Latest / Calvary Church with Ed Taylor Podcast / #14818 - Walking in the Spirit Defeats the Flesh - Galatians 5:16-18

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#14818 - Walking in the Spirit Defeats the Flesh - Galatians 5:16-18 · Calvary Church with Ed Taylor Podcast

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Welcome to the study of God's Word with pastor and author Ed
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Taylor, recorded live at Calvary Church in Aurora, Co.
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To learn more about the many resources available through a
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Bounding Grace Media or to tune into our live stream services,
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visit us online at Calvary Co dot Church or download our free
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Calvary Church app. Now.
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Here's Pastor Ed to take us into our study.
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Amen. Open your Bibles to Galatians
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chapter 5. We're going to pick up where we
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left off last time in verse 16. Galatians chapter 5, verse 16,
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and I've entitled our Bible study, Walking in the Spirit
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defeats the flesh. We learned that today walking in
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the spirit defeats the flesh. Chapter 5 of Galatians started
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with this command. Stand fast, therefore, in the
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liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled
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again with a yoke of bondage. Paul moves now from standing in
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grace to walking in the Spirit. That's the movement of the
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Christian, and so often the Bible refers to the Christian
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life as a walk. God uses the illustration of
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walking to describe our relationship with Him.
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The Bible has many scriptures that speak of our walk in
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Christ. If you want to jot them down I
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have a few of them. Romans chapter 8 verse one.
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There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in
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Christ Jesus who do not walk according to the flesh, but
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according to the Spirit. Second Corinthians chapter 5
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verse 7. For we walk by faith and not by
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sight. Ephesians chapter 4 verse one.
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I therefore a prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy
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of the calling by which you were called.
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First John chapter 2, verse six. He who says he abides in him
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ought also himself to walk just as he walked.
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Using the illustration of walking to describe your
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Christian life is a real, accurate one.
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The mental pictures of walking bring out so many positive
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illustrations of what it means to live our lives for Jesus.
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Again, if you're taking notes, let me jot a few down for you.
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Walking implies forward progress.
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When you're walking, you're making progress and you're
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moving forward. Secondly, walking implies A
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determined destination and goal. When you're walking somewhere,
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you are literally walking somewhere.
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You have a destination in mind. I mean, even if you got out of
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the house to go take a walk to, to blow off some steam or or to
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think things through, the destination is to blow off the
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steam. It doesn't matter really where
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you walk, but you have a goal in mind.
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Walking. Thirdly, walking implies A
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paced, steady movement. Everybody has different walks,
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and when you're walking, you have a steady movement #4
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walking includes all kinds of styles, shapes, forms, and
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types. Everybody has a different walk,
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a different gait, And that's an important thing to remember
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because you walk one way, your sister walks another way, your
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brother walks another way, but we're all walking and we're all
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walking together. So there is that sense where
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there's uniqueness among us, but we're all making progress
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finally #5 walking reminds us that we're all on a journey,
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that we're making this, this journey in life.
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When you say you're walking with Christ, or you have a walk with
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Christ, it implies you have a journey, that this world is not
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our home, something we need to be reminded of many, many times.
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This world is not our home. We're just passing through.
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And the means as we walk through life, the means of our progress,
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the way our progress is measured, is not in
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transportation, but rather in transformation.
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As we're walking with the Lord, we really want to pay attention
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to how much we're changing into the holiness and the character
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of Christ. It's not necessarily how far
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we've gone in distance, but how far have we gone in maturity and
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spiritual growth? How much have we changed?
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How much do we reflect the character and the nature of
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Jesus Christ? Like Abraham in Hebrews Chapter
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9, it says that he waited for the city that has foundations,
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whose builder and maker is God. I mean, if you only get caught
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up in what's going on in the world today, you're going to be
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very bummed out. Can I get an in on that?
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You're just going to be bummed out.
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This whole world's just big bummer.
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It just isn't going the way that we thought it would or things
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are happening in our generation. We didn't think we're going to
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happen in our generation. And we have to remember we're
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just passing through that the things of the world will grow
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strangely dim in the light of His glory and His grace and the
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important grace centered life that we're learning to live.
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It's important to abide and follow Jesus closely.
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Paul tells us it's time to stand, but it's also time to
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walk. Pick up with me in verse 16 now
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of Galatians chapter 5, Paul says, I say then walk in the
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Spirit and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh, for the
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flesh lusts against the spirit and the spirit against the
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flesh. And these things are contrary to
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one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish.
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But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the
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law. Now I want you to circle the
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word lust for a moment because it is a familiar word and it's
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almost always used in relationship to lusting sexually
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over or after someone. And that would be an appropriate
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way to use that word that when you the Bible says do not lust
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after a woman, do not lust after a man.
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It's very important to think of that.
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But the word is much broader than just being used in a sexual
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way. You can circle the word lust and
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you can write next to it very strong emotion, a deep desire
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for almost to the point where it's out of control.
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So with that definition, you can understand that we lost about a
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lot of things. You can lust after power, you
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can lust after fame, you can lust after money.
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There's a lot of different things that your emotions could
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deeply want that are not necessarily good for you.
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And the Bible says that there is a lust, a strong passionate
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emotion attached to your flesh that is leading you and me away
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from an obedient life in Christ. The flesh, it says in verse 17,
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lusts against the spirit. The picture here is that the
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Spirit of God wants you to go in one way, but but your humanity
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or even you, you can just even say you want to go in another
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way. And there's a battle going on.
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Walking in the Spirit naturally follows standing in grace.
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In chapter 5 and verse 13, we were warned not to use our
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liberty as an excuse to sin. It says don't use your liberty,
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verse 13, as an opportunity for the flesh.
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When you think of your freedom in Christ, your freedom in
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Christ is not for license. You don't have permission to
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sin. And we studied that in depth
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last time. The way that you use your
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liberty as a way for for to honor God is to walk in and live
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by and be led by the Holy Spirit.
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When we do that, we shall not, you notice in verse one, we
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shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.
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The lust of the flesh could be defined as temptations.
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Temptations, The temptation to sin is attached to our flesh.
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When you and I are walking in the Spirit, we are not tempted.
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Let me give you a great example of that right now.
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The level of temptation in your life right now, in this very
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moment, as you're listening to my voice, the level of
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temptation in your life is at an all time low.
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I'm not saying it's not there. I'm not saying you're not
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tempted right now. I'm not saying you don't have
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things flashing through your mind or issues in your life.
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But when you are seeking God, your temptation level is very
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low, very low. And that's a good thing.
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That's why God has created fellowship and He's created the
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church gathering. And He wants us to be in His
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Word and in prayer because when we're walking in the Spirit,
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we're not fulfilling the lust of the flesh.
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I want you to see the promise here in verse 16.
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When you walk in the Spirit, you shall not.
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It doesn't say should not. It doesn't say better not, it
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says shall not. And this verse is a promise of
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great importance. When you and I are walking step
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by step in the Spirit of God, we will not fulfill the lusts of
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our fleshly desires. No more striving, no more
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religious rituals. We just simply go where the
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Spirit leads and find spiritual strength.
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And to me, that's like a spiritual goal of mine.
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I want to, I want to rearrange my life around following the
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Lord. I was thinking about rearranging
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our lives, you know, and, and I have to admit, you know, when I,
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I, I rearrange, I see a lot of people rearrange their lives
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around sports. And let me just say, you know, a
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little time of confession. Almost every day I pull out my
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MLB app. I want to find out when the
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Dodgers are playing so that I want to see if I can rearrange
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my life to watch the game. I want to, I'll watch it.
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Well, I'm going to be here, but I have my phone.
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I can see it here. Or maybe I can take care of this
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appointment and go do this. And I, I just want to watch the
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game. Do you know what happened last
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night? Last night the room wasn't very
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full. You want to know why people are
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rearranged their lives? Because the Broncos were playing
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and I'm like some of you are here and I said I would get you
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when you get here. So here you are and here's what
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I'd like to get. I'm glad you're here.
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You have the freedom to do that. There's nothing wrong with
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rearranging your life around sports.
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A lot of us do that. I think of how many times
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families are rearranging their lives around their kids sports.
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I mean, I drive in. When I first moved here over on
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Arapahoe and Parker, the target and everything wasn't there.
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It was just a big open grassy field at Arapahoe and Parker.
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And every morning we'd be driving early on.
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I have one of my kids or both of my kids, all three of my kids in
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the car heading into church. And as we were coming in, there
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were literally on that corner Sunday morning, 7:00 AM,
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thousands of children playing soccer, which is great.
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I'm glad kids are playing soccer.
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But then I would always think, why do they schedule these games
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during church? Why?
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Why do they need to do it on a Sunday morning, only in the
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morning? And I know that many of those
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families are rearranging their lives.
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Even as we were raising our kids, we had to rearrange our
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lives around the kids sports because they were on travelling
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teams and they would have to be up north on a Sunday.
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We'd have to figure it out and we would have to work it out
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with the kids. And yes, you can go to that, but
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no, you can't go to practice. And and then as you rearrange
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your life, you know, then the coaches, if they're not going to
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practice or not showing up because of church, then the
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coaches go, well, you know, you can't play.
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And they had to deal with all of that.
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And, you know, rearranging our lives is a part of life, but I
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wonder how many of you have really sought to rearrange your
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life around the things of God. When I think of sports and I
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think of picking a service because there's a game on that,
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that's not the issue. That's great.
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You, you can't, you don't come to this service to go to that
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service because you have that. That's not what I'm speaking to.
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Here's what I'm speaking to. There is in us this desire to
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rearrange our lives around what we want to do.
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And so that question remains, how much do you want to press
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into the things of God? Because that will be how much
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you will rearrange your life, how you disciple your kids, how
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you rearrange and reprioritize your life.
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I think of in Luke's Gospel chapter 10, you have that time
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where Jesus visited the home of Mary and Martha.
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And I just think of Mary. She in the moment Jesus
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committed her because she chose the better thing.
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And what was the better thing in the moment?
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Being at the feet of Jesus. It's really always the better
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thing, no matter what we do in Word or deed that we do it as
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unto the Lord. That's the key to walking in the
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Spirit, the secret, if you will, it's really an open secret.
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The key to walk to walking in the Spirit is hanging out with
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Jesus and walking in the power of His Spirit, being caught up
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in the things of God. This isn't an option.
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Do you notice back in verse 16, it simply says walk in the
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Spirit. That's a command, that's a
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directive, walk in the Spirit. It's not an option.
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It's not a menu to choose, but rather it is a way of life.
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Walk in obedience to the Lord, no matter what it might be.
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We talked about rearranging life.
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You know, sometimes people rearrange, Sometimes believers
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rearrange their lives for sin. They rearrange their lives.
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I know I'm not naive enough to to think that there aren't some
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listening 1-2 who knows that are actually planning sin right now.
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You're planning a way to get away with it.
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You're thinking about how you're going to say this and how you're
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going to get away with this and how you might do this.
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And I would, I would just say if you are planning sin right now,
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don't do it. That's the word of the Lord to
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you. Don't do it.
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You're you go. Come on, Ed.
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Come on, Pastor. You, you need people.
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Plan, send. Yeah, you do it all the time.
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You know what is wrong and you think it through which you're
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coming up with a plan to dismiss the clear understanding of the
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Lord for your life because you have to dismiss it.
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If you don't dismiss it, then you'll be convicted by the Holy
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Spirit. You'll feel it.
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You're heading that direction, and you're just about to lie and
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you feel it, and you got to deal something with that feeling.
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And as you're just about to lie, you have a choice to make, and
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you're planning not only for the lie, but everything that comes
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after it. Like if you walk in the Spirit,
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you won't fall for that temptation.
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You'll know that whatever the cost, it doesn't really matter
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if you feel justified in doing it or if you figured out a way
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around it. Don't sin.
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Walk in the spirit. When you walk in the spirit, you
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won't fall to that temptation, to the lust, because, you know,
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let's think about lying for a second.
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Dishonesty, deceit doesn't even have to be outright lie, just a
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life of deceit. The the reality.
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What keeps you in a life of deceit is first of all, you like
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the sin that the deceit covers. We obviously see that you would
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never sin if you didn't like it. You know that, right?
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That's why you can see someone else struggling with sin that
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has nothing to do with you. Like it's no temptation to you.
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I can't believe it. Why would they do that?
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And you're like, well, it's not a temptation to you, bro.
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You got other sin. They have an issue, you have an
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issue and together you actually have the same issue.
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You are yielding to temptation. And so as you're looking at life
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and you're considering that area of deceit #1 you love the sin
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that your deceit keeps you in. But number two, you don't want
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to pay the price of coming clean.
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You might even think today I'm far, I'm too deep in, I'm too
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deep. No, you're never too deep.
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And there will be a price because the wages of sin is
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always death. There will be a price.
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There will be some, but there's a greater price, there's always
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a greater price fighting against God than there ever is in
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repentance. Repentance sets you free.
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It brings you back to clarity and power and joy.
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And the key with dealing, the key with dealing with the
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temptations of the flesh is to walk in the spirit.
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Like when you walk in the spirit, we're going to get to
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this in a later study, but you can see right here, when you
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walk in the spirit, this stuff won't be a part of your life.
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Notice back in or down in verse 19, you won't have to deal with
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adultery. You don't have to deal with
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fornication, uncleanness. Verse 20, you won't have to deal
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with idolatry. You won't have to deal with
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sorcery. And it's like, well, yeah, it'll
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never be a witch. All right, all right, I get it.
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You won't be a witch. But how about the next one?
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Hatred, Hatred. Hatred is a real common one.
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It's one of those unspoken sins in the church today, one of
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those ones that we we seem to not even pay much attention to.
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Hatred in the heart, hatred in the mind.
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Looking at people and looking down at them.
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I think of how many listening to me right now, where it's so easy
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for you to call someone an idiot.
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So easy. Well, what do you think the Holy
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Spirit gave that to you? Call him an idiot.
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Go ahead. You can hear God saying, yeah,
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he's an idiot. I agree with you.
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You're perfect. Everyone else that you disagree
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with, you don't like their behaviour.
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They're idiots. You know what that comes from?
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Hatred in your heart. It's a depth of hatred.
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You know where the hatred in your heart comes from?
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Your flesh. It's the flesh.
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You find yourself calling people idiots.
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You're not walking in the spirit, You are in the flesh.
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We'll get to this more in depth in a next in another Bible
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study. But the reality is you can look
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at your life. You're always fighting with
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people. You're jealous, you're a man or
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a woman, out of control, anger. You don't have self-control.
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You are not walking in the spirit.
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Those are like warning lights on the dashboard.
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Something's wrong, something's wrong, something's wrong.
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And what's wrong for the believer is we're not walking in
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the spirit and it is not OK to call people idiots.
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It's not it's something that God is revealing to you.
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You have a heart issue that I you need to deal with me right
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now. Because if you think it's just
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going to stop with a little bit of name calling, it's not
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because of the flesh grows and it grows and it grows.
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And before you know it, you are a shell.
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You are a shell of the spiritual life you want enjoyed.
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Walk in the spirit, walk in the spirit.
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You won't fulfill the lust of the flesh verse 16, because in
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verse 17 there isn't battle going on between the flesh and
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the spirit, the spirit against the flesh.
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They're contrary to one another. And because of this battle, it
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says in verse 17, you do not do the things that you wish.
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Hold your places here. Turn, let's turn backwards to
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Romans Chapter 7, Romans Chapter 7, because here Paul gives his
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own personal testimony of what verse 7, what he writes to the
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Galatians in verse 17, his own personal testimony he says in
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verse 14 of Romans Chapter 7, he says we know that the law is
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spiritual, but I'm carnal, sold under sin for what I am doing.
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I do not understand but what I will to do that I do not
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practice for what I hate that I do.
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If then I do what I will not to do.
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I agree that the law that it's good, but now it's no longer I
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who do it but send that dwells in me.
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And the conclusion he comes to here in verse 18 is I know that
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in me that is in my flesh nothing good dwells for to will
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is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not
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find. Then you Fast forward down in
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verse. 24 He finally comes to the conclusion, O wretched man
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that I am, who will deliver me from this body of death, and
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then he turns a corner. I thank God through Jesus Christ
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our Lord, that with the mine I myself serve the law of God, but
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with the flesh, the law of sin. Come back to Galatians.
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This battle going on between the Spirit and the flesh, they're
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contrary. And This is why you don't do the
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things that you wish. This is why you go, man, The
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things I'm doing, I really don't want to do.
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And when you would say that, I believe you.
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I mean the things I'm doing. I really don't want to call
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somebody an idiot. I really don't.
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But you have fed your flesh so much that it's very easy for you
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to do that. Now you don't even think about
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it. Somebody says, hey, you
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shouldn't be doing that. You get mad at them too.
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Now you're mad at everybody. When it's you, it's you.
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It's in your heart. You, you, you know, this is
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where what God can do for you, what you can't do for yourself.
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So if right now, maybe this is a part of you, and I have people
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e-mail me yesterday, you know what?
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That's an issue in my life. I use that word a lot.
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Yeah. You don't just use the word.
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You assign it to another human being created in the image of
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God. That's what you do.
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You don't just use the word. You demean someone and look down
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on someone because they're different than you, because they
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you don't like their behavior, you don't like what they said or
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whatever their behavior might be.
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And so you, you look at that and you go, this is where you need
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to walk in the spirit because you can't just get up in the
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morning and go, I won't be like this anymore.
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You can't you can't just get all your post it note and then write
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down on your post it note. I will not hate anybody today
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and put it up on the mirror because as soon as you see it,
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you start thinking of people that you don't like.
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It's like, what do you mean that person, that person like no, the
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that post it note has no power. It has no power.
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And even as you write in and put it on the and you could take it
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off the mirror because you're going to leave the house, right?
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You're going to put it on your forehead and be with you every
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day, all day. You can take it with you, but it
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has no power to deal with the power of the, the, the lust of
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the flesh that's going on in your heart.
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And every time you see that post it note, you know what happens?
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It reminds you you got a problem with hatred.
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It reminds you got a problem with this word.
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So OK, I will not you get all ready for the day you leave and
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it's like I will not be mad and get mad at anyone and then what
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happens you leave the house and before you know it temptations
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flying. Jesus taught us something you
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may want to jot this down. Jesus taught us something very
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important. We have to take it in and we
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have to believe it because it'll help us in our our victory
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walking in the Spirit. And that's this.
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Jesus taught us that the greatest battle going on in our
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lives. Or you could say it this way.
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Jesus made it clear that man's basic problem is not what's
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outside of him, but inside of him.
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Because I can already hear people justifying.
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Yeah, I called that person a name.
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But you don't know Ed, that you don't know that person.
23:17
OK. But the problem isn't the
23:20
person. The problem's you and me, The
23:26
problem's inside of me. They go, oh, come on pastor,
23:29
prove it to me. I'm glad you asked.
23:31
Turn over to Mark Chapter 7 and I'll show you exactly what Jesus
23:35
taught us. So this is where the simplicity
23:37
of reading your Bible and praying every day, you learn
23:40
these things. You're following along with
23:42
Jesus. You're reading his words.
23:43
He's teaching us how to live. He's saying, I want you to watch
23:47
out for this. I know what the world says and I
23:49
know what the books of the world says, and I know the training
23:52
that you got at work says, and I understand the culture that
23:55
you're in, but the culture is backwards.
23:57
Jesus would teach us, they're teaching you wrong.
24:00
You might have to learn it and adapt it because that's what
24:03
they're teaching you at work. That's fine.
24:04
But Jesus says if you want to live a victorious Christian
24:07
life, you need to follow me first.
24:11
And Jesus says this in Mark Chapter 7.
24:13
Pick up with me when you get there.
24:14
In verse 20, Jesus says what comes out of a man that defiles
24:20
a man for from within. Out of what does your Bible say?
24:26
Out of the heart, the whole essence, the heart of men.
24:31
And notice what he says. From within proceed evil
24:34
thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts,
24:39
covetousness, wickedness, deceit, licentiousness, and evil
24:44
eye. I've always liked that one.
24:45
And the evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness, all these
24:53
evil things come from within and defile a man.
24:58
How does Paul put it, the spirit fights and lusts against the
25:03
flesh, the flesh against the spirit, so that you do not do
25:07
the things that you wish. The issue is on the inside.
25:11
That's why simply changing a person's environment will not
25:16
change the person. Changing a person's economic
25:19
situation, as good as that may be, will not solve man's basic
25:24
problem. That's the exact opposite of
25:27
what our culture teaches, blaming the environment and the
25:31
culture for the bad behavior of men and women.
25:35
The deeds that we're dealing with in the world today come
25:37
from within, and the key to change is a heart change.
25:43
Paul speaks to men and women in Galatians that have been
25:47
distracted a little, now going back to a powerless list of
25:52
rules and regulations, leaving the power of God becoming
25:56
extremely divisive along the way.
25:58
To remember the context of walking in the spirit is right
26:02
here in verse 15. If you bite and devour one
26:05
another, beware lest you be consumed like church be.
26:09
Are you guys biting and devouring one another, consuming
26:12
one another? No, no, here's a better
26:13
solution. Walk in the Spirit and you won't
26:16
fulfill the lust of the flesh. As you live in the Spirit, the
26:20
law won't condemn you. You won't be broken and crushed
26:23
under its weight because Jesus has fulfilled it.
26:27
Not only are we walking in the Spirit, but in verse 18 we're
26:30
following the Spirit. We're reading what Jesus says
26:34
and we're following him and saying I believe you.
26:37
The issue's on the inside of me. I believe you.
26:41
It's it's me. It's how I feel.
26:45
You got this battle going on between the Spirit and the
26:48
flesh. You go, who's going to win?
26:49
Who's going to win? The one that you feed the most,
26:54
the one that like you're feeding your flesh and fleeting your
26:56
flesh. Or I can handle.
26:57
I can handle it. God has sent me into your life
27:00
today to remind you you cannot handle your flesh being fed that
27:04
way. It will overtake you, will crush
27:08
you under its weight, will make you a woman, make you a man that
27:12
you never thought you'd be again.
27:15
You'll start to reflect some of the characteristics that you
27:18
lived in before you got saved. And then you look in the mirror
27:21
after you move the post it note, you're going to look in the
27:23
mirror and go, what has happened to me?
27:26
Or God's going to send people into your life and ask you out
27:28
what's happened? You've changed, and it very well
27:33
could be the change is that you haven't been walking in
27:38
fellowship with God through a series of sinful choices.
27:45
Now, before we leave, I want to give you a practical instruction
27:50
on this because the question does get asked, how do I walk in
27:54
the Spirit or how do I reprioritize my life?
27:58
How do I reorganize my life around walking in the Spirit?
28:02
What can I do that will help me walk in the Spirit?
28:06
How can I live a life that's disciplined in the Spirit?
28:10
And I want to give you 2 words. So take some notes here, 2 words
28:14
that I want you to remember. And I am asking you to
28:17
preferably apply this week to put it to work right away,
28:21
walking in the Spirit 1 area that will greatly help you.
28:24
They go together. One way that will greatly help
28:29
you is prayer and fasting. Prayer and fasting coming
28:37
together. We read our Bibles, we pray, we
28:40
come to church, we serve others, we give financially, we
28:43
fellowship with other believers, we do good.
28:46
But here is a tool that is so powerful and so rarely used in
28:54
the believers life. Biblical fasting.
28:57
Now, biblical fasting is not fasting to lose weight because
29:01
there's a new thing now, intermittent fasting, and it's a
29:05
tool that's used by many to lose weight.
29:07
That is not what the Bible is Speaking of or fasting because
29:10
you've got a medical test coming up and they just tell you, you
29:14
know, it's no big deal. The doctor says, hey, I need you
29:15
to fast because you're going to do this.
29:17
You go, OK, whatever, doc. And now the Lord's saying I want
29:21
you to fast because it's a powerful spiritual tool that
29:26
when you use it, you will begin immediately feeling the weight
29:31
of this battle, the lust against the the flesh against the
29:34
spirit, but you'll also immediately begin to feel the
29:37
power of God in victory. So let me show you turn over to
29:40
Matthew chapter 6. Now I have taught on this in
29:44
depth. If you go to the website or the
29:46
app and you search for just put the word fast in there and the
29:50
Bible study will pop up that says something like what is
29:53
biblical fasting? I go much, much deeper than this
29:57
overview, but this overview is enough in light of our
30:02
understanding of walking in the spirit.
30:04
So let's start with the beginning of what Jesus says in
30:09
Matthew chapter 6, verse 16. Moreover, when you fast, do not
30:17
be like the hypocrites with a sad countenance, for they
30:20
disfigure their faces that they maybe appear to men to be
30:24
fasting. Assuredly, I say to you, they
30:26
have their reward. But you, when you fast, anoint
30:31
your head with and wash your face, so that you do not appear
30:34
to men to be fasting, but to your Father who is in the secret
30:38
place, and your Father who sees in secret, will reward you
30:42
openly. The reward of fasting is
30:45
spiritual strength. You might be physically weak,
30:49
but the reward of fasting is the Father's reward of spiritual
30:53
strength when you fast. So let's go.
30:56
Start with the definition. Fasting is the willful neglect
31:01
of food to both deny my earthly tendencies and uplift my spirit
31:08
in Jesus. So let's be clear, fasting
31:11
refers to not choosing not to eat food of any kind in order to
31:19
worship God. It's a form of worship.
31:22
So you choose to say no food, you maybe start with a 24 hour,
31:26
48 hour, 72 hour commitment and you say I am not going to eat.
31:32
I'm only going to take in water. I'm only going to drink water.
31:35
I'm not eating anything for the sake of denying my flesh.
31:39
Let me just tell you, even just making the decision, all of a
31:42
sudden your body is going to freak out.
31:45
It is going to be so mad at you. Like your body's just like, I
31:49
can't believe you're treating me like this.
31:51
I can't believe you're not eating.
31:53
I can't be. And how does it do that?
31:54
It doesn't talk. Of course it gives you migraine
31:57
headaches, it gives you rumblings, it gives you like
32:01
you're just all you. You wanted to seek the Lord.
32:03
And for the 1st 8 hours of fasting, what are you doing?
32:06
Thinking about food. Thinking about food, Thinking
32:08
about food. I can't believe it.
32:09
Why did I make this decision? I'm so hungry.
32:11
What are you eating? Why are you eating?
32:12
I can't believe it. Everything on Instagram.
32:14
Food, food, food. Food.
32:16
Food, food. Food.
32:18
Food's a big part of your life, isn't it?
32:21
I mean, it's a necessity. None of us would be alive
32:24
without food. It is probably the thing that we
32:27
do most regularly and maybe even overdo at times.
32:32
Food, food, food, food, food, food, food, food.
32:35
I just reminded you, breakfast is 20 minutes away because some
32:40
of you are having breakfast later, lunch after second
32:43
service, food. When you choose to fast, you
32:48
choose to give up food you're following.
32:51
Really, it's one way, not, not the only way, but it's one way
32:54
of obeying Jesus when he said you want to follow me.
32:57
Yes, Lord, then take up your cross and deny yourself.
33:02
Deny yourself. Fasting is something that was
33:05
done by so many believers before us.
33:08
Moses, David, Isaiah, Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego,
33:12
Nehemiah, Esther, Anna, Mary, Cornelius, so many more.
33:16
But you know, the one that most intrigues me, that chose to fast
33:19
in His human body for 40 days and 40 nights, was Jesus.
33:24
It's how He began His ministry, seeking the Father through
33:28
fasting, giving up willfully and committedly.
33:33
That sense of I'm not going to eat for the sake of the Lord.
33:36
I'm going to use all that time I spend thinking about food.
33:39
I'm going to use all that time cooking that I would be cooking
33:41
and cleaning and putting together and shopping.
33:43
I'm going to give it to God and I'm going to feast.
33:47
I'm not going to be eating physically for a day or two.
33:50
I'm going to be eating spiritually.
33:51
I'm going to take in that extra time and I'm going to talk to
33:54
God and I'm going to jot down a prayer journal and I'm going to
33:57
begin reading the Gospels or I'm going to read through the
33:59
Proverbs. I'm going to reorient my life.
34:02
I'm going to check the time that the game is on so that I can
34:05
have the game, but I'm going to do all the things that are
34:08
needed to enjoy the game. I want you to think fasting
34:12
helps you reorient your life so you can do all the things that
34:15
are necessary that you get to enjoy in Christ.
34:19
And the bonus, you won't fulfill the less of the flesh.
34:22
You know what will happen when you choose to fast.
34:24
When you choose to walk in the Spirit, you'll sin a lot less,
34:29
which means you'll deal with a lot less consequences.
34:32
Peace will begin to rush into your life.
34:35
Joy will be yours once again. Your heart will no longer be
34:39
hatred toward others, but praying for others in those that
34:44
you disagree, learning how to step into their lives and speak
34:47
to them in love and mercy and grace.
34:52
Food is so much of a part of our lives.
34:55
It's that necessity that can quickly rush in and control us.
35:01
Imagine that being controlled by food.
35:04
Sometimes food can become a distraction, a time filler.
35:09
Sometimes food is can make us a dependent, even addicted, even
35:16
to the point where food can be so much a common part of
35:20
someone's life that you can become sinfully gluttonous.
35:25
That's what the Bible teaches where you have no control over
35:28
food and you gorge and overeat to the point of gluttony, not
35:34
leaning on the Holy Spirit. When we come to that place where
35:39
food is a distraction and we begin to forsake it, the Spirit
35:43
of God comes alive in that area of your life.
35:46
But it is a battle. And I'd encourage you if you're
35:50
take me up on my my advice to you this week that you make the
35:55
commitment for two days, not just one, because the first day
35:59
is always the most miserable. It's brutal.
36:03
Like I'm not a person that gets migraine headaches, but when I
36:05
choose the fast, I don't know what kind of headache it is, but
36:09
it is bad. And even just the beginning.
36:12
And just think, you know what, Lord, I'm just going to fast and
36:15
and you all of a sudden now I have a supernatural smell.
36:19
I have the power to smell McDonald's fries at every
36:22
McDonald's across the world and I don't even eat them that much,
36:28
but I like them. And now we go, Lord, I'm going
36:30
to give you this day. And all of a sudden, I smell
36:33
every. That's the day, of course, where
36:36
the boss boss brings in the best Donuts in the morning.
36:39
Thanks, boss. That's the day that you choose
36:41
to fast. Of course, at work, they're
36:43
going to be the appreciation day where they take you out to that
36:46
fancy restaurant and there you are drinking water.
36:51
But you don't have to tell anybody.
36:53
It's like, well, you know, then what am I like Jesus saying,
36:56
don't do this? Oh, you know what?
36:58
What's so wrong with you? Well, I can't eat this meal
37:00
because I'm fasting unto the Lord.
37:04
I'm becoming so much more spiritual than all a bunch of
37:07
you heathens and what I'm like, Oh no, no, no, no.
37:10
This is between you and the Lord.
37:12
God's wanting to give you victory over the flesh.
37:15
And you're going to see it with food because food is so much a
37:19
part of your life and mine. Now I gave you the definition of
37:23
fasting. Let me give you a few things
37:25
before we leave. As we read a fasting in the
37:27
Scriptures, I'll give you 5 things that you see fasting
37:31
connected to, and then you can see them in your own line.
37:34
Number one, there's already, we've seen prayer and fasting.
37:38
Daniel Chapter 9, verse three, he sets his face toward God.
37:42
He's praying and fasting #2 Fasting is often associated with
37:47
confession of sin. So while you're fasting, pray
37:51
and confess sin. Do deuteron or Nehemiah Chapter
37:54
9, verses 1 and 2, they're fasting.
37:57
It says in verse one, and then in verse 2 they're confessing
38:00
their sins #3 Fasting is also often associated with mourning,
38:06
mourning with sadness and sorrow.
38:10
And you may need to express some sadness and sorrow of your state
38:13
of life before the Lord asking for forgiveness.
38:17
The scripture there is Joel chapter 2, verse 12 #4 Fasting
38:21
is often associated with humility, humbling yourself
38:27
before the mighty hand of God through fasting.
38:30
And it's a very humble experience.
38:32
That's Deuteronomy Chapter 9, verse 18, where it says I fell
38:35
down before the Lord. I didn't eat bread or even drink
38:40
water because of sin. And #5 one of the expectations
38:44
that we see fasting is often associated with the chastening
38:49
of the soul or a deep, deep work of the Spirit in your life, more
38:54
than a Bible study could ever do for you, more than church
38:57
attendance could ever do. You've opened yourself to be
39:00
dealt with directly by God. And it says in Psalm 69, verse
39:04
10, I wept and chastened my soul with fasting, and that became my
39:10
reproach. It's so good for our Father in
39:13
heaven, so loving and gracious to design something for us that
39:18
will make us stronger. And I didn't ask, and nor will
39:21
I, but if I did ask how many have fasted in the last year or
39:25
so, there would be very few hands because it's one of those
39:29
things that just isn't used. It's not even thought about even
39:34
right now as you're processing whether you want to do it or
39:36
not, you're thinking about your weak and all the demands that'll
39:39
be there. And I'm not sure I can work.
39:41
I'm so stressed out. I don't know how I and you got
39:44
all this battle going on where God's just simply telling you,
39:46
seek my face. The flesh is a big problem.
39:50
And and I'm saying that to you. I'm saying the flesh is a big
39:53
problem for you. I'm saying that right now, but a
39:55
proper way of saying it is the flesh is a big problem for us.
39:59
It's not just you. This is a big part of our lives.
40:03
This battle is ongoing and you want to feed the Spirit,
40:07
learning the power of the Spirit again, the priorities being back
40:11
in order, the rearranging of your life, walking in great
40:14
victory. There's power in fasting and
40:17
praying, disciplining my body, directing myself spiritually.
40:24
I have to say just one final thing.
40:26
Like I said, with the study we did on fasting, I did it much
40:29
more. We did a whole Bible study on
40:31
it. So I'd encourage you to get
40:32
that. There's also books downstairs in
40:34
the bookstore on fasting to equip you if you want.
40:38
We have some handouts that are available.
40:40
You can e-mail me. I'll send you the handouts on
40:42
fasting. But I do want to say I recognize
40:45
today that some of you have a medical condition that fasting
40:50
food all day for two or three days might greatly harm you.
40:53
So see your doctor first. Find out how far you can go.
40:57
Ask your doctor for wisdom and understanding.
40:59
Say this I just it'd be a great witnessing opportunity for your
41:02
doc as well. I just came from this Bible
41:04
study. This is what Jesus teaches in
41:06
the Bible. How can I do that without
41:09
harming my body right now? Because fasting can additionally
41:12
be you can just give up something you can give up.
41:16
You know, maybe some of you need to give up candy, candy.
41:19
Maybe some of you just need to give up, you know, fast food or
41:23
some. There's a lot that you can fast,
41:25
you can give up. You can fast television watching
41:27
for a while, all the binge watching you've been doing and
41:30
burning time. You can fast that for a while.
41:33
Or how about this one? You're not going to like me, but
41:35
you probably already don't like me.
41:36
So how about this one? Fasting, social media, don't
41:41
throw anything, but it'd be so healthy for you if you just give
41:46
some time. Think about it.
41:48
You can check right now the time on your Instagram, how much time
41:51
you spend on it or the time on your phone and you can look at
41:54
that and go, I'm going to give this time to the Lord and you go
41:58
whoop it head. I read my Bible on my phone, get
42:01
a paper Bible, turn off notifications and just choose to
42:06
fast. Just give it to the Lord an hour
42:11
or two or three. Would you be stronger if you
42:13
gave that time to the Lord? I think you would.
42:16
Would you be stronger if you just said, Lord, I'm going to
42:18
give this up and I'm going to give it?
42:19
Yes, you would. But for those of you that can
42:22
fast for food, start there. Those of you that are healthy
42:26
enough to death, start there. It will blow your mind.
42:30
It will blow your mind if you've never fasted before.
42:32
I'm telling you that you will see immediate revelations of who
42:38
you are, where you are, and where God is in your life.
42:42
And he'll meet you right there. He'll meet you right there.
42:45
And you got like you, you try fasting and you say, OK, 24
42:48
hours and you make it 8 hours. All right.
42:51
That's eight more hours than you ever gave before.
42:54
And now next time go 16, go 24. Next time go 5 days.
43:00
Next time go 40 days. Whoa, you need to see a doctor
43:03
for that one. But whatever the Lord has for
43:07
you, He wants us to walk in the Spirit.
43:09
Why? So we don't fulfill the lust of
43:11
the flesh. Amen.
43:13
So, Father, thank you for Your Word today as it ministers to
43:15
us. And I know that it goes deep.
43:18
It definitely goes deep on people's hearts.
43:20
It definitely goes deep to what's coming out of our hearts,
43:23
Lord, out of our hearts and our minds.
43:26
The flesh, it's being fed far too much in our lives and we
43:29
just kind of dismiss it. It's no big deal.
43:31
It is a big deal. And we, God help us, we do not
43:35
want to feed our flesh, but at the same time, I guess we do
43:40
want to feed our flesh. So I just pray for that work of
43:45
deliverance today for some, for many, listening near and far.
43:50
God, you're, you're speaking to them about fasting.
43:54
It's so great. I pray that they would obey you,
43:57
that they would come to the place where they will obey you
43:59
with their lives and turn to you and walk in the Spirit.
44:07
I just pray over those that have a heart desire to follow you.
44:11
I pray for those that have had a bad week, even as we're reading
44:14
in the Psalm. God, I pray for those whose
44:16
heart is wounded and it's just stirring up so much inside of
44:23
them, inside of us, that we might learn to cast our cares
44:27
upon you because you care for us.
44:31
And right now, in this moment, God, I pray for the men and
44:34
women, the boys and girls that are truly being spoken to by
44:42
you, God, to receive you as their Savior.
44:47
Truly today you're drawing men and women to yourself, bringing
44:52
conviction of sin, a desire to have their sins forgiven.
44:58
And as the church, as we're praying, I know some of you are
45:00
listening to me very, very carefully, and I'm glad that you
45:03
are. If you're here today and you
45:05
want your sins forgiven, you recognize not only your own sin,
45:10
but what God has done to provide forgiveness of your sins.
45:14
If you want to know that when you die, you'll go to heaven.
45:18
If you want Jesus to come into your life right now, right here,
45:21
wherever you are, I want you to stand to your feet.
45:24
Just stand where you are. Today's the day to receive the
45:28
Lord Jesus Christ. And so today among us in the
45:32
room, if you say I want to follow Jesus with my life, I
45:36
want my sins forgiven, would you just stand to your feet?
45:38
Because we want to pray for you and we want to help you follow
45:42
Jesus. Today would be the day where you
45:46
go, hey, I need his forgiveness and I know you need him.
45:49
I can't do it for you. I can't choose to follow Jesus
45:54
on your behalf. I can only choose for me.
45:58
I want you to respond to the invitation.
46:01
God bless you. Who else would say that's me?
46:04
I want you to respond that today is the day that I can help you
46:09
pray and ask God to forgive you of your sins.
46:15
Who else would say, I do believe I get a sense there's more?
46:20
God bless you in the back today. There's more.
46:23
Right now God is working. There's a fancy Bible word for
46:29
that. It's called conviction.
46:32
We know what conviction is in the by, in in the world.
46:34
It's when you're declared guilty.
46:37
But see, God doesn't declare you guilty to imprison you.
46:40
He declares you guilty to free you.
46:44
And a pastor can't do that for you.
46:46
A church can't do that for you. Only God can do that.
46:49
And that's what's happening inside of you.
46:51
As you're hearing my voice, God is using my voice to represent
46:56
him. And today is the day of
46:59
salvation. God bless you as well.
47:00
Anyone else, you guys online and on the radio right now we
47:06
recognize downstairs, we acknowledge that as well.
47:12
So the Bible says if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus
47:16
and you believe in your heart God raised him from the dead,
47:18
you will be saved. So the way that we apply that
47:21
verse is to help you pray to God and confess your sins to God.
47:25
So you could say something like this and I'd encourage you
47:27
repeat after me or use your own words.
47:29
You could say God. I admit that I've sinned against
47:32
you and I ask you to forgive me of all of my sins.
47:38
I believe you sent Jesus to die for me, and I believe He rose
47:43
again to save my soul. I repent and turn away from my
47:52
sin and choose to follow You today.
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Father, I pray for every man, woman, and child that would turn
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to You today. I don't know how it all works in
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the spiritual realm. I don't know the personal
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connection point you've made with each person that turned to
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you today. But I do know this.
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Jesus, You promised that anyone that comes to you will not be
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turned away. So I pray for the sincerity and
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the genuiness of hearts that the seed of the gospel has now been
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planted on good ground in the lives here and the lives there,
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and that will bear much fruit. And generational change begins
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today, starting with these that turn their lives over to you.
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So bless them and encourage us as we pray for sons and we pray
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for daughters and we pray for uncles and aunts and brothers
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and neighbors and Co workers because we know you're on the
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move. We get to see it with our own
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eyes and we're looking forward by faith to those that we love
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and care for that we would see their lives transformed by the
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gospel as well. In Jesus name, Amen.
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Amen. God bless you guys.
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We pray that you've been encouraged by this Bible study
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delivered live from the sanctuary of Calvary Church for
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prayer. Call us at 87730 grace that's
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877-304-7223. To listen to this message in its
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integrity or to join us for our live stream services, visit us
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online at Calvary Co dot Church or download our free Calvary
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Church app. Be blessed as you worship Jesus
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this week.