Category Archives: Holy Spirit

Bible, Flesh, Holy Spirit, Scripture, Submission, Walking

WALK BY THE SPIRIT

GALATIANS 5:16

“But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh.”

Walking the right way is important. When our feet are messed up, that makes it difficult. If we walk improperly, it can throw our whole gait off and affect our back. If our back is bothering us, that can affect our neck and head. And it all began with our feet not being healthy. As one who suffers from bad feet due to neuropathy, I can relate to this combination effect on my body.

Following up from his previous statement in verse 15, Paul makes a simple, yet profound truth. That little word “but” means a contrast from the previous statement is coming. Paul is about to get into a major contrast between flesh and Spirit in verses 19-23 of this chapter. Hang on to your hat. But here, he simply says to walk by the Spirit. Actually, the Greek says, “Spirit walk.” And the verb “walk” is in the present imperative, which means it’s a command to keep walking.

APPLICATION

What does it mean to walk by the Spirit? That sounds awfully churchy, doesn’t it? It really isn’t that complicated. I like what Albert Barnes says about this verse, “the only way to overcome the corrupt desires and propensities of our nature, is by submitting to the influences of the Holy Spirit. It is not by philosophy; it is not by mere resolutions to resist them; it is not by the force of education and laws; it is only by admitting into our souls the influence of religion and yielding ourselves to the guidance of the Holy Spirit of God. If we live under the influences of that Spirit, we need not fear the power of the sensual and corrupt propensities of our nature.”

I read somewhere else that “If the spirit that is in us can be at ease under sin, it is not a spirit that comes from the Holy Spirit.” (Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary) The two cannot co-exist. There is not enough room for both to work in your life. You are either in the flesh or in the Spirit. Look what Paul says in Romans 6:8, “For the one who sows to his own flesh will reap destruction from the flesh, but the one who sows to the Spirit will reap eternal life from the Spirit.”

So, let me ask you – how are you walking today? Are you walking to please that old fleshly heart of yours, trampling underfoot anyone who gets in your way? Or are you submitting your will to His will and letting the Holy Spirit guide you? He will never, ever lead you astray. Every step you take under the influence of Jesus is one step closer to God. Trust that!

O Father, help me walk by the Spirit and not my flesh this day and every day.

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Bible, Freedom, Gifts, Grace, Holy Spirit, Scripture, Service

SERVE ONE ANOTHER

GALATIANS 5:13

“For you were called to freedom, brothers and sisters; only do not turn your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh, but serve one another through love.”

Ministry is all about service. Sometimes that can be a problem, especially when someone takes advantage of it. Having served on several church staffs over my 45 years of ministry, I have encountered a few people who felt like the church staff were their personal errand boys and girls. It would be easy to get into the flesh and get angry and frustrated. It takes humility to serve someone like that.

Paul, once again, emphasizes the Galatians’ freedom in Christ in today’s verse. They were not enslaved any longer to sin, nor were they enslaved to the Mosaic law full of rituals and traditions. However, they were not free to do as they pleased. He says instead to “serve one another through love.” Why do you think he said that? Why would the Holy Spirit inspire Paul to tell them to use their freedom to serve?

APPLICATION

Peter says a similar thing in 1 Peter 4:10, “As each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another as good stewards of the multifaceted grace of God.” Ahhh! Now, Paul’s words make more sense. Now, hang on as I lay this out.

When we come to Christ, we are free from all those things I mentioned earlier, but we are also given the gifts of the Spirit. As we use these gifts in the body of Christ (as they are intended), as we serve one another, we think less of ourselves and more of others. When we do that, we are much less likely to use this freedom to indulge our flesh. Our minds are not on pleasing ourselves. It is on pleasing the Father by serving His body.

Paul gives another warning about this freedom the Galatians now had in Christ. In 1 Corinthians 8:9 he writes, “But take care that this freedom of yours does not somehow become a stumbling block to the weak.” If we are serving one another, the last thing we want to do is be a stumbling block. We want to build them up in Christ. Go be a servant today!

Lord, help me take my eyes off of me and look for ways to serve my brothers and sisters in Christ.

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Attitude, Bible, Brain, Devil, God's Will, Holy Spirit, Remembering, Scripture

NO OTHER VIEW

GALATIANS 5:10

“I have confidence in you in the Lord, that you will adopt no other view; but the one who is disturbing you will bear the punishment, whoever he is.”

Our brains are amazing things. My wife and I have been watching a television series where they quite often perform brain surgery. It is amazing how the brain works but how quickly it can be affected by the smallest of tumors or brain bleeds. Those can cause us to start having strange behaviors or bodily functions. It doesn’t take anything large to cause a large change.

The Greek word that is translated into the phrase “will adopt no other view” is a difficult word to put completely in the English. It has the idea of an inner perspective showing itself in outward behavior. But that doesn’t even quite get the meaning from the Greek. Paul was directed to use this word by the Holy Spirit for a reason. Perhaps the idea of using a word that was hard to understand tells us something. Other ideas can confuse us. We have to be on guard against any of those, no matter how small they may seem.

APPLICATION

Jesus uses this same word in Matthew 16:23 when He rebukes Peter. “But He turned and said to Peter, ‘Get behind Me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to Me; for you are not setting your mind on God’s purposes, but men’s.’” Peter allowed another thought to enter his mind that was not from God.

We see it used again by Paul in Romans 8:5. “For those who are in accord with the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who are in accord with the Spirit, the things of the Spirit.” Then Paul uses it again in Philippians 2:2. “make my joy complete by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose.”

We cannot let any other thought enter our minds, our brains that does not belong to God. We know the evil one wants to corrupt our minds, to get our thoughts off of Jesus. He is the one who “is disturbing you” today. Don’t think for a minute that you are free from his attacks. Keep your focus on Jesus. Listen closely to His voice. Then do what He says.

Father, I want to keep only Your thoughts in my mind. Help me hear You clearly.

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Bible, God's Will, Holy Spirit, Messages, Scripture, Submission, Testimony

IN CONCLUSION

GALATIANS 4:31

“So then, brothers and sisters, we are not children of a slave woman, but of the free woman.”

How many times have you heard a speaker say, “In conclusion,” and then continue speaking for another 15-30 minutes? Preachers are notorious for that (I say that as one). Sometimes, the neatest conclusion is short and sweet. We don’t need to ramble. We just need to wrap it up!  Amen?

Paul wraps up his discussion in verses 21-31 with this last statement in today’s verse. The Greek word used for “So then” is a little conjuction, dio, which could be translated “therefore” or “wherefore.” Paul closes this discussion of the free woman (Sarah) and the slave woman (Hagar) by simply saying we are free in Christ. We belong to the promise made to Abraham and Sarah.

APPLICATION

How can you wrap it up today? We do not need to be dragging things out, do we? What do I mean by that? God had given each of us a message to deliver as believers in Christ. We need to learn to deliver that message succinctly and clearly. We do not need to preach a sermon to deliver the message. Tell what Christ has done in your life. Share your story.

Take a look at Paul’s testimony, which is told three times in the book of Acts. One of those is in Acts 26. I won’t put the whole text here. You can read that for yourself in verses 2-23. The point is – Paul wasn’t bragging on himself or what he had done for Jesus. He was bragging on Jesus. That’s our testimony. In conclusion, that’s all that matters – what He has done in our life.

We all need to have those two or three stories we can tell someone about the workings of Jesus in our life. How He answered a prayer. How He met a need. How we saw His healing power in the life of a loved one. We all have those stories, but we don’t file them away for quick access. In conclusion…keep it simple. Let the Holy Spirit speak through you. He will if you and I will submit to His leading.

Lord, I know I have the tendency to ramble. Help me keep my testimony short and sweet.

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Allegory, Bible, Chains, Devil, Encouragement, Freedom, God's Will, Holy Spirit, Law, Scripture, Slaves

ALLEGORY PART 1 – HAGAR

GALATIANS 4:24

“This is speaking allegorically, for these women are two covenants: one coming from Mount Sinai giving birth to children who are to be slaves; she is Hagar.”

I have to admit that I am not a grammatical genius. If you have read many of my blogs, you have probably already figured that out. Right? So, I looked up the definition of allegory. “It is a figurative sentence or discourse, in which the principal object is described by another subject resembling it in its properties and circumstances.” – Webster. Thank you, Mr. Webster! I am sure we all understand it now.

Paul tells us plainly that he is going to be speaking “allegorically.” This Greek word is only used one time in the New Testament. It literally means to speak publicly something other than. Paul is going to be comparing the story of Hagar and Sarah, Ishmael and Isaac to our slavery to sin and our freedom in Christ. This allegory is not to imply in any way that the Old Testament story is not true. You can use an historical truth allegorically to make a point, which is what Paul has done here.

APPLICATION

Now that I have bored you to tears with the English lesson on allegories, how do we use today’s verse in our lives? Well, let’s focus on the topic of this first part of the allegory – Hagar. Who was she? She was a servant girl of Sarah’s. But she was more than a servant. She had been given to Abraham by Sarah to try to conceive a child which would satisfy God’s promise to give then a child. God never instructed them to do this. They just decided to “help God along.”

This first part of the allegory isn’t very encouraging. Hagar and Ishmael represent slavery to sin. Even after Hagar gave birth to Ishmael, she was still a servant. Nothing had changed. You and I are slaves to sin until we come to Jesus. We have no power to resist. We have no way to escape the devil’s schemes. There is no hope. We can’t “perform” our way out of sin. We have to have the chains broken.

Praise be to God we have a “chain-breaker.” He is Jesus, the Righteous One. He is the One to whom we run for freedom. Paul is so aware of this. He now sees how bound to sin he was while he was under the law, which is also represented by Hagar. Paul wants these Galatians to be free in Christ, not bound to the law. In the same way, God wants us to be free in Jesus. Are you free today?

Lord, I am thankful You gifted men like Paul to write under the inspiration of the Spirit to give us these truths.

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Abiding, Bible, Confidence, Doubts, Freedom, God's Will, Holy Spirit, Salvation, Scripture

PERPLEXING BEHAVIOR

GALATIANS 4:20

“but I could wish to be present with you now and to change my tone of voice, for I am at a loss about you!”

We have all seen new believers who get saved and on fire for Jesus only to revert back to their old behaviors as soon as they move away or start hanging with their old crowd. Compare it to a drug addict who gets all cleaned up in rehab, makes vows or promises and then goes right back to the drugs as soon as they are out of rehab. That kind of behavior can make you raise some doubts as to their sobriety in the first place.

Perhaps I need to remind you that when Paul wrote this letter to the Galatians, he was not with them. He had invested much in them and now, since he has been gone, their behavior is perplexing to him. He is confused as to why they would have deserted the teachings he had given them on the Christ life just because he was no longer there. The phrase “to change my tone of voice” means Paul had much rather speak about them with confidence than doubting.

APPLICATION

The Greek word used for “I am at a loss” is aporeo. It means to be perplexed or in doubt. It is used over in 2 Corinthians 4:8. “we are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not despairing;”Now, let me quickly say that I don’t think Paul was doubting their salvation. He had seen the Holy Spirit work in their lives. Unlike during the Old Testament days when the Holy Spirit would enter and leave someone, in Christ, once the Holy Spirit has come into our lives through salvation, it remains.

However, we can refuse to submit to the leading of the Holy Spirit and get into some awful pickles. In John 16:13-14 Jesus tells us why surrendering our will to the Spirit is so important. “13 ‘But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come. 14 He will glorify Me, for He will take from Mine and will disclose it to you.’”

Don’t you want to know what Jesus is trying to tell you? I sure do. Then we have to stop all this perplexing behavior and surrender to the Spirit. Before you make a decision or do anything, ask the Father in heaven. He will direct the Spirit to inform you. I believe that. Stop acting on your own whims. They usually fail us. He never will.

Father, I do not want to live a perplexing life. I want my life to be centered in Your will.

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Belief, Bible, Holy Spirit, Indwelling, Promises, Scripture

THE PROMISE

GALATIANS 3:14

“in order that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham would come to the Gentiles, so that we would receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.”

As a man of God, one who loves and strives to follow Jesus, I want to keep my promises. That means even the little ones. But I have some big ones to keep also. I promise to love my wife and honor and cherish her. I promise to love my family (children, in-laws, grandchildren, siblings, etc). I especially promise to love my Savior and give Him thanks every day for my salvation.

But what does that word “promise” really mean? In today’s verse, Paul uses that word to talk about the promise of the Spirit to all who believe. The Greek word for “promise is epaggelia. It comes from two Greek words – epi (appropriately on) and aggello (announcement) = to announce what is fitting. God is announcing that it is fitting for us to receive the Spirit when we place our trust in Jesus. Hallelujah!

APPLICATION

It is important to see how Paul structured this sentence. Let me get technical for a second. Grammatically speaking, the “promise of the Spirit” is connected to “through faith.” It is not tied to “the blessing of Abraham.” That is important. Paul is continuing his explanation to the Gentile believers that all they need for salvation is Jesus, not the Mosaic law. And they received the Spirit through their faith in Jesus, not in keeping the Law.

How does this apply to us? Oh, dear friends, we too have that promise of the indwelling Spirit of God at salvation. 1 Corinthians 3:16 says, “Do you not know that you are a temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?” And look at Romans 8:11. “But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.”

Listen, believer, God lives in you through the indwelling of the Spirit. The only way you receive His Spirit is through receiving His Son, Jesus, as your Lord and Savior. No act of man can give you the Spirit. Faith is the door through which the Spirit enters. He will never leave you and will accompany you to glory one day. I have a dear friend who stepped into his heavenly reward this week. He now knows what full indwelling really is. One day…

O Lord, the promise of Your Spirit sounds too good to be true, but I know it’s true because He dwells in me.

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Bible, Freedom, God's Will, Holy Spirit, Scripture

DEAD TO IT

GALATIANS 2:19

“For through the Law I died to the Law, so that I might live for God.”

What freedom we have when we finally get victory over something that has controlled us! Amen? It wasn’t until I understood the freedom that I have in Christ that I was able to escape the self-imposed shackles of religion. I believed I had to do certain things to gain God’s love. I thought I had to also not do other things.

Paul was very aware of this mindset. His training as a Pharisee had taught him to follow the Law. But now he understands that the Law could never lead him to righteousness. Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers says this about this verse, “The road to freedom from the Law lay through the Law.” Paul wanted to make sure Peter and the other Jewish believers in Antioch was reminded of that freedom.

APPLICATION

You can’t say it much simpler than Jesus did in John 8:36. “‘So if the Son sets you free, you really will be free.’” Jesus is saying this in the midst of a conversation with the religious leaders. They equated freedom with release from enslavement. They did not even realize they were enslaved to their laws and guidelines. They did not understand the freedom Jesus was referring to.

In 2 Corinthians 3:17 we read, “Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.” That is the key to our freedom. We have the Spirit of the Lord dwelling within us as believers. The Spirit reminds us of this freedom day after day. He tells us we do not have to be tied to the Law or man-made guidelines anymore.

I am so thankful for my freedom in Christ. I am thankful I am dead to all those old ideas I had about what it meant to be spiritual. Living dead to them and alive to Christ makes everyday a day worth living. It brings new excitement, not drudgery. Isn’t that how you want to live?

Father, I thank You for my freedom I have in Jesus and for the life I can live through Him.

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Alone, Attitude, Bible, Calling, Clarity, Distractions, Holy Spirit, Indwelling, Peace, Restoration, Scripture

GOT TO GET AWAY

GALATIANS 1:17

“nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before me; but I went away to Arabia, and returned once more to Damascus.”

Have you ever just had to get away? I mean, out of Dodge, away from it all. Sometimes that is nice. My wife and I like to go to the mountains. Others like the beach scene. But I especially like to get in the woods. If I am hunting, that’s just icing on the cake. The real treat is just to get away. That is not meant to be a slam against anyone. I love people. Getting away from all the “noise” allows me to hear God more clearly. How about you?

In today’s verse, Paul describes an event that is absent from the book of Acts’ description of his early years. Paul, obviously, knew where he was then better than Luke (the author of Acts) did. To recap – Paul gets saved and then goes away for a period of time into Arabia. We don’t know exactly where he was or what he was doing. We can only conjecture. The point Paul is making in today’s verse is that he did not get his message from men. He got it from God.

APPLICATION

What can we learn from Paul in today’s verse and how do we apply that to our lives? We can learn that even the most honored Biblical saints needed to get away. Paul had to “unlearn” a lot of his earthly teachings and begin to listen to the Holy Spirit. Hmmm? What can we learn from that? We need to listen, don’t you think?  One way is to get into His Word. I recently read that the Scriptures give us communication with God so we can commune with God and have union with God. I like that.

Luke 5:16 tells us something about Jesus that we see reflected here in Paul’s life. “But Jesus Himself would often slip away to the wilderness and pray.” If Jesus modeled this and Paul did this, why shouldn’t we? I have found value in doing this. It clears my head. Do I always come back with some great new insight? Nope. But do I come back feeling more in tune with my Lord? You better believe it.

We can’t live in the wilderness. Paul didn’t stay in the wilderness. Jesus didn’t stay there either. He had work to do. We have work to do. In fact, we have HIS work to do. May you experience some solitude so your attitude can give you the fortitude to advance His kingdom. (That last sentence is an original Carl quote, lol.)

O Father, I thank You for those times I am able to get away and hear You clearly. I want to hear Your marching orders.

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Abiding, Appointed, Bible, Calling, God's Will, Holy Spirit, Listening, Messages, Scripture, Testimony

IN ME

GALATIANS 1:16

“to reveal His Son in me so that I might preach Him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately consult with flesh and blood,”

God has allowed me to minister to others for almost 45 years. My calling occurred soon after I was saved, and I served my first church at age 18. How did I know God was calling me to full-time ministry? He spoke to me through His Holy Spirit. He gave me a burden for the Gospel. It is hard to put into words because it happened internally. I didn’t hear this audible voice from heaven. He spoke to my spirit.

Paul explains his calling in today’s verse. We know of his conversion on the Damascus road detailed in Acts 9. But here he explains that internal calling. The Greek really explains this better. It says, “apokalysai..en emoi.” Let me explain. That reads “to reveal…in me.” The little word en is the key. It means it operates on the inside. Paul was telling us that God, through His Holy Spirit, spoke to him so that he could speak to others.

APPLICATION

Listen closely. You have to be changed on the inside before you have anything to say on the outside. Your testimony begins inwardly. God does a work in you. He begins to reveal Himself to you. Why? So you can tell others. It’s not for you to keep to yourself. Jeremiah the prophet described it this way when he said he just couldn’t keep God’s message inside. “Then in my heart it becomes like a burning fire.”

What has God revealed in you? I can’t speak for you. Only you know that. But one thing is for sure – you won’t hear what God is revealing unless you are looking for it and listening for Him. I’m reading a book right now by Henry and Richard Blackaby entitled, “Hearing God’s Voice.” Now, don’t get spooked by the title. It’s not a mystical teaching. They literally look at how God spoke through the Old and New Testament to His saints. And they also talk about how God speaks to us today.

Are you listening? Do you want God to reveal His message to you? You see, if He does that, then He expects you to share it. Can you do that? Can you share God’s revelations to you? Sure, you can. He will do it through you. Just trust Him. He has something to say and wants to use you.

O Father, use me as Your mouthpiece to a lost world.

P.S. You can always know it is God speaking because if it is, it will be confirmed by His Word.

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