SCRIPTURE:
Galatians 5:16-26 NIV “So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. 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. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 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. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.”
Highlighted Verse:
Galatians 5:16 “So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.”
ENCOURAGEMENT:
Every day there is a war being waged within us between our flesh and our spirit. Our flesh desires for everything that is evil and our spirit desires to draw close to God. When our flesh overcomes our spirit we find ourselves giving in to sinful desires but when our spirit overcomes our flesh we find ourselves near to God. So how do we determine who wins? The one who wins is the one you feed. Every day you can either feed your flesh or your spirit. If you begin your day by feeding your flesh with things that lead you towards the world (social media, shows and movies, secular music), instead of feeding your spirit with what leads you towards God (The Word, Worship, Prayer) then you will find that your fleshly desires become stronger than your spiritual ones and then you fall. Once you feed one, you become full and you do not have room to feed the other. That’s why if you first feed your spirit there will not be much room left to feed your flesh. Galatians 5:16 says “walk by the Spirit and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh”. If you feed your spirit, you will find that your spiritual desire to draw close to God in prayer and worship overcomes your fleshly desire to sin. Overcoming sin is not about being strong enough, it is about running towards the one who already overcame sin! So choose every day to first seek God and feed your spirit by spending time in His Word, prayer, and worship.
PRAYER:
In your own words tell God the things you struggle with and pray through these prayer points:
- Ask God for forgiveness if there is any sin you still find yourself falling into.
- Ask God for the strength to die to your own fleshly desires.
- Ask God to place in your heart the desire to seek His word and time with Him every day.
CHALLENGE:
Tag three friends (and @thejesusclubs) on an Instagram story and challenge them to see who can go the most days opening up the Bible before opening up social media.
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Day 6 - God’s Strength & Overcoming Sin
David Matteucci • Galatians 5:16–26
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21 Day Challenge