Scripture: Galatians 5:13-25

Life by the Spirit

13 You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love. 14 For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” 15 If you bite and devour each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other.

16 So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. 17 For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.

19 The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; 20 idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 21 and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. 24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. 26 Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.

Power To Please God

I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.

Galatians 5:16 (NKJV)

The Holy Spirit gives us the power to overcome the sin that we carry around within us because we still live in bodies contaminated by sin. This is the purpose of the Spirit's filling. To help you understand and appropriate the reality of this, let me make five observations about the exciting, powerful, yet often misunderstood verse we're reading today.

First, Paul is definitely talking about yielding control of your will to another. The drunk yields to alcohol. We are to yield to the Spirit. That's a big difference, but the principle is the same in each case.

Second, notice that the positive statement is a command. Paul is not saying, “If you'd like to, it would be nice if you were filled with the Spirit.” He is saying that if you are going to please God, then you must be filled with His Spirit.

Third, this is a plural command. It applies to every believer. The Spirit's fullness is not for the elite few. There are Christians you may look at and say, “If I could just be like them. They love Jesus so much, and they walk so closely with Him. Why can't I be like that?” You can. The difference is the filling of the Spirit, not the fact that they have something you don't.

Fourth, this plural command is also passive. You can't fill yourself. This is the sovereign activity of the Spirit. That means your attempts to fill yourself are going to be very unfulfilling.

Fifth, this plural, passive command is also present tense, meaning it is a continuous action. You don't get filled today and expect it to cover you tomorrow, just like you don't eat Sunday dinner and expect it to carry you to next Sunday. The Holy Spirit's filling is a dynamic, moment-by-moment experience.

Why is it that way? Because we live in a world that depletes our filling. Sin depletes the filling. When you go against your conscience, it is depleted. So the Spirit's fullness is constantly being depleted, not because He is deficient, but because we are imperfect Christians who still carry the principle of sin around with us.

Have you asked the Holy Spirit to fill and control you today? He will, if that's your prayer.

Excerpt from "Time to Get Serious" - Tony Evans

The Psalms Project

Often, as I read a chapter from the book of Psalms, I find myself wondering how it might have sounded when the author first wove those words into a poetic hymn. Have you ever paused to imagine that?

Recently, the Lord led me to a wonderful discovery - a band called The Psalms Project. If you haven’t heard of them, you’re in for a blessing. They’ve taken on the incredible mission of setting all 150 Psalms to music, preserving the meaning of every verse while bringing them to life through modern melodies and heartfelt worship.

They’ve collaborated with dozens of musicians - including well‑known artists like Phil Keaggy and Jeff Deyo - to create rich, thoughtful arrangements that honor the beauty and depth of Scripture.

I just had to share this new find because it has already been such a gift to me. Their music feels like stepping into the Psalms themselves - hearing them not only as ancient poetry, but as living worship.

You can find their work on most music streaming platforms, and they also have a YouTube channel. I personally listen through Spotify and even created a playlist with all the Psalms released so far, arranged in chronological order. It’s become one of my favorite ways to soak in Scripture. Check them out! And God bless!!

Prayer: Father, I surrender...

Father God,

I come before You with a heart that feels exhausted, overwhelmed, and heavy. God, it feels like depression is swallowing me whole, like the darkness is getting louder than the hope I am trying so hard to hold onto. You see the battles I do not have the words to explain. You see the tears I wipe away, the moments I feel numb, the thoughts that tell me I am too tired to keep going. You see every part of me, even the parts I feel ashamed of, and You do not turn away.

God, remind me that my feelings are real, but they are not the final truth. Depression may feel like a wave crashing over me, but You are the One who holds me when I cannot hold myself. When my mind tells me I am alone, remind me that Your presence has never left me. When my heart feels broken beyond repair, remind me that You are close to the brokenhearted and that You are still working in places I cannot see.

Father, I am tired of fighting battles that nobody else knows I am fighting. I am tired of pretending I am okay when I feel like I am falling apart inside. Please meet me in this moment. Give me strength for today, not just for tomorrow. Give me the courage to take the next breath, the next step, the next small moment. Help me stop measuring my worth by how productive I am, how strong I appear, or how well I can hide my pain. Remind me that I am Your beloved child before I am anything else.

Scripture: 1 Timothy 2:5