Today, I had a special request to write about Galatians 5:16-26. The bible always puts me in a state of awe when I read a passage and I see how relevant and true it is when applied with my own life!
Galatians 5:16-26
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.
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. 24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.25 Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. 26 Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.
I'm not sure about you guys, but as I was reading this passage, I caught myself nodding my head in agreement with it. Do you see all of the acts of flesh that are listed? Before I came to Christ, I was guilty of almost all of them. I had to look up dissension in the dictionary, and it means strong disagreement. I giggled a bit when I read this because before I came to Christ, I argued with everybody! It didn't matter whether I actually agreed with them or not, I always looked for arguments. It's kind of weird now that I think of it. Why would somebody want to argue with people? Well, I'm not sure WHY I wanted to, but I did.
It's not only this quality that I possessed. I was also a very, very jealous person. Actually, it is still something I struggle with, and jealousy is a very annoying quality to possess. It prevents you from doing a lot. It is a very difficult quality to have in a relationship, and jealousy can lead to many destructive things. I'm so grateful to have met Christ, because He has truly been changing me in this way!
Something that I have recently come to realize is that there is always a war going on. Yes, we may not be able to see it at times, and we may not be able to feel it at times, but it is always happening. As children of God who have accepted Jesus as our Lord and Saviour, we are still going to struggle with our flaws and our imperfections, but we will no longer be dominated by these things because we now have the strength of the Lord on our side!
It is not enough to stop these acts of flesh, but we must also seek the fruit of the Spirit!
Romans 8:5-8
5 Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires;but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. 6 The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace. 7 The mind governed by the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. 8 Those who are in the realm of the flesh cannot please God.
We must always be seeking the Spirit. God will be pleased once we have a mind governed by the Spirit, and why wouldn't we want to anyways? I can personally testify that being closer with the Lord has made me a million times happier. Inside, I am at peace for the Lord is with me. Of course the battle is always occurring, but the Lord continues to have an obvious presence in my life that is not only visible to me, but visible to others as well. With the Lord, we find true joy, love, and peace! So, why shouldn't we seek him?
I want to hang all of my sins and acts of the flesh on the cross. The struggle is present now, but soon, they will be gone! I know many of you are struggling as well, and I will be praying for you! If any of you have any struggles you want to share with me, please do! I will pray for you!
May you feel the presence of the Lord by your side every single second of your day. May you know He is always with you. He never leaves us alone! :) The Lord is great, is he not? He brings us true joy, love and happiness! With Him, our struggles are nothing. Nothing at all! Praise Him!
Have a good night everybody!
- kjoosaurus out!
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