August 12, 2024
“You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love.” Galatians 5:13 (NIV)
Excessive freedom can lead us into chaos. We have been called to liberty through Christ Jesus, however we must be careful how we express this liberty. Looking for pleasure without boundaries leads to misfortune.
Galatians 5:19-21 shows us the works of the flesh – the people who practice these works will never partake in the inheritance we were promised as born-again children of God. That is, they will never see the kingdom of God.
In Revelation 2:12-14, we learn of the church of Pergamum which was suffering with sexual immorality – one of the works of the flesh. Whenever we allow the flesh to take control, we end up with undesirable outcomes. We cannot form a doctrine on sin and permissiveness and think this is acceptable.
Repentance only comes by agreeing fully with God’s point of view.
This lesson calls for a self-examination. Are we inconsistent? Are we compromised?
Luckily, there are some adjustments we can use to overcome these. The first is to repent (Revelation 2:16). For repentance, there must first be a change of thinking, a change of mind and a decision. In the parable of the Prodigal son (Luke 15:17-20), we see him thinking, and then coming to a realisation and a decision.
Repentance only comes by agreeing fully with God’s point of view. We must see things the way God sees it, otherwise we have not truly repented. For example, with sexual immorality, it’s not just about feeling sorry if we fall into sexual immorality. We must first come to the agreement that God sees it as wrong, before repentance can follow. We cannot say we have fully repented if we commit the same sin repeatedly.
There are also repercussions for not repenting - God promises that he will fight sinners with the sword of his mouth (Revelation 2:16)
The second adjustment is to walk in the spirit. Galatians 5:16 says, “I say then, walk in the Spirit, and you will not fulfil the lust of the flesh”. Romans 8:5 shows us exactly how to walk in the Spirit. We must first set our minds on things of the Spirit. We have a choice here: to walk in the flesh or walk in the Spirit.
In Romans 6:19, Apostle Paul is saying that just as we presented ourselves as slaves to sin leading to more sin, we can present ourselves now as slaves to righteousness for holiness. The power is in our decisions, but of course, God remains faithful. With every time we are tempted, God always provides a way of escape.
We can lean on the instruction of Philippians 4:8 where we are advised to think about good things, noble things, pure things and similar qualities. This keeps our minds and hearts in a place of purity and not dwelling on sinful thoughts.
Song of Worship
Spirit lead me where my trust is without borders,
Let me walk upon the waters, wherever you would call me.
Take me deeper than my heart could ever wander,
And my heart would be made stronger in the presence of my saviour
Song Oceans by Hillsong
Prayer - God help me to stay focused on only You. Help me not to be like the Nicolaitans who do both good and evil and think it is OK.
Bible in 1 year: Psalms 87-88; Romans 13
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