<sup>John 15

16</sup> I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. ¹⁷ For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish. ¹⁸ But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.

¹⁹ Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery,^[c] fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, ²⁰ idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, ²¹ envy, murders,^[d] 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.

²² But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ²³ gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. ²⁴ And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. ²⁵ If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.

Wow! Sounds so easy when we read it on paper doesn’t it?   I mean when you take away the

everyday circumstances of life that antagonize us beyond measure, and cause us to lose all self control, it seems like a pretty easy task to maintain all self control and exemplify all the correct behaviors of a Christ like attitude.

But it is truly when we are tested most often by those we are closest to we seem let go of our religion and let it fly.  LOL!!!

One thing in particular has always helped me was something my mom taught me as a young girl.

I truly didn’t embrace it or even understand it then but now it’s a truth that I cling to daily to help me truly walk in the Spirit and exemplify His spiritual fruits in my life.

She always told me, you are not responsible for what others do to you but you will always be responsible for your own actions.

What she was truly saying is that no one can make us sin…isn’t it true that when we mess up we always look for something or someone to blame.  We excuse our behavior as a normal reaction to how we have been treated or mistreated.

Circumstances certainly have a bearing on our reactions, but the liberating concept is that “ You will not have to give account to God for what someone else does to you , but you will be held accountable for how you respond”.

I wish I had gotten this truth faster and sooner and easier, but the Lord has his way of teaching us all these valuable lessons.

And through the years I have come to see how important this principle is because throughout our lives there will always be people and circumstances that try to bring out the worst in our character, but at the end of the day we have to leave it to God Himself to right the wrong of others.

But our responsibility is to respond in faith and obedience to His Word, through the power of the Holy Spirit.

That’s what He will hold us accountable for…that means our responses don’t have to be controlled by the situation around us.  We may be surrounded with ungodliness, we may have ungodly parents, an unloving or ungodly husband, we may have children who thrive on disobeying us daily and fight back in resentment and lash out at us in rebellion or hurt.

This is the real world many of you are living in today and you say huh!! Walk in the spirit!!

I am pushed to my very limit on a daily basis, how can I show the true fruits of my heavenly Father in the middle of chaos!

Yes all of these things we face on a daily basis affects our humanity and launches us into a display of fleshly reaction,

But can I tell you today that by God’s grace you can respond in love and humility to the circumstances in your life that hurl you out of control.

Walking in the Spirit is truly not as simple as we read it on this paper but with a little effort and dedication from you, you can overcome these temptations.

First we must learn how to walk in the spirit from examples of those who had to demonstrate it the most…Jesus himself learned to overcome his flesh by fasting and praying and remember when the devil came to tempt Him He quoted the Word, for Jesus understood there was Power in That Word.

Secondly, council your heart with this truth:  I may not be able to change or control people or circumstances around me but I do have a choice about how I will respond and my own behavior to others.

As you accept responsibility for your own actions and reactions you will learn to love the unlovable, forgive the unforgivable,  and as you depend on the Spirit of God and His love in us.

Then we can truly say it is not I, but Christ in me.

One of my prayers that I pray every day is Lord, make me one with you,  help me to take on the mind of Christ, to see as you see and to know as you know, Lord help me to see others the way you see them.

^{John 15}  

⁵ “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. ⁶ If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned. ⁷ If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will^[b] ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. ⁸ By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.

Love and Joy Perfected

⁹ “As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love. ¹⁰ If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love.

¹¹ “These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full. ¹² This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. ¹³ Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends. ¹⁴ You are My friends if you do whatever I command you. ¹⁵ No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you. ¹⁶ You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you. ¹⁷ These things I command you, that you love one another.

Jesus teaches us to seek to be one with Him, He has promised us to be over comers and  challenged us to bear fruit.

As we  look inward together today let us abound in the realization that we can maintain responsibility for our actions in every circumstance and let us cultivate the fruits of the Spirit in our lives by applying these principles daily to our heart.

It is a journey but we can do it together……

We can find freedom from the bondage of this flesh

as we learn to die to ourselves that Christ may live in us.

" Where the spirit of the Lord is, There is FREEDOM "

 " if you are tired and you are thirsty, There is FREEDOM "

" FREEDOM reigns in this place, showers of mercy and grace, falling on every face "

          " THERE IS FREEDOM "