Given May 31, 2012

Have you ever struggled with something in your life that you didn’t want to be there but just couldn’t seem to overcome?  Do you ever think, “Why do I keep doing this?”  There is an answer and the fact that it bothers you is a good sign.  The Bible says, “For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do.” (Galatians 5:17) ESV.  Inside you are two opposite forces, good and evil..Spirit and flesh, and the one that is stronger is going to rule over how you think, speak and act.  If you’re concerned about the way you sometimes think, speak, and act, then you need to build up the Spirit in you so it rules over your flesh.  The one you feed is going to get stronger and the one you reject will get weaker.  But how do you do that?  Let’s look at a few steps.

1. The first step we just saw; to realize there is a battle going on inside you and you want to do something about it.  The fact that you’re still reading shows you want to go on to the next step.

2.  You’ve got to know the Word!  You’ve got to know who you are in God, what you have available to you, and what you can do with it.  The devil doesn’t want you to know these things and he’ll do all he can to distract you, confuse you, and keep you ignorant of your rights as a child of the King.  So, step two is READ YOUR BIBLE.  We are doing a church Bible reading plan at Zion Family Ministries called the Project 345 Plan from the Ark Church and available from the YouVersion website.  Go there and see how you can get started.  Or, just start with the Book of John in the New Testament then go back to Matthew and read forward taking notes as you go.  Feeding your Spirit with the Word will strengthen it and build it up.  “My soul is weary with sorrow: strengthen me according to your word.” (Psalm 119:28)

Next time we will look at the other steps.  Start your Spirit training program this week by lifting your Bible every day.  Let me know what you think by leaving a comment.