In Galatians 5:24-25 the apostle Paul writes, “Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.”
This passage is an important reminder that in order to say “yes” to something great, we must be willing to say “no” to lesser things.
In this case, if we want to say yes to the Spirit and what the Spirit produces in our lives, then we must say no to the passions and desires of the flesh that are opposed to the Spirit.
This means that we create boundaries around our hearts and minds in order to protect the fruit that the Spirit is growing in our lives. Biblical scholar Christopher J.H. Wright says that setting boundaries means…
There are places I should not go.
There are things I should not look at.
There are relationships I should not play with.
There are words I should not allow to pass my lips.
There are conversations I should not join in or pass on.
There are feelings I ought to rebuke and suppress.
There are desires I should not give in to.
There are attitudes toward others I should not hold.
So, what boundaries do you need to set in your life?
What do you need to say “no” to so that you can say “yes” to the Spirit?
rusty tugman 