Read Galatians 5:16–26
Today’s Scripture: So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. Galatians 5:16

At the close of an important speech to congress on January 6, 1941,
President Franklin D. Roosevelt shared his vision of the kind of world he
wanted to see after the war was over. He envisioned four basic freedoms
enjoyed by all people: freedom of speech, freedom of worship, freedom
from want, and freedom from fear. But our world still needs a fifth freedom: freedom from the tyranny of our sinful nature.

The legalists thought they had the answer to the problem in laws and
threats, but Paul has explained that no amount of legislation can change a person’s sinful nature. We need another power within, and that power
comes from the Holy Spirit of God.

When we believe in Christ, the Spirit comes to dwell within us (Gal. 3:2).
It is the Holy Spirit in the heart who gives assurance of salvation, and it is
the Holy Spirit who enables us to live for Christ and glorify Him. The Holy
Spirit is not simply a “divine influence”; He is a divine Person, just as the
Father and the Son are. What God the Father planned for you and God the Son purchased for you on the cross, God the Spirit personalizes for you and applies to your life as you yield to Him.

Something to Ponder
In what ways do you live “by the Spirit”?