Scripture:

“But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.” – Galatians 5:16

Reading:

Our flesh can be one of the greatest idols. It is so hard to deny the flesh. As long as we are in the flesh, we will be enticed by things in the world. As Paul says in Galatians 5, we do have a freedom.

God’s law has condemned us to hell. The Bible is clear that none of us are perfect. We have all sinned and fallen short. But in Jesus Christ, through faith in what he did on the cross to save us from our sins, we are in fact free. Paul, in Galatians 5, says that we are to use the freedom that we have in Christ to love and serve one another – not to gratify our flesh. We should pursue God with our whole heart… but why don’t we? We are sinners.

There are so many things that we could be spending our time doing. One of the ways a lot of us struggle is with social media. At the time of writing this, 16-24-year-olds spend a median of 3 hours a day on social media. We can endlessly scroll on a phone – longing to connect with other people or maybe, just wanting to know something new. Much of the time, we desire to scroll on social media sites more than connecting with God. The fact is, only three percent of teens read the Bible every day.

What if we were totally occupied with the Spirit of God? What if we did as Paul wanted to do and put to death our fleshly desires? When we are occupied with the Spirit, we strive to live like Jesus.

Here are some ways to live by the Spirit:

1) Generous vs. Selfish: Offering the best to everyone without restraint (Acts 20:35)

2) Content vs. Coveting: Being satisfied with what God has given us (Philippians 4:11-13)

3) Courageous vs. Fearful: Being confident to face difficult situations (Deuteronomy 31:6)

4) Humble vs. Proud: Putting others first for God’s glory (1 Peter 5:6)

5) Self-Controlled vs. Reactionary: Choosing what’s right, not always what I want (Proverbs 25:28)

6) Forgiving vs. Rejecting: Demonstrating the mercy of Jesus to others (Mark 11:25)

7) Diligent vs. Lazy: Working hard to thoroughly accomplish a task (Hebrews 6:11-12)

8) Encouraging vs. Belittling: Building others up with words and actions (Ephesians 4:29)

9) Leader vs. Self-Absorbed: Setting the right example and guiding others towards a goal (Titus 2:7)

10) Thankful vs. Entitled: Grateful to God and to others for how they’ve blessed you (1 Thessalonians 5:18)

Questions:

What are some fleshly desires you find hard to combat in our day?

Who is someone that you look up to that really lives by the Spirit of God?