Page 21 - Cornerstone Connection Magazine - Volume 22 - Issue 8

The Spirit and Our Walk against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another,
so that you may not do the things that you please.
Have you ever felt like quitting the Christian life? But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the Law.
Perhaps you have tried to be the kind of person you think Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are:
God wants you to be: You’ve established a consistent quiet immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmities,
time with the Lord, during which you read the Bible and strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions,
pray. But still you seem to have one struggle after another. factions, envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like
So you think that you might be missing something—or these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned
that maybe this life isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. Let this you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the
be a comfort: Many believers, myself included, have toiled kingdom of God.
through periods of defeat. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience,
The key to living a life of joy, peace, and victory is found kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control;
in Galatians 5. Notice that I did not say a life without against such things there is no law.
conflict or one free of temptation, trial, or heartache. Those Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the
are part of the human condition. But we can triumph flesh with its passions and desires.
through the power of the Holy Spirit. If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit.
In fact, today’s passage makes clear how vital it is for Let us not become boastful, challenging one another,
believers to live a Spirit-filled life. When a person trusts envying one another. ✝
Jesus Christ as Savior, he or she is saved and steps from
darkness into light. But believers do not then just stand
around. As followers of Christ, we fall in step with the Holy
Spirit, who helps us to stay on our feet when we are wobbly, © Copyright 2021 In Touch Ministries, Inc. All rights reserved. www.intouch.org. In Touch
grants permission to print for personal use only.
to move uphill without tiring, and to stand again after we
have fallen. We rely upon Him as our Guide, Comforter,
and source of strength.
Does getting through a defeat feel more like crawling
than walking? Thankfully, the Holy Spirit is right with you,
and He has all the encouragement and power necessary to
get you on your feet again. Our journey with Christ can’t
be lived alone—rely upon God’s Spirit to escort you each
step of the way.

Galatians 5:16-26

But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the
desire of the flesh.
For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit

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