Happy New Year!
It’s that time of year again! A time when we make those promises that things will be different in the coming year. We call them New year’s resolutions. Whether it’s to exercise more, quit that bad habit or better ourselves in some way, the thought of a new year and new beginnings gives us fresh determination to accomplish these goals. But give it a month or so and suddenly we find ourselves back where we started. We’ve tried and we’ve failed and the motivation we had is now gone. What happened? Can’t we do all things through Christ? Yes, we can but there is a right and wrong way to do it. It says in Galatians 5:16 that if we walk in the spirit then we won’t fulfill the desires of the flesh. We do it backwards though. We focus on not gratifying the flesh and it becomes our will that’s leading and not the Spirit. We forget that our flesh is weak and that it’s only within our spirit man that we are capable of the “all things” we are looking to do. (Philippians 4:13) Paul made it clear in Romans chapter 7 that in our flesh there is no good thing. He described the struggle of doing what he didn’t want to do and not doing as he wanted to do as the weakness of the flesh that went against the perfection that was in His Spirit. The victory wasn’t found in the flesh but in the spirit because it is there that we are one with Jesus Christ. (1 Corinthians 6:17) That is why he goes on to say in the next chapter that there is no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus. “For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh, that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.” (Romans 8:2-4) –Our spirits are already perfected. (Romans 8:10) and we are complete in Him (Colossians 2:10) By understanding who we are in Christ we will find that if we choose to focus and follow after the leading of the Spirit within us, we not only can say no to the flesh, but the temptation to follow it will diminish each time we experience a victory. We can also take heart knowing that, not even our failures will separate us from the love of God. (Romans 8:38-39). Let us resolve to walk according to the spirit and watch 2025 be the best year yet!
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