Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Welcome to Beyond Sunday, the podcast that takes
you deeper into the Word of Godthroughout your week with your
hosts, pastors Lee and Jim.
It's time to inspire, upliftand dig deeper.
Beyond Sunday starts now.
Hey, welcome back to BeyondSunday with Pastor Jim, and I'm
(00:27):
sitting here with Pastor Lee,excited about today's text.
We're going to be in Galatiansand, let me tell you this, one's
going to be short, but it'sgoing to be mighty.
It's going to be talking aboutthe battle that we face every
single day as believers and howwe are called to live
differently.
So Pastor Lee will read thescripture and we're going to
unpack it, share some thoughtsand have a really good time
(00:47):
today with y'all.
Pastor Lee, you ready?
Speaker 2 (00:49):
Yeah, what's going on everybody?
Galatians, chapter five, verses16 and 17.
We see Paul writing to thechurch and this is what he
writes.
But I say walk by the spirit,that's capital S, the spirit of
God.
But I say walk the Spirit andyou will not gratify the desires
of the flesh, For the desiresof the flesh are against the
(01:10):
Spirit and the desires of theSpirit are against the flesh,
For these are opposed to eachother to keep you from doing the
things you want to do.
Speaker 1 (01:20):
I love how Paul drops wisdom.
I love how Paul drops wisdomalmost in every single line of
every single thing he says.
It's relevant so much to youand to me in our lives today
that it almost cuts every timecoming and going.
You know he's starting withthis command here Walk by the
Spirit, which is not a casualsuggestion.
He's saying your way of lifeshould be to walk with the
(01:43):
Spirit.
So what does that mean?
Walking by the Spirit meansletting the Holy Spirit lead you
, letting the Holy Spirit guideyour decisions, shape your
thoughts and direct your actions.
And what's the promise in that?
He says if you do that, youwon't give in to the desires of
your flesh.
(02:07):
But then Paul gets real aboutwhy this is so hard.
Because there's a war going oninside of each and every single
one of us, the flesh, which iswhat the Bible is calling our
sinful nature.
Right, it's fighting againstthe Spirit and the Spirit's
fighting back like oil and water, constantly clashing, pulling
us in opposite directions.
So this idea of walking by theSpirit, it really grabs me
because it's directions.
So this idea of walking by theSpirit, it really grabs me
because it's active.
(02:27):
So it's something that I canlook to apply to my life.
That's currently going on on aregular basis, and it's not
something that I got to sit backand hope that's going to
magically make me a betterperson.
It's something that I have towake up every single day.
It's a daily, intentionalchoice to follow the Spirit's
lead, and so in Psalms 143,david prays something like this,
and I love it because it helpsme to do this as well.
(02:48):
David says in Psalms 143, teachme to do your will, for you are
my God.
Let your good Spirit lead me onlevel ground.
And that's really the heart ofthis entire passage asking God
to guide us and trusting HisSpirit to show us the way.
It's like getting led by theSpirit and allowing Him to be
(03:09):
your GPS, and so when you getoff course a little bit, you
remember in your GPS it'll startsaying recalculating,
recalculating, and so we need tomake sure that we're trusting
the Holy Spirit to lead, guideand direct us.
Speaker 2 (03:19):
Yeah, one of two things are going on to control
the body.
You're going to allow the HolySpirit to control your body or
the flesh is going to controlthe body, but that's it.
Those are the two things thatare going to want to control our
body.
When we surrender to the HolySpirit of God living inside of
us as Christians, then we areallowing the Spirit capital S.
(03:39):
We're allowing the Spirit to dowhat God wants done in our
lives and we are choosing lightnot darkness, righteousness not
sin.
Now, that's walking in theSpirit.
But when we choose the desiresof our flesh and sinful
pleasures and desires, that'swalking in the flesh and
allowing flesh to have its way.
So it's really truly a war.
(04:01):
It really truly is a war thatwages within us.
The Spirit and the flesh wanttwo completely different things.
They've got two completelydifferent goals, finish lines.
They both desire two differentatmospheres on the inside of us.
The Holy Spirit wants one thingfrom my mind, from my heart,
from my spirit, and the fleshwants something completely
(04:23):
different.
Speaker 1 (04:24):
Yeah, it's really setting up this battle of flesh
versus spirit.
And the thing about the fleshis it's not just about our
obvious sins like lust, greed,pride.
Those things can presentthemselves as very obvious in
our life, but when we say flesh,it's that part of us that just
(04:47):
wants to take the wheel right.
Our pride, our need for control, our tendency to snap at people
when we're stressed out thosethings come because we are in a
flesh suit.
So the Spirit, on the otherhand, is pushing us internally,
outward, for us to go towardslove, patience, humility,
(05:08):
qualities that reflect Jesus.
Paul says that these two, fleshand spirit, are opposed to each
other, and that is the truth.
Yeah, how many times have youwanted to do the right thing?
Yeah, but you felt this tug todo the opposite?
Or how many times have youwanted to do the bad thing but
you felt this tug to do theright thing?
And that's this tension in thisbattle that Paul is talking
(05:32):
about.
And Paul also says in Romans 7,I don't even understand all of
my own actions.
He says in Romans 7, he talksabout how he does the very thing
that he hates, and I think thatI can say that's me almost
every single day.
Paul's admitting that he feelsthis tug of war all the time,
(05:53):
but in his writings.
I love how, when Paul presentsan issue, he always backs it up
with hope, because then, inRomans 8, he says this For those
who live according to the fleshset their minds on the things
of the flesh, but those who liveaccording to the Spirit, they
set their minds on the things ofthe Spirit, amen.
So the key here is where do weset our minds?
(06:17):
If we focus on the Spirit, ifwe focus on God's truth, if we
focus on His presence, his power, we're going to start winning
all of those battles.
Speaker 2 (06:26):
Yeah, God instructed Noah.
I want you to considersomething here.
God instructed Noah to buildthe ark and eventually what
happens?
The floods come.
Noah released a raven, but theraven never came back.
The raven is known as a type ofscavenger bird.
It's going to eat on dead,decaying animal flesh.
(06:49):
So I can see it now Noah justkind of releasing this raven, it
goes out, it lands on some typeof huge dead carcass floating
in the water.
The waters had not yet receded,yet An animal may have died in
the flood, and here it'sfloating at the top.
This raven goes out and it'sjust feasting, it's having its
way.
No need to come home becauseit's feeding on this dead animal
(07:11):
.
The raven did not returnbecause it's found somewhere
else to be.
It's found something to eat.
The raven is an unclean bird.
Then Noah goes on to release adove.
The dove was considered to be aclean bird.
So when the dove flies out andit finds nowhere to rest on land
or on tree due to the flood, itreturns back to Noah.
(07:34):
It wasn't going to go down andjoin the raven and eat an
unclean meal in an uncleanatmosphere while sitting on the
top of a floating animal carcass.
So the last time Noah goes tolet the dove go, he lets it out.
The dove doesn't return, whichreveals to Noah that the dove
has found something solid,something safe.
(07:57):
Safe, solid ground, somethingclean.
It's a symbol that the watershad receded.
In John 3, 3, Jesus says truly,truly, I say to you, unless one
is born again, he cannot see thekingdom of God.
That raven that Noah let go anddidn't come back is like a
(08:17):
person who goes back to feed onthe old self-pleasures they had
before they got saved,participating in unclean desires
.
But the dove the dove is like arepresentation of our new
desire.
Once we get saved, we walk init and we live in it.
It is the holiness of God thatwe walk and live in, and this is
(08:39):
being led by the Spirit.
When we're led by the Spirit, Idon't want to go back to my old
ways.
I don't want to go back tothose sinful, wicked habits.
I want to choose to walk instep with the Spirit of God,
living in pureness,righteousness, self-control and
sound mind.
Speaker 1 (08:56):
Yeah, let's say that you're at work and a co-worker
keeps just getting under yourskin.
Maybe they're taking credit foryour work, maybe they're just
being belligerent.
You know, straight up, annoying, and your flesh is just
screaming clap back.
I'm going to put this person intheir place.
But the spirit, on the otherhand, inside of us, is
(09:17):
whispering.
Now.
You got to be patient, you gotto show grace.
Maybe there's more going onwith them than what we really
know.
When we walk by the Spirit, whatit means is maybe it's take a
deep breath, maybe we shouldpray for them, even if you don't
even feel like it.
Respond with kindness insteadof shade, and it's not always
easy to do, but it's what theSpirit empowers us to do.
(09:41):
And I've tried it before andI'm going to tell you when you
choose the Spirit's way in yourmarriages, in raising your
children, when you choose theJesus way, I feel like there's
this peace.
I know that there's this peace.
That's so much better than thetemporary high of winning an
argument, or the temporary highof putting a co-worker in their
(10:02):
place, or the temporary high ofproving your son he was wrong
and you were right.
When you choose the Jesus way,when you follow the Spirit, it's
such a peace that falls overyou.
And another example would be wedo this sometimes in our flesh
we compare our lives with oneanother, like what does
(10:23):
so-and-so have, or what theyhave going on, or social media
can kill us in this.
We've talked about this beforeon the phone, pastor Lee, where
we're like the cell phone is soeasy to get trapped into just
scrolling and scrolling andscrolling and looking at what
other people got going on andwhat happens sometimes, if we're
(10:44):
not careful and we're not beingled by the Spirit, the flesh is
going to say keep scrolling,keep comparing yourself, keep
stewing in what everyone elsehas, and then, before too long,
keep stewing in what everyoneelse has, and then, before too
long I get this notion anywayput the phone down, remember who
you are in Christ, be contentwith what God's given you.
Walking by the Spirit meansclose out of the app, right,
(11:13):
because one thing that I'velearned in the Bible, or learned
from the Bible and it says itin the Bible is that we have
learned, in whatever situation,that we need to be content in
the moment.
Right, and so literally stepaway from your phone and thank
God for what's real in your life, and when you do that, it's
like hitting this reset buttonon your heart.
Speaker 2 (11:30):
Yeah, you mentioned the word, the term temporary
high.
Yeah, you know what I'veexperienced about those sinful
temporary highs.
They're immediately followed upwith guilt.
You know what I mean.
And I think if we would focuson the guilt rather than the
high at first, we would bypassthe high, so we don't have to
(11:53):
experience the guilt.
Galatians 5.16 says if we walkby the Spirit, we will not
gratify the desires of the flesh.
Notice, it does not say that ifwe walk by our own strength or
if we walk by our own knowledge.
So many times throughout theyears of being in ministry,
pastor Jim, I have seen peoplecome into church because they're
desperately looking for hope,as they should come to church
(12:14):
for that.
Amen, yes, praise God.
But then after some time goeson and passes, after they've
come and they've gotten theirbattery charged up a little, you
begin to see some of thosefolks less and less until
ultimately they come no more.
And after a few weeks, after afew months or even a few years
(12:35):
of not attending at all, youhear that that type of person
had gone and fallen right backinto the old trap of life again,
the same thing that caused themto come into church looking for
hope.
They've just fallen right backinto that place of desperation.
And now hear me out, folks Ifyou want true, real victory, you
(12:58):
can only have that daily inyour life and you can have that,
but you can only have thatdaily in your life as you walk
in the Holy Spirit madeavailable to you by God.
Almighty upon salvation.
Speaker 1 (13:12):
Yeah, I think what you just said in two different
ways was encouraging, because itreminds us that we're not
fighting this battle alone,that's right.
When you say someone comes intothe church.
Jesus taught us that when theSpirit of truth comes, he's
going to guide you to the truth.
Yeah, and so that's gettingthem, this idea of getting them
into the church.
But then here's the truthSometimes we and what the Bible
(13:34):
teaches is that we fall short.
The Spirit's not leaving us tofigure it out solo, though.
He's going to guide, teach andstrengthen us every step of the
way so that when we do mess upbecause we're going to, god's
grace is there.
He says it in 1 John if weconfess with our sins that he is
faithful and just to forgive usof our sins and to cleanse us
(13:56):
from all unrighteousness.
And that is the safety net thatyou just spoke of, that there's
a safety net that keeps usmoving forward.
Speaker 2 (14:04):
Yeah, I'd like to point out that walking with the
Spirit means being led by theSpirit.
Even though we're walking with,we've got to remember that we
are being led.
We've all been there beforewhen we try to convince
ourselves and God why we shouldbe somewhere that we know we
should not be.
So, yes, we do walk with theSpirit, but it's not my job to
(14:28):
lead the Holy Spirit.
It is the Holy Spirit's job tolead me.
He has that position ofauthority.
So it is the Spirit leading theway.
Although we're walking together, the Spirit is leading the way.
It's the Spirit who's in chargeof the direction that we take
while we are walking this lifeout with God and this personal
(14:49):
relationship with Jesus Christ.
Here's the deal.
The Spirit of God knows whatlies ahead on the path.
He knows whether it's danger orblessing around the corner.
He knows whether it's light ordarkness just above the horizon
in the path there.
So I don't want to go down anypath that the Spirit doesn't
want me on.
Speaker 1 (15:10):
Yeah.
So this text really shouldchallenge us on a daily basis to
think about our choices.
Are we making space to hearfrom the Spirit, to follow the
Spirit?
Are we doing that throughprayer?
Are we reading our Word?
Are we pausing just to listenwhen we feel that tug to give
into the flesh?
Do I lean into the Spirit'spower instead?
(15:32):
And these are all things thatthis passage should challenge us
to consider.
Am I being honest about mystruggles or am I pretending
that I've got it all together?
This passage is calling us tolive intentionally, to choose
the Spirit's way, even when it'shard, and so how does it apply
to our relationships?
If I'm walking by the Spirit,is it showing up in how I treat
people?
Is it showing up in how I treatmy family, my friends, how I
(15:56):
respond to that cashier who'smoving so slow and I'm late for
something?
Am I reflecting the Spirit'sfruit like love and patience, or
am I letting my flesh run theshow?
So what I would really like todo is anybody who's listening to
us.
I want to challenge you toconsider the things that you've
heard here today and go throughyour life and decide where am I
(16:19):
following the Spirit and wheream I still holding on to some of
the things that I operate inthe flesh with?
Speaker 2 (16:25):
Father, we thank you so much for this day that you
have made.
Father, we thank you for thisWord, for it is yours.
Lord, we just want to praiseyou in all things and we do
daily want to be in step withthe Holy Spirit of God Almighty.
So help us to do that, father.
Help us to be in line and instep right where we need to be
(16:47):
at the exact moment, and we know, father, that we can live from
that place of victory because ofwhat Jesus Christ has done for
us in the finished work on thecross.
Father, bless these listenerstoday, and also Pastor Jim and
myself.
Father, we just pray yourblessing on our lives and our
ministry as well.
We ask all this in the mightyname and the cleansing, washing
blood of Jesus, and all God'speople said together, my friends
(17:10):
, amen and amen, and we lookforward to seeing you next time
on Beyond Sunday with Pastor Leeand Pastor Jim.
God bless.
Welcome to Beyond Sunday, the podcast that takes
you deeper into the Word of Godthroughout your week with your
hosts, pastors Lee and Jim.
It's time to inspire, upliftand dig deeper.
Beyond Sunday starts now.
Hey, welcome back to BeyondSunday with Pastor Jim, and I'm
(00:27):
sitting here with Pastor Lee,excited about today's text.
We're going to be in Galatiansand, let me tell you this, one's
going to be short, but it'sgoing to be mighty.
It's going to be talking aboutthe battle that we face every
single day as believers and howwe are called to live
differently.
So Pastor Lee will read thescripture and we're going to
unpack it, share some thoughtsand have a really good time
(00:47):
today with y'all.
Pastor Lee, you ready?
Speaker 2 (00:49):
Yeah, what's going on everybody?
Galatians, chapter five, verses16 and 17.
We see Paul writing to thechurch and this is what he
writes.
But I say walk by the spirit,that's capital S, the spirit of
God.
But I say walk the Spirit andyou will not gratify the desires
of the flesh, For the desiresof the flesh are against the
(01:10):
Spirit and the desires of theSpirit are against the flesh,
For these are opposed to eachother to keep you from doing the
things you want to do.
Speaker 1 (01:20):
I love how Paul drops wisdom.
I love how Paul drops wisdomalmost in every single line of
every single thing he says.
It's relevant so much to youand to me in our lives today
that it almost cuts every timecoming and going.
You know he's starting withthis command here Walk by the
Spirit, which is not a casualsuggestion.
He's saying your way of lifeshould be to walk with the
(01:43):
Spirit.
So what does that mean?
Walking by the Spirit meansletting the Holy Spirit lead you
, letting the Holy Spirit guideyour decisions, shape your
thoughts and direct your actions.
And what's the promise in that?
He says if you do that, youwon't give in to the desires of
your flesh.
(02:07):
But then Paul gets real aboutwhy this is so hard.
Because there's a war going oninside of each and every single
one of us, the flesh, which iswhat the Bible is calling our
sinful nature.
Right, it's fighting againstthe Spirit and the Spirit's
fighting back like oil and water, constantly clashing, pulling
us in opposite directions.
So this idea of walking by theSpirit, it really grabs me
because it's directions.
So this idea of walking by theSpirit, it really grabs me
because it's active.
(02:27):
So it's something that I canlook to apply to my life.
That's currently going on on aregular basis, and it's not
something that I got to sit backand hope that's going to
magically make me a betterperson.
It's something that I have towake up every single day.
It's a daily, intentionalchoice to follow the Spirit's
lead, and so in Psalms 143,david prays something like this,
and I love it because it helpsme to do this as well.
(02:48):
David says in Psalms 143, teachme to do your will, for you are
my God.
Let your good Spirit lead me onlevel ground.
And that's really the heart ofthis entire passage asking God
to guide us and trusting HisSpirit to show us the way.
It's like getting led by theSpirit and allowing Him to be
(03:09):
your GPS, and so when you getoff course a little bit, you
remember in your GPS it'll startsaying recalculating,
recalculating, and so we need tomake sure that we're trusting
the Holy Spirit to lead, guideand direct us.
Speaker 2 (03:19):
Yeah, one of two things are going on to control
the body.
You're going to allow the HolySpirit to control your body or
the flesh is going to controlthe body, but that's it.
Those are the two things thatare going to want to control our
body.
When we surrender to the HolySpirit of God living inside of
us as Christians, then we areallowing the Spirit capital S.
(03:39):
We're allowing the Spirit to dowhat God wants done in our
lives and we are choosing lightnot darkness, righteousness not
sin.
Now, that's walking in theSpirit.
But when we choose the desiresof our flesh and sinful
pleasures and desires, that'swalking in the flesh and
allowing flesh to have its way.
So it's really truly a war.
(04:01):
It really truly is a war thatwages within us.
The Spirit and the flesh wanttwo completely different things.
They've got two completelydifferent goals, finish lines.
They both desire two differentatmospheres on the inside of us.
The Holy Spirit wants one thingfrom my mind, from my heart,
from my spirit, and the fleshwants something completely
(04:23):
different.
Speaker 1 (04:24):
Yeah, it's really setting up this battle of flesh
versus spirit.
And the thing about the fleshis it's not just about our
obvious sins like lust, greed,pride.
Those things can presentthemselves as very obvious in
our life, but when we say flesh,it's that part of us that just
(04:47):
wants to take the wheel right.
Our pride, our need for control, our tendency to snap at people
when we're stressed out thosethings come because we are in a
flesh suit.
So the Spirit, on the otherhand, is pushing us internally,
outward, for us to go towardslove, patience, humility,
(05:08):
qualities that reflect Jesus.
Paul says that these two, fleshand spirit, are opposed to each
other, and that is the truth.
Yeah, how many times have youwanted to do the right thing?
Yeah, but you felt this tug todo the opposite?
Or how many times have youwanted to do the bad thing but
you felt this tug to do theright thing?
And that's this tension in thisbattle that Paul is talking
(05:32):
about.
And Paul also says in Romans 7,I don't even understand all of
my own actions.
He says in Romans 7, he talksabout how he does the very thing
that he hates, and I think thatI can say that's me almost
every single day.
Paul's admitting that he feelsthis tug of war all the time,
(05:53):
but in his writings.
I love how, when Paul presentsan issue, he always backs it up
with hope, because then, inRomans 8, he says this For those
who live according to the fleshset their minds on the things
of the flesh, but those who liveaccording to the Spirit, they
set their minds on the things ofthe Spirit, amen.
So the key here is where do weset our minds?
(06:17):
If we focus on the Spirit, ifwe focus on God's truth, if we
focus on His presence, his power, we're going to start winning
all of those battles.
Speaker 2 (06:26):
Yeah, God instructed Noah.
I want you to considersomething here.
God instructed Noah to buildthe ark and eventually what
happens?
The floods come.
Noah released a raven, but theraven never came back.
The raven is known as a type ofscavenger bird.
It's going to eat on dead,decaying animal flesh.
(06:49):
So I can see it now Noah justkind of releasing this raven, it
goes out, it lands on some typeof huge dead carcass floating
in the water.
The waters had not yet receded,yet An animal may have died in
the flood, and here it'sfloating at the top.
This raven goes out and it'sjust feasting, it's having its
way.
No need to come home becauseit's feeding on this dead animal
(07:11):
.
The raven did not returnbecause it's found somewhere
else to be.
It's found something to eat.
The raven is an unclean bird.
Then Noah goes on to release adove.
The dove was considered to be aclean bird.
So when the dove flies out andit finds nowhere to rest on land
or on tree due to the flood, itreturns back to Noah.
(07:34):
It wasn't going to go down andjoin the raven and eat an
unclean meal in an uncleanatmosphere while sitting on the
top of a floating animal carcass.
So the last time Noah goes tolet the dove go, he lets it out.
The dove doesn't return, whichreveals to Noah that the dove
has found something solid,something safe.
(07:57):
Safe, solid ground, somethingclean.
It's a symbol that the watershad receded.
In John 3, 3, Jesus says truly,truly, I say to you, unless one
is born again, he cannot see thekingdom of God.
That raven that Noah let go anddidn't come back is like a
(08:17):
person who goes back to feed onthe old self-pleasures they had
before they got saved,participating in unclean desires
.
But the dove the dove is like arepresentation of our new
desire.
Once we get saved, we walk init and we live in it.
It is the holiness of God thatwe walk and live in, and this is
(08:39):
being led by the Spirit.
When we're led by the Spirit, Idon't want to go back to my old
ways.
I don't want to go back tothose sinful, wicked habits.
I want to choose to walk instep with the Spirit of God,
living in pureness,righteousness, self-control and
sound mind.
Speaker 1 (08:56):
Yeah, let's say that you're at work and a co-worker
keeps just getting under yourskin.
Maybe they're taking credit foryour work, maybe they're just
being belligerent.
You know, straight up, annoying, and your flesh is just
screaming clap back.
I'm going to put this person intheir place.
But the spirit, on the otherhand, inside of us, is
(09:17):
whispering.
Now.
You got to be patient, you gotto show grace.
Maybe there's more going onwith them than what we really
know.
When we walk by the Spirit, whatit means is maybe it's take a
deep breath, maybe we shouldpray for them, even if you don't
even feel like it.
Respond with kindness insteadof shade, and it's not always
easy to do, but it's what theSpirit empowers us to do.
(09:41):
And I've tried it before andI'm going to tell you when you
choose the Spirit's way in yourmarriages, in raising your
children, when you choose theJesus way, I feel like there's
this peace.
I know that there's this peace.
That's so much better than thetemporary high of winning an
argument, or the temporary highof putting a co-worker in their
(10:02):
place, or the temporary high ofproving your son he was wrong
and you were right.
When you choose the Jesus way,when you follow the Spirit, it's
such a peace that falls overyou.
And another example would be wedo this sometimes in our flesh
we compare our lives with oneanother, like what does
(10:23):
so-and-so have, or what theyhave going on, or social media
can kill us in this.
We've talked about this beforeon the phone, pastor Lee, where
we're like the cell phone is soeasy to get trapped into just
scrolling and scrolling andscrolling and looking at what
other people got going on andwhat happens sometimes, if we're
(10:44):
not careful and we're not beingled by the Spirit, the flesh is
going to say keep scrolling,keep comparing yourself, keep
stewing in what everyone elsehas, and then, before too long,
keep stewing in what everyoneelse has, and then, before too
long I get this notion anywayput the phone down, remember who
you are in Christ, be contentwith what God's given you.
Walking by the Spirit meansclose out of the app, right,
(11:13):
because one thing that I'velearned in the Bible, or learned
from the Bible and it says itin the Bible is that we have
learned, in whatever situation,that we need to be content in
the moment.
Right, and so literally stepaway from your phone and thank
God for what's real in your life, and when you do that, it's
like hitting this reset buttonon your heart.
Speaker 2 (11:30):
Yeah, you mentioned the word, the term temporary
high.
Yeah, you know what I'veexperienced about those sinful
temporary highs.
They're immediately followed upwith guilt.
You know what I mean.
And I think if we would focuson the guilt rather than the
high at first, we would bypassthe high, so we don't have to
(11:53):
experience the guilt.
Galatians 5.16 says if we walkby the Spirit, we will not
gratify the desires of the flesh.
Notice, it does not say that ifwe walk by our own strength or
if we walk by our own knowledge.
So many times throughout theyears of being in ministry,
pastor Jim, I have seen peoplecome into church because they're
desperately looking for hope,as they should come to church
(12:14):
for that.
Amen, yes, praise God.
But then after some time goeson and passes, after they've
come and they've gotten theirbattery charged up a little, you
begin to see some of thosefolks less and less until
ultimately they come no more.
And after a few weeks, after afew months or even a few years
(12:35):
of not attending at all, youhear that that type of person
had gone and fallen right backinto the old trap of life again,
the same thing that caused themto come into church looking for
hope.
They've just fallen right backinto that place of desperation.
And now hear me out, folks Ifyou want true, real victory, you
(12:58):
can only have that daily inyour life and you can have that,
but you can only have thatdaily in your life as you walk
in the Holy Spirit madeavailable to you by God.
Almighty upon salvation.
Speaker 1 (13:12):
Yeah, I think what you just said in two different
ways was encouraging, because itreminds us that we're not
fighting this battle alone,that's right.
When you say someone comes intothe church.
Jesus taught us that when theSpirit of truth comes, he's
going to guide you to the truth.
Yeah, and so that's gettingthem, this idea of getting them
into the church.
But then here's the truthSometimes we and what the Bible
(13:34):
teaches is that we fall short.
The Spirit's not leaving us tofigure it out solo, though.
He's going to guide, teach andstrengthen us every step of the
way so that when we do mess upbecause we're going to, god's
grace is there.
He says it in 1 John if weconfess with our sins that he is
faithful and just to forgive usof our sins and to cleanse us
(13:56):
from all unrighteousness.
And that is the safety net thatyou just spoke of, that there's
a safety net that keeps usmoving forward.
Speaker 2 (14:04):
Yeah, I'd like to point out that walking with the
Spirit means being led by theSpirit.
Even though we're walking with,we've got to remember that we
are being led.
We've all been there beforewhen we try to convince
ourselves and God why we shouldbe somewhere that we know we
should not be.
So, yes, we do walk with theSpirit, but it's not my job to
(14:28):
lead the Holy Spirit.
It is the Holy Spirit's job tolead me.
He has that position ofauthority.
So it is the Spirit leading theway.
Although we're walking together, the Spirit is leading the way.
It's the Spirit who's in chargeof the direction that we take
while we are walking this lifeout with God and this personal
(14:49):
relationship with Jesus Christ.
Here's the deal.
The Spirit of God knows whatlies ahead on the path.
He knows whether it's danger orblessing around the corner.
He knows whether it's light ordarkness just above the horizon
in the path there.
So I don't want to go down anypath that the Spirit doesn't
want me on.
Speaker 1 (15:10):
Yeah.
So this text really shouldchallenge us on a daily basis to
think about our choices.
Are we making space to hearfrom the Spirit, to follow the
Spirit?
Are we doing that throughprayer?
Are we reading our Word?
Are we pausing just to listenwhen we feel that tug to give
into the flesh?
Do I lean into the Spirit'spower instead?
(15:32):
And these are all things thatthis passage should challenge us
to consider.
Am I being honest about mystruggles or am I pretending
that I've got it all together?
This passage is calling us tolive intentionally, to choose
the Spirit's way, even when it'shard, and so how does it apply
to our relationships?
If I'm walking by the Spirit,is it showing up in how I treat
people?
Is it showing up in how I treatmy family, my friends, how I
(15:56):
respond to that cashier who'smoving so slow and I'm late for
something?
Am I reflecting the Spirit'sfruit like love and patience, or
am I letting my flesh run theshow?
So what I would really like todo is anybody who's listening to
us.
I want to challenge you toconsider the things that you've
heard here today and go throughyour life and decide where am I
(16:19):
following the Spirit and wheream I still holding on to some of
the things that I operate inthe flesh with?
Speaker 2 (16:25):
Father, we thank you so much for this day that you
have made.
Father, we thank you for thisWord, for it is yours.
Lord, we just want to praiseyou in all things and we do
daily want to be in step withthe Holy Spirit of God Almighty.
So help us to do that, father.
Help us to be in line and instep right where we need to be
(16:47):
at the exact moment, and we know, father, that we can live from
that place of victory because ofwhat Jesus Christ has done for
us in the finished work on thecross.
Father, bless these listenerstoday, and also Pastor Jim and
myself.
Father, we just pray yourblessing on our lives and our
ministry as well.
We ask all this in the mightyname and the cleansing, washing
blood of Jesus, and all God'speople said together, my friends
(17:10):
, amen and amen, and we lookforward to seeing you next time
on Beyond Sunday with Pastor Leeand Pastor Jim.
God bless.
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