the works of the flesh and empower you to live in the fruit of the Spirit.
Prayer: Help me, Lord, to abandon the works of the flesh by focusing on walking in the Spirit.
Joyce Meyer, Managing Your Emotions
How Do You Want to Live?
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.
Galatians 5:22–23
When we are born again (2 Corinthians 5:17), we receive a new nature, which wants to follow and please God. But this doesn’t replace our old sinful nature, which wants to indulge our selfish, self-centered, fleshly desires with the things of the world. The two natures exist side by side and are in conflict with each other. The strongest one always wins.
In Galatians 5, Paul characterizes this as a battle between the works of the flesh (the old nature) and the fruit of the Holy Spirit (the new nature). The more you feed your spirit the Word of God, the stronger it will become, and vice versa.
Works of the flesh are listed in Galatians 5:19–21, and you can read about the fruit of the Spirit in today’s scripture passage. When you consider the emotions involved in the works of the flesh and those produced as we walk in the Spirit, which way do you want to live?
I recommend focusing on walking in the Spirit rather than trying not to walk in the flesh. Paul says, “Walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh” (Galatians 5:16).
I spent many years trying not to walk in the flesh. But I later realized that if I focused more on walking in the Spirit than on not walking in the flesh, there would be no room for the flesh. Only then did I begin to make progress. Hopefully this advice will help you cease striving to avoid the works of the flesh and empower you to live in the fruit of the Spirit.
Prayer: Help me, Lord, to abandon the works of the flesh by focusing on walking in the Spirit.
Joyce Meyer, Managing Your Emotions
