LIVE BY THE SPIRIT AND NOT BY THE FLESH

Galatians 5:13 You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love. 14 For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” 15 If you bite and devour each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other.  16 So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. 17 For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other so that you are not to do whatever you want. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. 19 The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity, and debauchery; 20 idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 21 and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.

Life is a constant battle between our Spirit and our flesh, so we must study the Word daily; if we want to keep our flesh at rest, and win this battle.  We have been serving our flesh longer than we have served our Spirit, so our flesh is stronger than our Spirit; and we need Jesus to help us fight this battle if we want to be victorious.

Father, help us live in the Spirit, by developing our fruit; the fruit of love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control, against these there is no laws.  Then, Lord, we will be Your people who are called by Your name, we have crucified our flesh through our faith in Christ; so Christ can live in us, and remove all envy, hate, jealousy, and strife.  Father, keep us humble and lead by the Spirit, remove everything that keeps us from sitting at Your feet; remove every generation curse, every demonic Spirit from us.    Lord, there are so many things we cannot do in the flesh that we can do in the Spirit: so give us the Spirit of forgiveness and love for our enemies and those who have wronged us. Father, give us Your courage to love those that do not love us and witness to those that need to hear the Word.  Father, continue to work in and through us, to help build up Your Kingdom; and lift up our brothers and sister, in Jesus name Amen