Galatians 5:25
“Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives.”
Every morning at 5:25 a few friends and I have a Power Prayer Minute. We don’t gather, we just pray for that one minute from wherever we are. There is something really awesome about knowing that we are united in the Spirit and our prayers are happening simultaneously. Why did we pick 5:25? Because of today’s verse. Every single day I remind myself that living by the Spirit means following his leading. And not just trying to hear something from God that makes me feel warm and fuzzy. This verse says we are to follow the Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives. 100%. Not even 99.9%. Total. All. Every part.
Often people hear this and their response is, “Well, I can’t be perfect so what does this really mean?” Remember from the rest of Galatians 5 that striving to be perfect is a rules-based plan to fail. This is not about being perfect. It is entirely about living by the Spirit, receiving his fruit and letting it carry us into completely new places. Let me rephrase this verse: “Since rules don’t save us, let’s not listen to rules anymore. Let’s stay so connected with the character and nature of God that we are carried into doing exactly what he would do.” Living by the Spirit means we reject the law (or the American Christian subculture) as our Savior. Following the Spirit’s leading is our new guide for how to live.
Here’s your freedom for today: God does not resort to pressure tactics — he invites, welcomes and embraces. Some people are afraid to stop striving for perfect, rule-driven standards because they afraid they will somehow backslide if they don’t keep this pressure on themselves. What would happen in your life if you took God’s approach with yourself? What would it be like if you were kind and gentle and loving to yourself, flowing out of your relationship with the Holy Spirit? What if you were simply free to live in a way that helped you emotionally breathe? Maybe this word is just for me today, but I already feel lighter. I can carry a whole lot less on my plate if I just focus on who God is and where he’s taking me.