When we genuinely believed in the Lord Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior and asked for forgiveness of our sins, we became a new person in Christ Jesus (2 Corinthians 5:17). We were wholly forgiven, saved from the eternal judgment of God, and given eternal life. The Holy Spirit dwelt and stayed in us forever, and our body became the temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). The Holy Spirit began to change our hearts by helping us to grow in our new relationship with God. He began to teach and guide us to God's truths. He started to convict us of our sin and encouraged us to do the will of God. Galatians 5:16-17 says, "But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do."
Our old self, which is our flesh, wants to do the things that are not of God, but the Holy Spirit of God who lives in us wants us to live for God. Every day our old self wants to take over and do whatever it wants and disregard the ways of God. He wants us to live in sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these (Galatians 5:19-21). But the Holy Spirit wants us to live in love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23).
As believers of our Lord Jesus Christ, we need to make a choice every day to live and walk by the Holy Spirit. We choose to love, forgive, do good, tell the truth, not curse others with our thoughts and/or words, avoid outbursts of anger and jealousy, and not be arrogant and judgmental, but be kind, patient, gentle, calm, helpful, thankful, and responsible. It is easy for us to get caught up with the attitudes of this world because they surround us, but we are no longer belong to this world. We do now belong to our Heavenly Father. We live and walk by the Spirit, and this is who we are in this world. When we feel under pressure today, relax, take a deep breath, remember who we are, pray for spiritual strength, and respond according to the Holy Spirit.
Ask yourself these questions: How should I live and walk now that I belong to my Heavenly Father?
Write down all the worries that you are facing today and lift them up to God.
Prayer:
Father in Heaven, thank you that I belong to you and not of this world anymore. Please help me to live and walk by the Holy Spirit today and not according to the attitudes of this world that I may live in your joy and peace. In your name Jesus, I pray. Amen.