Let the Spirit be Your Guide // Galatians 5:16

Galatians 5:16 (NIV) | So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.

I can’t help but read the paraphrase of today’s verse in the infographic below and think about Jiminy Cricket telling Pinocchio, “Let your conscience be your guide.” Do you remember that in the movie? I have a plush Jiminy Cricket in my office as an homage to that, but also as a reminder that the conscious is NOT the Holy Spirit. Yes, the Holy Spirit can influence our conscience, but we must be open God’s power or we will justify our own desires…much like a lying, nose-growing marionette hoping to become a real boy.

Yesterday we took a quick glance at free will and how God establishes our steps. That thought carries into today’s passage when we think about liberty. Salvation sets us free to experience the liberty given us by Jesus. Paul went on to write that we should not use our liberty self-indulgent debauchery. That isn’t liberty, that’s what’s known as libertine, or using one’s freedom to indulge in desires of the flesh as opposed to the Spirit. So, as our verse for today states, let the Spirit work within your conscience to lead you God’s way.

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