Galatians 5:22-24 English Standard Version

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. 24 And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.

Since we have been talking about trust lately it was inevitable that thoughts would arise such as antitrust. 

Have we all crucified our fleshly passions and desires?

If we have not, does that mean we do not love Christ?

Going negative is the easiest thing to do. We can be happy and in a great mood and all it takes is a word from an acquaintance or a news report and our whole countenance changes. A good thought is harder to hold than a greased pig. For those of us that have not enjoyed that sporting event, it is so hard it is funny to watch.

Let me test you.

COVID

It is hard to see anything remotely similar to the fruits of the spirit at the mere mention of that word. It has impacted us all, even if we have not contracted it. Perhaps the first signs of loss of trust was a run on paper towels. Everyone was cleaning every surface in their house for fear of this new plague that had hit the world.

That is just one word and its impact has had a lasting negative impact on all of our lives, not because we have lost faith but because everyone around us had gone negative. The blame games began immediately and those institutions we trusted all seemed to fail us. Or did they?

Allow me to quote a part of the opening verses. “against such things there is no law”.

Antitrust is all about the law which cannot protest and can only unevenly punish those who break the law. I included the word unevenly to demonstrate how easy it is to go negative.

We live in a world that constantly challenges our faith and begs us to go negative.

Answer me this; what did you do during the COVID shutdown?

Proverbs 3:5-6

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.

Trust me when I say the Lord has done enough for me to say I can trust Him with all my heart. The truth is that I do not always understand where my obedience of faith will lead me. My experience in this life of faith has been exciting for me because I can acknowledge that my Lord has led me to where I am today and what I am doing.

I struggle with everyday life just like everyone else. What has kept me rooted and grounded is His unfailing love. Here I am at 2:30 in the morning and the house is asleep and I get to spend this precious time with Him alone, just the two of us. It is precious to me and if I don’t get my quiet time my day is not as pleasant as I would like. I miss the peace He gives me when I cannot find that time alone with Him.

I have been given the privilege of writing to my friends and to strangers what He shares with me. I don’t know who is blessed everyday with His Word but I know I am. Sharing it seems to be the only sure thing I have where I know I can trust myself.

Trusting ourselves that we have heard the Lord and we are doing His will can be easy or it can be a real challenge. Taking that next step of faith isn’t always steady. Sometimes it is fraught with uncertainty about what is going to happen next. It depends on what the Lord has asked of us.

For those who are not sure if the Lord is using you I can only say this; step out in faith and test the path before you and see for yourselves that the Lord is leading you.

Make the most of your quiet time and listen intently. Stay in His Word. Abide in His love. Acknowledge Him always. Trust Him when He says He can use you.

Love does not disappoint.