A More Abundant Life Is Possible With God Pastor Marcus Mecum for Christian News Journal
Jesus shares in the book of John that he “came that [we] may have life and have it abundantly” (John 10:10 ESV). What a gift we have in Jesus! He is the good shepherd who faithfully protects and loves His sheep. Yet so many Christians struggle to step into this abundant life that Jesus provides. Why is that?
When we become followers of Christ, we know from Scripture that our spirit comes alive and we are eternally saved. Before that moment, we were disconnected from God. But once we’ve received the gift of salvation, God begins to work in us. This doesn’t mean our lives are going to suddenly be perfect, though. We’re still going to make mistakes, fall short, and deal with sin.
Even while we have God’s Spirit working in us, we have a sinful nature that’s working against us. God made our flesh to be a servant, but it makes a terrible master. When our flesh is in control, it steers us away from an abundant life in line with God’s Spirit. As Christians, we know it can be an agonizing struggle to let the Spirit of God lead. Yet this is the battle we must face.
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Paul wrote to the Christians in Galatia, “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. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law” (Galatians 5:16-18).
If you’re wondering if your flesh or the Spirit of God is leading your life right now, take a look at your life: What are you feeding? What we feed grows. The Spirit is going to struggle to lead if we feed our flesh all week long and only feed our spirit for an hour at church on Sunday mornings. We have to dedicate our lives to fueling the Spirit through worship, prayer, and reading the Word of God.
