This morning I was bombarded with news of people speaking contrary to the Word on instagram. People declaring their new faith in allah and others saying they did not believe in the bible completely and everyone is entitled to their own belief and opinions. That is true—in a sense—but what if your beliefs and opinions are taking you straight to hell?

First of all, we are called to believe the bible completely. Yes men wrote the bible but they were led by the holy spirit to write each word they wrote (“All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.”-2Tim 3:16-17). I find it hard to believe that several different men, in different time periods could write one complete, harmonious book that doesn’t contradicts itself without the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Imagine you and a group of people you may not know from different time periods trying to write one paper without communication from one another, it would be hard and one big mess so thank God for His awesome guiding power.

Anyways in looking on instagram, I strolled onto the following post and it lead me to Galatians 5:

The entire chapter is really great but I want to highlight a couple of verses.

5 So stand strong for our freedom! The Anointed One freed us so we wouldn’t spend one more day under the yoke of slavery, trapped under the law. (Voice)

As my pastor always preaches, people don’t like surrendering their lives to Christ because they see Jesus as a “crutch” but what some people don’t realize is by surrendering to Jesus, you are actually being set free. There is a freedom like no other. When you are not set free by Jesus, you are enslaved by the devil. Now you may say “no, not I!” but if you are not being led by the Holy Spirit, you are being led by the devil who will use you as a puppet.
Now others will say they are not being led by the devil and he doesn’t guide their every step but if you are not being guided by the Holy Spirit, you are being guided by the flesh and what does the flesh wants us to do?

19 It’s clear that our flesh entices us into practicing some of its most heinous acts: participating in corrupt sexual relationships, impurity, unbridled lust, 20 idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, arguing, jealousy, anger, selfishness, contentiousness, division, 21 envy of others’ good fortune, drunkenness, drunken revelry, and other shameful vices that plague humankind. I told you this clearly before, and I only tell you again so there is no room for confusion: those who give in to these ways will not inherit the kingdom of God.” (Voice)

So you can say that the devil isn’t leading you but when the flesh is leading you, you are being led to a path of destruction—the path the devil wants you to go on all the way to hell. It is very clear in this passage that this way (your way) will lead you NOT to heaven but to hell. It seems harsh but this is the reality of things: you are going to end up in two places, hell or heaven. What you do right now and how you live your life will determine where you go. There is NO in-between!

So what now? How do you not give into your flesh?

16 Here’s my instruction: walk in the Spirit, and let the Spirit bring order to your life. If you do, you will never give in to your selfish and sinful cravings. 17 For everything the flesh desires goes against the Spirit, and everything the Spirit desires goes against the flesh. There is a constant battle raging between them that prevents you from doing the good you want to do. (Voice)

The amazing thing about Jesus is that He already has won the victory for us by dying on the cross for our sins. This means that we already have the victory; we just have to claim and believe it. We have the power, through the Holy Spirit, to not give into our flesh and sinful cravings—we do NOT have to sin. We do not have to come into submission of our flesh. As verse 1 says, we have been freed from that! So walk in your freedom and walk in the Spirit (verse 16)

What does that look like?

24 Those of us who belong to the Anointed One have crucified our old lives and put to death the flesh and all the lusts and desires that plague us. (Voice)
As Paul says, I die daily (1Cor 15:31), we must die daily. From the moment we wake up, we have to surrender our flesh and lives to Jesus. We have to make that decision to live for Christ not only for that moment but also for every single day of our lives.

Here are some practical steps to do that:

1. Renew your mind

“Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is–his good, pleasing and perfect will.” –Romans 12:2

This means our thinking has to be that of the Lord’s. We can’t allow our thoughts of the flesh or of negativity be in our minds. As soon as they come in, dismiss them! They don’t belong in your mind. Instead, let your minds be full of the Word. Read the Word, think (meditate) on the Word, speak the Word and live the Word.

2. Do not tiptoe around sin

8 I know for certain the pressure isn’t coming from God. He keeps calling you to the truth. 9 You know what they say, “Just a little yeast causes all the dough to rise,” so even the slightest detour from the truth will take you to a destination you do not desire. (Voice)

Do you remember when you were a little kid and your parents told you not to go somewhere or do something and you tried to tiptoe so they couldn’t hear you? What happened? You would get caught most of the time. When you tiptoe around sin, you get caught in it. It’s like playing with fire. If you play with fire, you’re going to get burned.

3. Do NOT open doors to sin

This means do not open doors of opportunity to sin. You know how you do it. You text that boy and invite him over although you know maybe it isn’t the best idea because your parents aren’t going to be home. You may not have the intention to do anything, but because you opened the door for your flesh to run free, it runs wild. Another example is when you know you shouldn’t go to a party because you’re going to probably end up drinking or smoking but you do it anyways. You are opening the doors for temptation and for opportunities to sin. Why make it harder for you to not sin by opening those doors? Close it before you even open it.

4. Shut it down!

If you already have doors that you have opened from before, shut it down! If you know your family is going to want you to drink at a party, say no from the beginning. Don’t say “maybe later” or “not now” but say “no, I do not want any alcohol so please don’t ask me again” and say no every time. If you are consistent with your no’s, they will eventually stop asking you. It’s ok to say no. True friends and family members will respect your decision.

 
5. Have accountability

Find a strong accountability partner. One who will be honest and tough on you. One who knows the Word of God and one who will call you out when you are not acting right. Find someone who you trust/be transparent with and you can call at 3am if you need to. You should be able to be comfortable with this person to tell them when you are struggling with things you don’t want to share with people and when you need prayer. This person will help lead you closer to God when you go astray and wants the best for you. This person is not a “yes (wo)man” and will tell you what you don’t want to hear and when you need to hear it. This person is crucial to your walk but will only be useful if you utilize them to the best of their ability.

6. Surround yourself with people who will lead you to God and not away.

7 You were running a good race. Who cut in on you to keep you from obeying the truth? 8 That kind of persuasion does not come from the one who calls you. 9 “A little yeast works through the whole batch of dough.”
It is much easier to live right for Christ when you are surrounded by people who want to live right for Christ too. They will be there to encourage and motivate you. They will help you out, show you the way and let you know that you are not in this thing alone. You can live for Christ and overcome sin like they have.

7. Remind yourself that the Holy Spirit dwells in you.
The same way you wouldn’t curse around the Pastor or your grandparents is the same way you need to be with the Holy Spirit. Because the Holy Spirit is in you (1Cor 6:19), He is always there when you sin. You can’t hide from Him so because you can’t, when you sin, you are sinning in His presence. If you wouldn’t disrespect your Pastor or grandparents, how much more shouldn’t you disrespect the One that dwells within you?

22 The Holy Spirit produces a different kind of fruit: unconditional love, joy, peace, patience, kindheartedness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, and self-control. You won’t find any law opposed to fruit like this. 24 Those of us who belong to the Anointed One have crucified our old lives and put to death the flesh and all the lusts and desires that plague us. (Voice)

8. Be transparent
We all fall and struggle. No one is perfect and we all make mistakes. Do not be afraid to ask for help. Do not be afraid to be honest with yourself and others. I am not saying you need to shout it out to the world whenever you fall but it’s ok to seek guidance and wisdom from Godly men and women. It’s ok to be transparent with those you trust and not judge each other. We have to stop acting “holier than thou” and throwing stones at others. We all live in glass houses, if you throw rocks, rocks will be thrown back.
Most importantly, it’s ok to be transparent with yourself. Only you know your innermost struggles and weaknesses and if you’re not sure, ask God to reveal them to you. Recognize the areas you need help in and seek God to help you in those areas. My pastor once said, “The mind is the armory in which you build your weapons of defeat or victory”. It all begins in your mind: recognize, admit, seek God and conquer those struggles and weaknesses.

9. Walk in your freedom!
Once you make that conscious decision to live for God and not to compromise, walk in that freedom! You don’t have to be tied down by your struggles, doubts, depressions, people etc.

3 You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh[a]; rather, serve one another humbly in love. 14 For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”[b]

What’s the point?

We were not called to this earth to live a life of our own. We were called to fulfill the great commission of preaching the Gospel to one another and to love others. We are called to be the light unto this world so lets die daily to our flesh, surrender our wills use that freedom to walk with God so we can do what He called us to do. It will make the world a better place!

25 Now since we have chosen to walk with the Spirit, let’s keep each step in perfect sync with God’s Spirit. 26 This will happen when we set aside our self-interests and work together to create true community instead of a culture consumed by provocation, pride, and envy. (Voice)

What are you going to do with your freedom?