Why Life Groups?

Life Groups provide an ideal, smaller context for pursuing spiritual growth with other believers who share a commitment to radical life change through an application-oriented study of God's word, accountability, and prayer. The life God has called us to, a life passionate for His supremacy, can't be done alone; we need one another to be using our God-given gifts to build each other up.

Monday, May 4, 2009

The Joy of the Lord is Your Strength . . . Against Sin!

Joy is among the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22), that is to say, joy comes as a result of living by the power of and in obedience to the Holy Spirit. This Spirit-produced joy is a weapon against sin. How so? Paul says, "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" (Galatians 5:16-17 ESV). You can't walk "in the flesh" and "by the Spirit" simultaneously; it's either/or, not both/and. There is no "best of both worlds" in this case. If you are experiencing the joy of the Lord, then you will not be experiencing the fleeting pleasures of sin. The reverse is likewise true. For this reason the joy of the Lord is your strength against sin.
Posted by Andy Tobin

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