Read: Galatians 5:16-25
Have you ever imagined that you are a special forces solider? You know the guys who sneak alone, deep behind enemy lines in order to attack difficult to reach targets. These sorts of soldiers regularly fight in incredibly dangerous situations with little or no backup. They are the ones who can go in alone, destroy the enemy and get themselves out. I (Josh) don’t know about you but I don’t think I would have what it takes to do that sort of role.
Many Christians view their battle against sin in this way. They think that they are fighting the battle alone. They totally agree with the words of Paul in Romans 7, but they view themselves as special forces soldiers who need to go in and neutralise the problem of sin by themselves. They need to deal with their issues by themselves. It is little wonder that these kinds of Christians rarely find joy in their lives or get very far in their battle against sin.
Thankfully this is not how God intended the Christian life to be. God did not intend for there to be any lone ranger or special forces Christians, instead he supplied all the backup we need for this fight against sin. He supplied His Spirit to empower us, enable us and to work in us to grow us to be more like Him. Think of it God Himself dwells with us and in us to strengthen us and enable us in our lives. The same God who created the universe with only His word, the same God who sustains all things and the same God who rules and reigns over all things. That God dwells with us through His spirit. What more backup could we need!?
That is what Paul is talking about here in Galatians 5. We are no longer to live according to our flesh but to live by the spirit. This is a life guided by the wisdom and insight of the spirit, enabled by the power of the spirit and motivated by the work of the spirit in our hearts. Paul says that when we live this kind of life we will
Paul goes on to contrast the deeds of the sinful nature with the deeds of the spirit. While our sinful nature brings about all sorts of terrible deeds that ultimately lead to death (vs 19-21) the Spirit works in us to bring about His fruit (vs 22-23). He finishes with an encouragement: “since we live by the spirit, let us keep in step with the spirit.”
We don’t have to fight this fight alone. While we battle against sin in this life we know that we are equipped, enabled and empowered by the Holy Spirit at work in us. As we remember this we walk with the spirit, striving with all our might to keep in step with Him. We have the most powerful backup in the universe on our side but that doesn’t mean we can let Him do all the heavy lifting. Instead we walk with Him and strive together towards holiness and becoming more like Christ. Let us strive together with the Spirit.
Prayer:
Use the Bible passage from today and the reading notes to write down your prayer points before you pray.
Adoration:
Confession:
Thanks:
Supplication:
¥ Pray for the youth of your church. Pray that they might grow in their love for God, their love for one another and their service for God’s kingdom. Pray that they would grow in understanding of God’s word and a love for Him that would carry over into every area of their lives.
¥ Pray for the Youth group at ChristLife as they gather tonight. Pray that their time together would strengthen and encourage all the youth. Pray that the Word would be faithfully taught and explained and that it would sink deep into the hearts and minds of all the youth.
Take a moment today to praise God that He has provided His Spirit to strengthen us and to enable us to grow in holiness. Praise Him for His incredible grace and mercy to us in providing His spirit.
1. How does it change the way you deal with sin in your life to know that the Holy Spirit is helping you?
2. What do you think Paul means when he says to live ‘by the spirit’?
3. What do you think it would look like to ‘keep in step with the spirit’? How could you do that in your life?
Intro: Have you ever needed help to understand something in school? Maybe you needed help from a friend, a teacher or your mum or dad.
Share: A time when you needed help. What was the problem? What did you have to do to get help? What happened?
Read: Galatians 5:16-18. Just like we need help at school everyone needs help to deal with sin in their lives. Who does God send to help us with this problem? How do you think they might be able to help? What do you need to do to get this help?
Pray Together: Thank God that He provides the Holy Spirit to help us deal with sin. Pray that He would help you to be strong and work together with Him.
Intro: Have you ever needed help to lift up something heavy? Has there been a time you just couldn’t do something yourself?
Share: A time when you needed help to lift something that was too heavy. What happened? Did it make it easier?
Read: Galatians 5:16-18. Even big strong men sometimes need help to move things that are too heavy. In the same way we need help to deal with sin in our lives. Thankfully God sends help. Who does God send to help us with this problem? How do you think they might be able to help?
Pray Together: Thank God that He provides the Holy Spirit to help us deal with sin. Pray that He would help you to be strong and work together with Him.
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