TOPIC: FEED THE SPIRIT
MEMORISE:
“But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.” - (Romans 8:9)
READ: GALATIANS 5:16-18 (KJV)
16 This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.
17 For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.
18 But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law.
MESSAGE:
Today's Bible reading tells us that the flesh and the spirit are constantly at war, and the one we feed is the one that will win. To live above the flesh, a child of God must keep feeding and filling his or her spirit with the word of God.
The story of Peter in Luke 22:54-62 is very sobering. He was one of the disciples whom Jesus sent to some cities and towns to preach the gospel and who returned with joy because devils were subject to them (Luke 10:17). He was also present when Jesus fed the five thousand (Mark 6:35-44) and raised Lazarus from the dead (John 11:1-44). At some point, he even walked on water (Matthew 14:28-29). As long as Peter fed his spirit, the devil couldn't touch him. However, the moment he began to feed his ego by boasting that he would never deny Jesus (Matthew 26:34-35), he became weak spiritually. Jesus had warned Peter that the devil had targeted him to make him fall (Luke 22:31), but instead of running back to the secret place to fortify himself, he kept boasting about his inability to fall until he eventually fell. When you don't feed your spirit, you will become vulnerable to the attacks of the enemy. You will become overly sensitive to offences and will easily get annoyed and irritated by many things.
Feeding your spirit must be a regular exercise. In Matthew 6:34, Jesus said, "...Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof." In other words, to overcome the evil of each day, you must feed your spirit every day. You must spend time in God's word. Joshua 1:8 says, "This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night..." You must also spend time in prayer so that you won't become a victim of the enemy.
Some pastors have become so familiar with the word that they don't see the need to study their Bibles and pray as before. They can cook up a sermon in a short time, and this makes them think they are okay spiritually. If you keep starving your spirit, it is only a matter of time before you will become dry. Don't let the devil deceive you into thinking you are okay when you are not feeding your spirit. He wants to drain you so he can conquer you.
Beloved, feed your spirit every single day by studying the word of God and fellowshipping with the Holy Spirit.
REFLECTION:
Have you been feeding your spirit or your flesh?
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: MATTHEW 18-20
AUTHOR PASTOR E A ADEBOYE
HYMNAL: 8 - I NEED THEE EVERY HOUR
1 I need Thee ev'ry hour,
most gracious Lord;
no tender voice like Thine
can peace afford.
Refrain:
I need Thee, O I need Thee;
ev'ry hour I need Thee;
O bless me now, my Savior,
I come to Thee.
2 I need Thee ev'ry hour,
stay Thou nearby;
temptations lose their pow'r
when Thou art nigh. [Refrain]
3 I need Thee ev'ry hour,
in joy or pain;
come quickly and abide,
or life is vain. [Refrain]
4 I need Thee ev'ry hour,
teach me Thy will;
and Thy rich promises
in me fulfill. [Refrain]
5 I need Thee ev'ry hour,
most Holy One;
O make me Thine indeed,
Thou blessed Son. [Refrain]
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