The Battleground

One of the most profound things that I have ever learnt as a Christian was that following Jesus is and always will be a battle, at least until Jesus comes back.

It's going to be challenging.

And I remember during a series that we actually did here at St. Paul's a few years ago, looking at the book of Revelation.

Revelation is the final book in the Bible.

It's a prophetic vision that God gives to John about the end times.

And there were two really significant things that I walked away from that series with.

The first one was that heaven is going to be better than I've even begun to imagine.

It's going to be more exciting and more satisfying than even my wildest dreams.

There'll be no sickness, no pain, no hurting, no goodbyes, no tears.

It will be amazing.

And I can't wait to get there.

But the second thing that I learnt or that sharpened for me in that series was I realised that right up until that moment when Jesus returns and comes to fix things that are broken and right wrongs, until then, life will be broken and wrong.

Until heaven, our earthly existence as people who are trying to follow Jesus, trying to live for him, will be marked by opposition.

The opposition that's out there, the people who try and limit our ability to love and follow Jesus, to worship him.

The opposition of a world that is marked by the consequences of sin in the form of things like sickness, natural disaster, all of which can sometimes make it more difficult to stand up and say,

God is good.

God loves me.

God is gracious.

And there's a whole other sermon series right there.

But the other opposition is internal opposition.

The other thing that can make following Jesus a battle is our own weakness and our own failure.

It's our own doubt.

It's our own anger at God for not working the way that we want him to.

The point being, following Jesus is a battle.

Now that's not supposed to scare you off.

Heaven's worth it.

What Jesus did on the cross is worth it.

Jesus himself is worthy.

The point's not to scare us off, but to focus us, to open our eyes.

Given it's a battle, how do we battle well?

How do we stand in the midst of the fighting and persevere and stand firm?

How do we live now that we've been forgiven, that we are adopted, that we're in the family and that we're waiting for heaven?

How do we do that well?

That's the struggle for the Galatians.

They've heard the gospel.

They've started following Jesus.

They were excited.

Their lives changed drastically.

But then they realized it's actually harder than we thought.

It's hard to stay the course.

There's people trying to convince us to do other things.

There's our own questions, our own doubt.

It's the question that every follower of Jesus must ask.

It's the question Paul wants to wrestle with right now.

How do you battle well as a follower of Jesus?

How do you stand firm in the freedom that Jesus has purchased for you?

Well, let's look at three things in this passage.

Firstly, how do you battle well?

You need to know where you are.

It took me all of a month, but you're about to get your first marathon illustration.

After this, you might be excited that I'm leaving.

When I was running my half marathon a month ago, there was a lot of things conspiring to try and make me give up.

It's fairly unpleasant, to be perfectly honest with you.

The lack of conditioning in my muscles, the capacity for my blood to carry oxygen to all the parts of my body that need it, dehydration.

But the biggest barrier in the half marathon was in my head.

Because it's literally nearly two hours of arduous physical exertion.

Just the same thing, step after step after step.

21 kilometers, and every kilometer feels like it's getting longer and further away.

And I find myself having this internal discussion as I'm running.

There's nothing else to do.

Internal discussion about, will I keep going?

Should I give up?

Is this worth all the effort?

And every time I pass a kilometer marker, there'd be a big number on a bit of cardboard.

There's a burst of optimism.

I'm suddenly thinking, I'm making progress.

Off I go.

A little bit quicker for 100 meters.

And each one of these markers is about five minutes apart at the pace that I run.

And that's five whole minutes of focusing on how uncomfortable I am and doing a million different little mathematical equations about how far there is to go, looking for an answer that might be slightly encouraging.

Trying to break it down into ridiculous little segments or something like that.

And in amongst this internal discussion, I catch myself hoping that every time I can't see around a corner, or every time there's a hill where I can't see the other side, I start hoping that this next corner or this next hill will have another kilometer marker.

Now, the reality is, I've only been running for about 10 seconds since I passed the last one, but you start to lose track of time when you're just thinking about markers for two hours straight.

And it's that hope that I'm almost there that costs you more than anything because it's false hope.

I mean, it's completely unrealistic hope.

It doesn't make sense at all.

If I turned around, I could see the marker that I just ran past.

A thousand meters is a long way, just quietly.

One kilometer is an uncomfortable distance, especially when it's kilometer 15 or 16.

And so it's completely ridiculous that I would think just around this corner, this would be the shortest kilometer in the history of the world.

But I convince myself that it's going to be there.

And so I pep up.

And then as I come around the corner and it's not there, and suddenly I can see hundreds of meters down the road and there are no markers, I feel incredibly crushed.

It feels like an eternity since the last marker, but there is none coming.

And so I'm not as far progressed as I thought.

I'm not as far progressed as I want to be, as I need to be for a little bit of affirmation and encouragement.

And it's the same when it comes to following Jesus.

We start following Jesus and we trick ourselves into thinking we're through the worst bit.

We're through the hardest period of change.

We're through the hardest bit of opposition.

We're through the hardest bit of realizing that there's stuff in us that's embarrassing and shameful that we need to repent of and confess.

And we trick ourselves into thinking we're nearly there.

One more challenge.

One more sin I've got to overcome.

One more family member making fun of the fact that I follow Jesus.

We think all the hard work is done and that if we just get through this one struggle, it will be easier.

But when you're around the corner, there's another struggle.

There's another sin that you are not on top of, that you need to confess.

There's another part of your life that you probably need to repent of and acknowledge to God and start working on.

And the reality is that what the Bible teaches is until we get to heaven, there will always be another struggle.

There will always be parts of our lives, parts of our own desires that will be pushing us away from God.

Things we have to fight.

There will always be another hill, another corner, another sin, another doubt, another challenge.

Following Jesus is and will be a battle.

And so when Paul says in verse 16,

walk by the Spirit and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.

It sounds so simple.

Just walk by the Spirit.

And then you won't do all these things that you're embarrassed about or that you're ashamed of or that you've been doing your whole life.

The instruction sounds easy, but then he follows it with verse 17.

He says,

The flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit.

And the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh.

And here's the key bit.

They are in conflict with each other.

So you're not to do whatever you want.

It's important if we're in a battle, and we are, to know that we're in a battle.

It's important to have our eyes open to that reality.

Conflict is where we live as followers of Jesus.

This new life, this freedom that God has won for us,

this desire and opportunity to please and to serve God,

is fighting with everything that we used to be.

It's fighting with a lifestyle, a learned lifestyle,

that puts us at the centre,

that loves ourselves and our own comfort more than it loves Jesus.

Deb mentioned this last week.

She took us to Romans 7,

where Paul talks about the torture of deep down wanting to serve God

with every minute of every day,

but knowing that so much of the time you compromise.

You say,

I'm going to serve God with everything,

but first there's a few things that I need to do to look after me.

Conflict is the reality for the Christian.

So we need to expect it.

In fact, if there's a lack of moral conflict and inner wrestling

in your life following Jesus,

that's probably not evidence that you've made it.

It could be a sign that you've conceded defeat.

Your default setting will be to go back to your old way of life,

and conflict is the reality of the one

who is progressively becoming more like Jesus.

The only time that that old desire,

that old way of life will be fully destroyed

is when we get to heaven.

Conflict is the reality for those who follow Jesus.

Internal conflict.

But this next verse is really, really important.

Verse 18.

If you're led by the Spirit,

you are not under the law.

Let me say this really clearly.

Where you are as a Christian in this battle,

there is conflict,

but there is no condemnation.

There is conflict,

but there is no condemnation.

You will struggle,

you will wrestle,

you will fall sometimes,

but there is no condemnation.

This is more a paintball skirmish

than an actual war.

If you've never done paintball,

it hurts,

it's uncomfortable,

it'll leave a mark,

it'll do some damage,

but it won't kill you.

If you succumb to temptation,

it'll be painful.

There'll be consequences.

You might damage relationships,

but it can't undo what God has already done for you.

It can't uncrucify Jesus.

It can't put him back in the tomb.

So as a Christian,

you battle with life insurance.

You battle with a guardian angel.

You battle with a medic team.

You battle in such a way that you are safe.

We battle as those who have been adopted.

And so we struggle and grow slowly,

but surely completely secure

that we are and will always be loved

by our heavenly father.

In our great moments of victory

over sin and temptation,

and in our moments of despair and failure,

still secure in the love of our heavenly father,

battling well means knowing where you are.

You are in conflict,

but there is no condemnation,

which means when you fail,

you're secure.

It means when you realize

that you haven't grown as much as you wanted to,

when you catch yourself falling back

into an old habit,

you have the security to confess that,

to admit it,

and to get up and try again.

You have the freedom

to hand over guilt

and to take the next step,

to face the next challenge,

to have the perseverance

to keep going around the next corner.

Knowing where you are

spares you the disappointment

of thinking life was supposed to be easy

and then being shocked

when actually you need to fight.

You need to battle.

You need to persevere

if you want to become more like Jesus.

If you want to live in the freedom

that God has got for you,

know up front,

it will be hard.

It will be difficult,

but you can do it secure

in the love that God has for you

and with your eyes focused

on the destination

that you're hoping for.

Battling well means

knowing where you are.

Second thing,

it means focusing

on the real issue.

Have a look at verse 19.

The acts of the flesh

are obvious.

Sexual immorality,

impurity and debauchery,

idolatry and witchcraft,

hatred,

discord,

jealousy,

fits of rage,

selfish ambition,

dissensions,

factions 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.

So Paul's digging into

this conflict for us

a little bit,

giving us a deeper view

and we experience

this conflict

in the two halves.

So the first half

is what he calls

the acts of the flesh

and when Paul uses

that word flesh,

he's kind of meaning

our basic carnal desires,

our default human setting,

the thing that everyone

in the world goes after

until they meet Jesus

and discover that he's better.

It's our internal

default instincts,

it's the way we operate

before we meet Jesus.

But there's two really

interesting things

in these verses.

First, have a look

at what's listed

in these verses.

You've got some obvious ones,

some ones that we all assume

God's not going to be happy about,

idolatry,

witchcraft,

sexual immorality.

But there's also

a couple of more subtle ones,

maybe even things

that we would see

as kind of acceptable

in small doses.

Envy,

jealousy,

the odd bit of drunkenness.

selfish ambition

is even sometimes

considered a virtue

in our culture.

Look after yourself,

get what you deserve.

But look where the focus

is in this list.

See, the emphasis

isn't on those specific acts,

it's just a list of examples.

The focus is on the source

of those acts.

acts.

They come from the flesh.

They're evidence

of a life

that is driven

by rejecting God.

They're evidence

that the center

that makes the decision,

the center

that desires things

and then pursues things,

is not in line

with God,

is not submitted

to Him

as King.

The real issue

is not the acts.

He does the same thing

when he moves on

to the positive half

in verse 22.

He says,

but the fruit

of the Spirit

is love,

joy,

peace,

forbearance,

kindness,

goodness,

faithfulness,

gentleness,

and self-control.

Against such things

there is no law.

So you've got

the acts

of the flesh

and then you've got

the fruit

of the Spirit.

That is acts

and fruit

that are produced by.

They're the result

of something

that's going on

deeper inside.

See,

the conflict

that we experience

as Christians,

the battle

that we need

to fight in,

that we need

to commit to,

that we need

to struggle in,

the disagreement

that we feel,

the tension

between our old way

of life

and the new life

that we have

in Jesus

is not a battle

that is waged

in our hands

and feet.

It's not a battle

that is waged

in your eyes

or your mouth.

life,

it's deeper.

It's a battle

for your heart.

It's a battle

for the very core

of you.

And so if we spend

our energy

in this battle

focusing on our

hands and feet,

focusing on the acts,

focusing on the fruit,

we're missing

the real issue.

See,

the jealousy

that I feel

or the jealousy

that I act on,

the kindness

that I don't feel

or the kindness

that I don't act on,

they're both

the result

of what's going

on in my heart.

Which means

I can't fix them

by just trying harder

or changing

my behaviour.

It might kind of

put on a show

for a little while.

I might be able

to feel really jealous

and pretend

that I'm not.

I might be able

to fake kindness.

But if

drunkenness

is my issue,

I might somehow

force myself

to stop drinking

and that's a good thing

but I actually

haven't dealt

with the issue.

There's a reason

that I'm doing that.

I have to dig deeper.

That's why in verse 24

he says,

those who belong

to Christ Jesus

have crucified

the flesh

with its passions

and desires.

What's called for here

is not a slight

change in behaviour

but it's a killing

of sin,

a destroying

of desires

that drag us

away from this

new life

that Jesus

has purchased

for us.

We need to put

that sin to death

and in order

to do that

we've got to ask

the question,

why

do I get drunk?

Why

am I jealous?

Why

am I immoral?

Why

do I look at things

that I know

that I shouldn't?

What is it

that I desire

that I think

getting drunk

or being angry

or jealous

or whatever it is

will deliver for me?

That's the

heart question.

Only

if we begin

to engage

that question

can we begin

to deal

with the actual

enemy.

Heart change

is what is needed

and heart change

is something

that can only happen

by the grace

of God

and in the power

of the Holy Spirit.

Here's what the

process looks like.

As you ask

that deeper

question

and maybe

there's something

in your life

right now

that you can

insert in this

process.

As you dig

behind the

acts of the

flesh

or the absence

of the fruit

of the Spirit

and you discover

what it is

that you want

that you're

hoping those

things will

deliver,

the Spirit

whose main

role

is to help

you and me

and all of us

know and see

Jesus in his

all satisfying

joy-giving

majesty,

the Spirit

shows you

how Jesus

meets that

desire more

completely

and more fully

than whatever

it is you're

doing instead.

But you need

to know

what that

desire is

before you

can go

through that

process.

Otherwise

all you'll

ever focus

on is

am I being

envious,

am I being

jealous,

am I being

kind,

am I being

good and

you can

try to

do those

things but

deep down

you'll still

be jealous

and you

still won't

be kind

and eventually

you'll get

weary and

you'll go to

your default.

If you

never dig

down to

see the

why behind

your sin,

if you

never look

into where

the battle

is really

raging,

then the

hatred you

feel for

some annoying

person will

be really

difficult to

see how

Jesus has

anything to

do with

it.

You need

to ask

why.

Because in

the gospel,

in Jesus,

we have

everything we

need.

Our problem

is we

haven't worked

out what

it is we're

chasing and

so we

can't see

how Jesus

provides and

satisfies.

Conflict in

the Christian

life, the

battle to

live as

people worthy

of the name

Jesus is

not a battle

that's fought

in our hands

and feet.

It's a battle

that goes on

in our hearts.

And because

you lack

the power

to change

your own

heart,

focusing here

means that we

can battle

well by being

humble and

dependent on

God for that

transformation.

It means

rather than

keeping our

weaknesses and

our failures and

our sins secret

and trying to

fix them before

we let anyone

else know that

they're an

issue,

instead of doing

that which won't

work, we can go

to God first and

regularly and say,

God, I failed,

I need your

forgiveness, I need

your help, and I

need you to change

my heart.

I need your

spirit to help

me see that

Jesus is better.

I need your

spirit to grow

in me a love

for Jesus that

drives my

actions, that

produces fruit.

I need your

help to be

loving, kind,

good, patient,

joyful, peaceful,

faithful, gentle,

self-controlled.

They're called

fruit of the

spirit because

they grow

slowly but

surely in the

life of a

Christian who

is being led

by the spirit

that's in them.

Battling well

means knowing

to expect

conflict but

not condemnation.

It means

focusing on

your heart,

which means

depending on

God to do

the work of

transformation.

And the last

thing, battling

well as a

Christian,

means getting

ahead of the

game.

Or to use

Paul's language,

it means

keeping in

step with the

spirit.

Verse 25.

Since we

live by the

spirit, that

is since we've

been given

life by the

spirit, that's

what Galatians

has taught us,

let us keep

in step with

the spirit.

Now it took

me a month to

give you the

first one, you're

going to get

two in one

day, two

running

illustrations.

The other

running that I

do, apart from

trying to do a

half marathon, is

a weekly park run

with a bunch of

people in this

room.

There's a bit of

healthy competition

amongst us about

who can be the

fastest.

It's supposed to

be a race against

yourself, but

nobody actually

believes that.

And you get a

time every week as

to how fast you

can run the five

kilometres.

If you don't

believe me about

the competition,

note how many

people are talking

about their times

at morning tea.

Anyway, it's a

five kilometre time

trial.

And in my

marathon training, a

good win about

investing all those

hours was that my

times got better and

better and better and

I had something to

brag about and gloat

about.

And then I set

myself a bit of a

target about what

time I would get to.

I wanted to get

faster than 22

minutes.

And I got kind of

close and I was

pretty happy with

that.

And then after my

marathon I thought

that's where I'm

going to focus my

energy.

And I had a couple

of weeks break

because my body was

kind of exhausted.

But the first time I

went back I ran like

quite a bit slower

than I'd been running

beforehand.

I was very frustrated

and so I went home a

little bit disappointed

and agitated and I

thought I'll go back

next week and I'll get

that goal.

Because once I've got

that goal I can relax.

Job done.

The next week still

nowhere near my 22

minute goal.

Very disappointed and

frustrated.

And as I'm running

around the five

kilometres trying to

beat this time I'm

getting angry at

myself.

Like what are you

doing?

Just put some extra

effort in.

Run faster.

But there's some

physiological issues

like having to throw

up next to the track

that were limiting me

getting to my time.

And that's because the

reality is what I do

in that moment actually

counts very little in

the scheme of things as

to whether or not I can

actually produce the

result that I want.

The factors that

influence whether or not

I can get that goal

and get victory if you

like in that moment is

the work that's done

beforehand.

It's the whether or not

I ate KFC the night

before I did.

It's whether or not I

ran during the week or

two weeks or actually

three weeks beforehand

I didn't.

The preparation is where

the victory is won.

In the battle you might

have all the willpower in

the world but if you have

not prepared yourself and

strengthened yourself you

will lose.

You will be defeated.

We have life in the

spirit so the call is to

keep in step with the

spirit.

To constantly be led by

the spirit.

To have the spirit

shaping us and equipping

us so that when the

temptation comes we know

that Jesus is better.

When the failure comes we

know that God is gracious

and will still forgive us.

So what does it look like

to keep in step with the

spirit?

How do we do that

concretely?

How do we prepare for the

battle?

Two things.

Sharing and sowing.

Sharing and sowing.

Firstly sharing.

Spirit led life is

community life.

Have a look at verse 26.

Let us not become

conceited, provoking and

envying each other.

Brothers and sisters if

someone is caught in a

sin you who live by the

spirit should restore that

person gently.

But watch yourselves or

you also may be tempted.

Carry each other's

burdens and in this way

you fulfill the law of

Christ.

If anyone thinks they are

something when they are

not they deceive

themselves.

Each one should test their

own actions then they can

take pride in themselves

alone without comparing

themselves to someone

else for each one should

carry their own load.

Spirit life, living by the

spirit, being led by the

spirit, keeping in step

with the spirit has to do

with how we live together.

The first thing that Paul

goes to after saying keep

in step with the spirit is

how we perceive ourselves

and how that impacts the

way we relate to and love

one another.

Don't provoke each other out

of some sense of

superiority.

Don't envy each other out

of feelings of inferiority

because both attitudes

reflect conceit or

self-absorption or focus

on me.

This echoes back to

chapter 5 when Paul talks

about being free and what

it looks like to live free

is to lovingly serve our

neighbours.

The spirit that God has

given us didn't draw us

into this little quiet

private one-on-one

relationship with God.

It drew us into a

community that would be

the people of God.

Plural.

The point being that

keeping in step with the

spirit requires you

to be engaged with the

people of the spirit.

Engaged with Christian

community.

Preparation for the battle

in your heart, the battle

to resist temptation,

the battle to deal with

your failures is best

done in partnership with

your brothers and

sisters in Christ.

Carrying each other's

burdens.

Gently correcting one

another.

Not comparing ourselves

but pointing each other

to the freedom of the

gospel, to the obedience

that the gospel enables.

And here's a little

challenge for us in

this.

I think it's much

easier for us to

carry someone else's

burden with them than

it is for us to ask for

or accept help for our

own burdens.

We're happy to offer

help but accepting

help is a little more

difficult.

It's much easier to

recognise sin in someone

else and to gently seek

to restore them than it

is to have somebody

recognise sin in you

and gently seek to

restore you.

We live in a culture

that prides itself on

independence.

But we serve a God who

delights in and designed

us for interdependence.

The challenge for us as a

community and as

individuals, will you ask

for help?

Will you share your

burden?

Will you hear

correction?

I remember when we

were having kids in that

crazy bit when they're

first born and you just

don't know which way is

up and you can't sleep.

And lots of people

graciously and generally

offered meals, offered to

babysit Bailey when

Hudson was born, offered to

do whatever we needed for

help.

And we'd have

conversations about that

and we're like, oh, that's

really nice.

And some people really

graciously forced their

help on us.

And I mean that when I say

it.

They forced their help on us

and we had to receive it.

But I remember having

conversation.

We'd be sitting there

going, surely somebody else

needs help more than us.

We're surviving.

And we were.

We were tired, but we were

surviving.

But what if that's not the

goal?

What if God's goal for you is

not that you survive in your

own strength?

What if in that moment

what we were doing was

actually robbing ourselves

of the blessing of

journeying together and

robbing our church family

of the blessing of doing

what we're instructed to do

when it comes to living in

line with the Spirit?

Keeping in step with the

Spirit requires us to be in

Christian community.

And that doesn't mean

attending church once a

week.

Being in Christian

community means having

substantial, honest

relationships with other

Christians.

Having people that you feel

secure enough to ask help

from.

People who you trust enough

to confess sin with.

Maybe the people in your

community group.

Maybe others that you have

long-standing relationships

with.

But either way, ensuring that

you are there to share the

burden when they need it.

And they are there to share

your burden when you need it.

We are in a battle.

And the Spirit's power to

win that battle is built

into the kind of Christian

relationships that are

described in these verses.

Where we journey together.

So keeping in step with the

Spirit, staying ahead of the

game means sharing your life

with your brothers and

sisters in Christ so that

you don't battle alone.

And the second bit it means

keeping in step with the

Spirit is about sowing.

Have a look quickly with me

at verse 7.

Do not be deceived.

God cannot be mocked.

A man reaps what he sows.

Catch the seriousness of that

soundbite there.

Be easy to just skip past it

and focus on the reaping and

sowing.

God cannot be mocked.

It's a timeless principle.

You get out what you put in.

You sow apple seeds, you get

an apple tree.

You sow rocks, you get

nothing.

As followers of Jesus, it is

mocking God to sow that which

is not honoring to him into your

life and then to act surprised

or disappointed when you don't

see the fruit of the Spirit being

produced.

Verse 8,

Whoever sows to please their

flesh from the flesh will reap

destruction.

Whoever sows to please the

Spirit from the Spirit will reap

eternal life.

The things you fill your life

with, the things you watch, the

people you spend time with, those

are the things that you are

sowing into your character.

Those are the things that will

produce either the acts of the

flesh or the fruit of the Spirit.

If you spend all your time with

people who encourage you to be

dishonest or arrogant or

competitive or to compare

yourself, if you watch things on

TV or movies that fill your mind

with violence or hatred or

immorality, what do you think you

will reap?

Now the point isn't that we should

all go live in the desert and hide

away from the big bad world out

there.

Remember the battle's in here so

we're taking the battle with us

even into the desert.

Plus God sent us into the world

to call people out of darkness

into light with the hope of the

gospel.

The point is you reap what you sow.

And so if your heart's desire is to

truly live a life that honors God, a

life that shines so brightly that

others are drawn into the hope and

joy of the gospel, then you need to be

sowing to please the Spirit.

Spirit.

And the Spirit's desire is to make

much of Jesus.

So if you want to please Him, fill

your life with Jesus.

Fill your mind and your heart with

Jesus.

Soak in His Word.

Pray.

Spend time just hanging out with Him.

Avoid the things that you know will

lead you away from Him.

Walk out of the movie that you've paid

good money to watch if you can see

that that movie is sowing into you

things that are going to lead you away

from Jesus.

Stop doing that hobby if it's become

something that is sowing selfish

ambition or jealousy in you.

Gather with and invest in Spirit-filled,

interdependent relationships with

brothers and sisters in Christ.

Serve and allow yourself to be served.

Confess your sins and entrust yourself

to Jesus who died and rose again so

that you could be forgiven even as you

battle, even in your moments of doubt

and failure.

Walk with Jesus who has already won the

war.

We are in a battle.

So we need to know that there will be

conflict.

And yet we are secure.

There will not be condemnation for those

who are in Christ Jesus.

We are in a battle.

And that battle is not fought in our

hands and feet but deep within us, in our

hearts.

So we need to pray.

We need to depend on God and on the

power of His Spirit within us to shape

and mould us to win the battles,

to stand firm.

We are in a battle.

So we need to get ahead of the game.

We need to listen to the Spirit.

We need to share our lives with one

another, journey together, share

burdens and we need to sow for a future

harvest.

We need to take the things in that will

produce the fruit that we desire most.

Since we live by the Spirit, since we have

been given life by the Spirit, we have

been brought to life through the death and

resurrection of Jesus which gifted us the

Holy Spirit.

Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep

in step with it.