Do you know where you live?
It’s very important to understand where you live and what you’re facing in life.
The Bible helps us understand what’s going on around us.
The apostle Paul wrote to the churches of Galatia to help us with our struggles and understand what we are facing in life.
This is what he said about where we live.
First, we struggle with our fallen human nature. Paul warned the Galatians about the desires of our sinful nature (the flesh). He told the church that the “desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh” (Galatians 5:17). The Spirit and the flesh are opposed to each other.
Second, this will be a life long battle. It will go on until we die and go to be with the Lord in heaven or the Lord Jesus returns to the earth.
Many Christians do not understand the nature of heaven and earth. As long as we are in the body we will struggle with our sinful nature.
In heaven we will have neither the sinful nature nor temptation. For the first time we will be beyond that struggle.
Third, we have help and hope. This hope is found in our relationship with Jesus Christ. When Christ returned to heaven, God gave his Spirit to be the constant companion of believers. For this reason, we have hope to live for Christ and to be pleasing to God.
Fourth, when we walk with the Spirit, we will be able to overcome the desires and passions of our sinful nature. The struggle will never end, but the battle can be won. God has provided everything we need to live for Him and carry out His purpose in the world.
Fifth, we must recognize the tremendous gift God has given us. He has provided us with the fruit of the Spirit to bring about a change in our behavior and our character (Galatians 5:22-23).
God gives us His own character so that we might live Godly lives.
Therefore, let us understand the struggle and let us not be overwhelmed with the task. God has provided for our needs.
“So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh” (Galatians 5:16).
If you would like to receive all of my blog posts, you can subscribe at Waylonbailey.com. It’s completely free and easy to do.
One Response
I thought the story of the ethics and the answer given by your seminary friend was great. If you give that some thought there is a lot to render from it. You could make another whole sermon on just that quote, “Not doing what is wrong doesn’t make you good”. There is much to understand in this. Thanks.