The Holy Spirit part 11-Life in the Spirit

Prayer Prompt:  Lord, bear fruit in my life that is from your Holy Spirit’s work in me and keep me walking with you. 

Read: Galatians 5

Introduction:  I am a runner, but not exactly by choice.  I got roped into playing adult soccer a few years back and I run to try and keep up with the other members of my team.  When I’m getting ready to start a new season, I always train in intervals-running mixed with walking.  I try to do sprints to simulate the experience of the quickness you must have in times where the motivation to move comes from a place of protecting the goal.  I play defense.  Even if I’m out of breath, if someone comes on my side of the field with the ball I know my team is counting on me to guard and attack the area of the field entrusted to me.  My body will move on pure desire alone.  I have trained for this.  I am ready to give it all when harm is lurking.  Though I love the game, there are times when I let down for different reasons.  Our game this past week was one of those times.  We played a team that is ranked below us who we usually crush!  I came in confident and didn’t work as hard as I could have, until they scored and we had no points.  As the minutes ticked by our team made shot after shot and nothing went in.  When I read verse 7 of Galatians 5 this week it reminded me of my overconfidence and how it affected my play.  You were running well; how hindered you from obeying the truth?   The truth is there are never any certainties in life and the persona who hindered myself was me.  I was acting under assumptions of how things would turn out based on my skill and ability and not with a dependence on God.  How often do I wander without walking intentionally?  Do you desire to walk with the Spirit?  Let’s see what Galatians 5 had to teach us. 

Study:

·         What freedom does Christ offer?  Read each verse and come up with one word to describe the things He brings to your life when you become free: Romans 6:22, 7:4, John 8:32.

·         A false teacher, one who perverts the gospel and teaches un-biblical things, had come in and told the Galatians Christians that faith wasn’t enough to be saved—that they had other duties to perform.  Jesus Himself warns us wolves will come and mislead us (Matthew 7:15).  Test all teaching, even mine, against what the Bible says (1 John 4:1)!  So what does this chapter say about doing anything other than relying on Christ for salvation?  See also Romans 2:25-29, 3:27-4:12.

·         What results of walking by the Spirit?  What other way is there to walk if you are believer?

·         Make 0ne list of the deeds of the flesh and another of the fruits of the Spirit.  Do you know what all of them mean?  Define them using a Bible dictionary or other resource you have.  A free one on-line can be found here: http://www.antioch.com.sg/cgi-bin/bible/vines/find_term.pl.  Sometimes I learn a lot by looking up words I think I already know.

What Does it Mean to Me:

·         Read verse 5.  What hope to we wait for?  See Romans 8:23, 1 Corinthians 1:7, and Philippians 3:20.  Do you wait eagerly like the Philippian church? 

·         Paul uses the analogy of leaven to teach us about our spiritual walk.  He uses the analogy again in 1 Corinthians 6:6-8.  Read Exodus 12:14-27.  What is leaven and how was it part of the Israelite’s history?  How is it part of the Christian faith?

·         When you listed the deeds of the flesh above, is there any leaven you need to clean out?  Remember, allowing it to stay effects all of you and pervades every part of your life.  Back to my running analogy:  Not that I have already obtained it or have already become perfect, but I press on so that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus, [Sisters], I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do; forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.  (Philippians 3:12-14, bracket mine)  It is not about being perfect, it is about being filled with the grace of Grace and not letting sin hold you back from all God wants for your life.  You are already seen as perfect through Christ (Hebrews 10:14), so attack the sin with all His strength.    

·         Why is there no law against the fruit of the Spirit?  See Romans 6:4-14 and 7:4. 

 Live it Out:

So I hope you saw today that we are to walk by the Holy Spirit.  We can walk other ways, but there is no other way to take hold of the eternal life to which you were called (1 Timothy 6:12).  So you learned you are called to walk, but do you know how?  This chapter gives a lot of instructions on how to do that.  Reread the chapter prayerfully and ask God to show you how to walk with the Spirit through this chapter of Galatians. 

Meditation: Write down a verse or truth God has shown you today through this study.  Put it somewhere you will see it often and remember His personal, life-giving word for you.