“Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the flesh.” Romans 13:14 NIV
Exercise is a requirement if we want to build muscle. Left alone, muscles become soft and weak. In the same way, our spirits suffer when they never face difficulty or struggle. Apart from the strengthening effects of pain and conflict, our faith would be weak and nearly useless. This is why God doesn’t remove the tendencies of our old human nature when we become Christians. He doesn’t want to change us immediately into perfectly obedient people. The tug of our old human nature against our spirits gives faith a constant workout. The apostle Paul wrote in Galatians 5:16 that believers should “walk by the Spirit, and they will not carry out the desire of the flesh.” The Holy Spirit is our spiritual trainer committed to getting our spirit into good shape so we can resist temptations. Our goal should be to get on His exercise plan for healthy faith. We must be fully persuaded that we can’t live the Christian life apart from the Holy Spirit. Until we grasp this truth, we’ll keep trying to live in our own strength and repeatedly fall back into sin. We’ll find ourselves confessing the same old failures time after time. But, if we surrender to God, the Spirit will show us how to have victory. We must ask the Holy Spirit to live through us, guiding us to make wise decisions and teaching us to love. Surrender is a constant decision. Every new choice brings a fresh opportunity to submit to the guidance of the Holy Spirit, rather than the temptation of our old human nature. Each time we choose to walk with Him, our faith is strengthened.
PRAYER THOUGHT
Lord, through Your indwelling Holy Spirit we have victory over sin.
PRAYER FOR TODAY
Thank You, Holy Spirit, every new choice brings a fresh opportunity to submit to Your guidance, rather than the temptation of our old human nature. As we choose to walk with You, our faith is strengthened. AMEN
INTERNATIONAL BIBLE READING ASSOCIATION (IBRA)
Matthew 13:1-23
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