Day 1: Power Walking
Today’s Reading: Galatians 5:13–26
Welcome to Day 1 of our 21 Days of Prayer and Fasting 2023. This is Week 1, Walking in the Fear of the Lord.
The Focus: “So I say, WALK BY THE SPIRIT, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. Galatians 5:16 NIV”
The Meditation: “Walk by the Spirit.”
One Step at a Time
Paul could have given the Galatians a long list of rules. He gave them one instruction that covers everything: walk by the Spirit (Galatians 5:16). Walking is not dramatic. It is one step and then another, taken in the same direction.
That is how the Christian life is lived. We do not become like Jesus in a single moment at the front of a church. We become like Him as we listen to the Holy Spirit and obey Him in the next small thing.
Two Ways to Live
Paul is honest about the fight. What our sinful nature wants is the opposite of what the Spirit wants, and the two are in conflict (Galatians 5:17). He lists where the flesh leads: sexual sin, idolatry, hatred, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition and more (Galatians 5:19–21).
Then he describes what the Spirit grows in us: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control (Galatians 5:22–23). Notice that this is called fruit. Fruit is not manufactured by effort. It grows on a branch that stays connected.
Free to Serve
We were called to be free, Paul says, but not free to please ourselves. We are free to serve one another in love (Galatians 5:13). Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the old life to His cross (Galatians 5:24). Since the Spirit has given us life, we are to keep in step with Him (Galatians 5:25).
Pray It Through
Ask for a fresh start. Tell the Holy Spirit that you want to walk with Him through these 21 days, one step at a time.
Name the pull. Where does the flesh most often win in your life? Bring that area into the light today.
Pick one fruit. Which fruit of the Spirit do the people around you most need to see in you? Ask Him to grow it.
Prayer for Today
Holy Spirit, I do not want to live this year in my own strength. Teach me to walk with You one step at a time. Show me where my old nature has been leading me, and give me grace to say no. Grow Your fruit in my life, so that the people around me see Jesus. In His name, Amen.
Listen and Watch
Pastor Ras shares a short message for Day 1 in the audio and video below.
Keep going
See every day of this guide on our Prayer & Fasting page.
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