Galatians 5:16-18 (NLT)
“So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves. The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, so you are not free to carry out your good intentions. But when you are directed by the Spirit, you are not under obligation to the law of Moses.”
Do you ever feel like you are in the middle of a battle, being pulled in opposite directions all the time? The reality is that is exactly what is going on. Pick your favorite good versus evil movie and apply it to your everyday life. That exact war is raging inside of all of us every single day. I’m caught by the word “let” — “let the Holy Spirit guide your lives…” There is a sense that our permission is required for the Holy Spirit to guide us. We have to allow that guidance, he won’t force his way in. The catch? You have to let go of all that your body and mind crave.
The Spirit and our flesh are in opposition, constantly fighting. Remember those New Year’s resolutions you are no longer doing? Yeah… We aren’t free to easily succeed at all the great things we want to do to improve our lives. The failure to keep God’s laws was the ultimate New Year’s resolution gone bad, and it proved that our human efforts would never be able to move us forward.
Here’s your freedom for today: when we are directed by the Spirit, our hearts are changed. We don’t have obligations and requirements and hoops to jump through. The Holy Spirit is there to guide us in the midst of the battle, not to take us off the battlefield. What are the battles raging inside you today? How can you invite the Holy Spirit to guide you in the midst of that war? What freedom might you find in simply asking for help?