Read Galatians 5:16–26
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”?