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January 20 2022
Scripture
Devotion
If you are a Christian, then you have been baptized with the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:5). As a result, the Holy Spirit now dwells within you (2 Timothy 1:14) and, according to our verses for today, you can expect Him to lead you and guide you through life.
There are two fundamentally opposed ways that we can live and be led. We can live and be led according to the flesh, or we can live and be led according to the Spirit.
“Flesh” is the Apostle Paul’s metaphor for the sinful spiritual state of human beings apart from Christ. If we live according to the flesh, then we will set our minds on the things of the flesh (Romans 8:5). We will be led by the wants and desires of our sinful spiritual state and we will live in hostility to God and to His laws (Romans 8:7). Following this way leads to death.
On the other hand, if we live according to the Spirit, we will set our minds on the things of the Spirit (Romans 8:5). We will be led by the Spirit into a relationship of peace with God and obedience to His laws. Following this way leads to life.
Although as Christians we have the Holy Spirit within us, although the Holy Spirit is there to guide us, we do not always follow the lead of the Holy Spirit. We sometimes follow the lead of the flesh. Instead of taking the time to find out what the Holy Spirit is saying, we hastily and impulsively move forward in accordance with the misguided wants and desires of the old sinful spiritual state. We suffer as a consequence.
When the decision must be made, when the crossroad looms ahead, or when the crisis strikes, resist the haste and impulsivity of the flesh and take the time to pray for the guidance that the Spirit has for us. Get quiet before God, look deep within, and get ready for what the Spirit will reveal to you.
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