Let us recap where we are in the process of renewal. We have acknowledged our sins, confessed them, and received God’s grace for forgiveness. We presented ourselves as living sacrifices, entered into covenant life, and allowed the Holy Spirit to lead us. We moved into the Holy Place, and our High Priest has led us into the Holy of Holies.
Now we have begun walking in the spiritual life. Today, we will meditate on what we should not do and what we must overcome. Paul listed the works of the flesh and warns that those who practice such things will not inherit eternal life.
“Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God” - Galatians 5:19–21.
We will not study each work of the flesh individually. Instead, we will follow the “David the King formula,” which explained in one verse, Psalm 1:1: do not walk, do not stand, and do not sit.
1. “Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly”
This refers to thoughts and influences formed in the mind. These five works of the flesh begin internally:
- Hatred
- Contentions
- Jealousies
- Selfish ambitions
- Envy
2. “Nor stands in the path of sinners”
To “stand” means to support, accept, and practice. Just as people say today “I stand with” (For example, when people say, “I stand with pro-life,” it means supporting the life that God gives. It is not just verbal support, but a commitment to protect and preserve life at any cost. In the same way, “standing” reflects our attitudes and behavior). These eight belong to the “do not stand” category:
- Adultery
- Fornication
- Uncleanness
- Lewdness
- Drunkenness
- Revelries
- Murders
- Outbursts of wrath
3. “Nor sits in the seat of the scornful”
To “sit” represents identity, belief, and alignment. In today’s world, many desire to sit in positions of influence. Spiritually, this speaks of ideology and conviction. These four belong to the “do not sit” category:
- Idolatry
- Sorcery
- Dissensions
- Heresies
David’s formula is simple and easy to understand thru Psalm 1 defines who the blessed person is. Yet David himself failed when he walked on the roof, stood on the balcony, and eventually sat in sin, because he stayed home instead of going out to war.
We can follow many meditation approaches to overcome, here let we mediate our legacy pattern to overcome.
Attribute of Holy Spirit
Let us allow the Holy Spirit to work in us, as said in
“For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” 2 Timothy 1:7
“sound mind” means self-control, discipline, that the Holy Spirit empowers us.
Promise of Word
Let us proclaim the Word of God over the situations
“No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it” 1 Corinthians 10:13
Worship and Prayer
Let we do our the Lord’s Prayer
Our Father in heaven,
Hallowed be Your name.
Your kingdom come.
Your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts,
as we forgive our debtors.And do not lead us into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one.For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.
Matthew 6:9–13