Walk in the Spirit an Addendum
I had planned to take a summer break from posting articles. But as I was reading the Bible today, I felt compelled to add to my post from yesterday titled Walk in the Spirit.
As a part of my Bible reading and study, I have a habit of reading continuously through the New Testament. I typically read a chapter a day, but I try not to make it a compulsion, so I may miss a day here and there, or I may get caught up in the story and read more than one chapter.
Today, I was reading John 18, and as the story continued, before I realized it I found myself in chapter 19. Before reading, I typically ask the Lord to reveal Himself to me through His Word and help me know Him more. John 18 and 19 are about Jesus’ arrest, trial, and crucifixion. As I read the story, I had a mix of feelings, but primarily, I was overwhelmed by gratefulness and sadness.
As I talked to the Lord after reading, I expressed sorrow that it was my sin that caused Him to go to the cross. But I also was overcome by thanks that my Lord and King would voluntarily experience the excruciating pain, humiliation, and death that I deserved to save me from that sin. I could only let tears flow as I understood what Jesus did for me.
This experience was emotional, but it was more than mere emotion. I knew that Jesus loves me so much that He died for me. I knew that He overcame sin and death, and so did I by trusting Him. I got a little more understanding of who God is by seeing His selflessness, His love, and His sacrifice.
There’s a crazy part of this story. Moments later, as I was eating breakfast, I was accosted by the vilest thoughts. I believe Satan was attacking me, trying to take advantage of my emotional state. Thankfully, I was able to resist him with the help of the Spirit. As the Bible promised, Satan fled from me. I was incredulous, but not surprised, that at a beautiful moment in my relationship with Christ, the devil would try to ruin it. But God is faithful and always provides a way of escape from temptation.
As I walk in the Spirit, He is faithful to guide me and advocate for me. As I am open to knowing God more by reading His Word, He is gracious in sharing Himself with me. Today, I hope and pray you will experience the Lord’s closeness, that you will understand how much He loves you, and you will know Him a little better.
P.S. I will be taking a break from posting for the next couple of months. I hope these articles have been helpful to you, and I look forward to returning to Our Life in Christ in the near future. God bless you.