Verse of the Day for Saturday, January 16, 2021

 

Verse of the Day
Saturday, January 16, 2021

Galatians 5:16

This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.

When you placed your faith in Jesus Christ to forgive you of all your sins, were you filled with joy because of your new life in Him? Did the ungodly things you once did lose their attraction? Did you feel like you never wanted to sin again?

Sometimes at the beginning of our relationship with Christ, we begin to feel as if we could conquer every evil impulse. Unfortunately, that feeling of invincibility does not last long. We stumble badly. New temptations and trials bring to light areas of weakness in our lives that we thought we had conquered. We feel confused, ashamed, and even alarmed. We wonder, How could this happen? I thought I was supposed to be free from sin!

The truth is, Jesus has liberated us from our sins—but we must cooperate with what He has done for us. Paul wrote, “For freedom Christ has set us free. Stand firm, therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery” (Gal. 5:1). In other words, God has broken sin’s hold over us and has given us His Spirit, who directs us in living a life of freedom that is pleasing to Him. However, we can forfeit our liberty by selfishly choosing our way instead of God’s.

This is the basis of sin—we disobey the Lord in order to satisfy our own fleshly desires. Paul explains, “For what the flesh desires is opposed to the Spirit, and what the Spirit desires is opposed to the flesh; for these are opposed to each other, to prevent you from doing what you want” (Gal. 5:17). The impulse to sin—also called the sin nature—remains within us and must be surrendered to God. This does not happen overnight, but is the continuing work of the Spirit within us. Paul affirms, “Live by the Spirit, I say, and do not gratify the desires of the flesh” (v. 16).

If you have accepted Christ as your Savior, you have been united with Him. His likeness and holiness are present within your life and He empowers you to resist temptation. Therefore, you must have faith that He can remove ungodly strongholds within your heart and that He will continuously work to set you free from all sin and bondage. Your responsibility is to say no to sin and yes to Him as He provides the all-encompassing liberty that your soul craves.

The Lord can use us to do mighty things when we walk in the Spirit and obey His initial promptings.

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The Holy Bible, King James Version (KJV)