Reading Plan:
Galatians 5

Our Thoughts:
Freedom! Doesn’t that sound nice? As Americans we love the thought of freedom, right? I know I do. So did Jesus. That is why he came to earth - to set the captives free. This freedom, however, does not revolve around politics or governments; this freedom is much more important. It’s spiritual freedom. Paul writes in Galatians 6, “you were called to be free!”
God’s original plan for us was freedom. That plan was derailed by Adam and Eve when they ate the forbidden fruit in the garden. Since then, there has been a war waging inside of every man and woman. The war between two spirits, the spirit of your flesh and the Holy Spirit.
The spirit of our flesh is our default. We never have to work at listening to our flesh. Think back to a time when you made a bad decision or a series of bad decisions. Wasn’t that the easier of two options? Probably so. Why? Because it is natural for us to listen to our flesh. And we never drift toward good on our own. We always drift toward bad. That is our nature and we pay a costly price for doing so.
This is why Paul warns us to not use our freedoms to indulge in the flesh; rather, we are to live in tune with the Holy Spirit that lives within us. As we learn to listen to the Holy Spirit, we will learn to live a truly free life.
A life that is of the flesh includes sexual immorality, impurity and corruption, idolatry, hatred, conflict and friction, envy, drunkenness...the list goes on. On the other hand, gifts we receive as we live in Spirit include love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithful, and self-control. So, let’s listen to the Spirit and live free!

More Questions:
When was a time that you chose to listen to your flesh? When was a time that you chose to listen to the Holy Spirit?
What freedoms of the Spirit of God do you want that you currently do not possess?


Prayer:
Heavenly Father, thank you for offering me a free life. Help me to learn to walk in the Spirit and deny the desires of my flesh. I pray this in faith and in the name of Jesus, Amen!

Author: Tyler Eggers