BROADCASTS.com

b'I sat down for the umpteenth Sunday service. Same row. Same struggle. Same\\ninsecurity. Never perfect enough\\u2026or perhaps just never enough. I was\\nexhausted by the hamster wheel of performance and anticipated leaving\\nchurch just like I\\u2019d come in. Until\\u2026\\n\\u201cSo I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the\\nflesh.\\u201d \\n\\u201cDid I hear that right?\\u201d I quickly turned my Bible\\u2019s pages to Galatians\\n5:16. \\u201cAha!\\u201d I had read this verse beginning to end many times. But all\\nthis time, the way I lived it out was backward. All. This. Time. I had been\\nliving as though Paul\\u2019s letter to the Galatian church implored, \\u201cBut I say,\\ndo not gratify the desires of the flesh, and then you can say you walk by\\nthe Spirit.\\u201d Catch the difference? It\\u2019s a big one.\\nI looked around to see if anyone else was ready to start a dance party. The\\ntruth was suddenly clear: I didn\\u2019t have to run faster. I could stop\\nrunning! I didn\\u2019t have to hide. I knew God was inviting me off my hamster\\nwheel\\u2026and out of my cage too.\\nLet me explain. For years, I walked with Christ (\\u201cby the Spirit\\u201d) like\\nthis\\u2026\\nWork really hard. Do better than others. Then you will be named\\nvaledictorian. \\nWork really hard. Do better than others. Then you will get the job.\\nWork really hard. Do better than others. Then you will win the scholarship.\\nGive and get. Work and receive. But Galatians 5:16 says the only power to\\novercome these insecurities and misplaced identities comes from Jesus\\nChrist\\u2019s Spirit. It\\u2019s His power. We cannot catch it, claim it, or contain\\nit apart from the work of Christ. If you\\u2019ve put your trust in Jesus, the\\nSpirit of Jesus lives inside you. \\u201cSo I say, walk by the Spirit.\\u201d You don\\u2019t\\nneed to prove yourself. Because Jesus died on the cross and rose from the\\ngrave for you, you are counted worthy in God\\u2019s sight. You are named Child\\nof God. You already got the job. You already won. \\u2022 Kelly Carlson\\n\\u2022 Do you ever find yourself trying to power through a struggle in order to\\nearn or prove your worth? God loves you so much, it was worth it to Him to\\ngo to the cross for you. In Christ, you\\u2019ve already received God\\u2019s\\nacceptance (Romans 15:7; 1 John 4:19). \\n\\u2022 Read Galatians 5:13-26. What are the acts of the flesh? What are the\\nfruits of the Spirit? Why is it important that the only way we can resist\\nthe acts of the flesh\\u2014and instead produce the fruits of the Spirit\\u2014is by\\nthe Spirit\\u2019s power? \\nSo I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the\\nflesh. Galatians 5:16 (NIV)\\n\\xa0\\nRead Verses:\\nMatt.11.25-Matt.11.30|Gal.5.13-Gal.5.26|Zech.4.6'