God the Spirit

Transformer

One thing we know for sure about the Holy Spirit is this: he works in the lives of Jesus’ followers, slowly shaping and changing them from the inside out, into the people God designed and intended them to be.

It’s not an easy process. It’s not a fast process. Sometimes it's a difficult process.

But it’s always a good process.

You’ve probably experienced a powerful back-and-forth tug-of-war in your mind and heart. One side says, “I want, I deserve, I will, I’m in charge.” The other side says, “God loves, God wills, God says, God is God.”

Take note: this back-and-forth tug-of-war is not a battle among equals. Not even close.

Jesus covered the penalty for our sins when he died on the cross. Then he defeated the power of sin when he rose from the dead. The power that lives in you (God’s Spirit) is greater than the power that lives in the world (see 1 John 4:4).

So though the back-and-forth tug-of-war is real, it can be overcome with the Spirit’s help. He has the power to change your desires, thoughts, attitudes, and actions if you allow him to.

Read & Reflect

Galatians 5:16-26

List the behaviors and attitudes of people controlled by 1) the sinful nature and 2) the Holy Spirit.

In what ways and circumstances does your sinful nature try to control your life?
In what ways and circumstances do you currently allow the Spirit to control your life?
How will you surrender more control of your thoughts, attitudes, and actions to the Spirit?

Extra Info

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Paul, the author of Galatians, often wrote about the old nature or sinful nature. Some Bibles translate it as "flesh." The wisest and smartest people have different ideas about what Paul meant. Did he mean all humans are born naturally sinful? Did he mean all humans, simply because they are flesh-and-blood, desire things that aren’t good for them?

One thing he certainly did not mean is that flesh itself is bad, evil, or sinful. God created human beings as flesh-and-blood creatures — even became flesh himself — and declared that his whole creation was very good. The problem isn’t flesh. The problem is all the ways that people give in to the flesh and allow their sinful nature to control the bodies God made for his purposes.

Extra Verses

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Romans 8:1-17

Extra Things

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Watch and listen to the videos below for more about the Spirit who transforms us.

Resources for people who help others become more like Jesus.

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Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007, 2103 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

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