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bigmike

Galatians 5:25 (LSB) 25 If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk in step with the Spirit.
We often see this verse quoted and used regarding avoiding sin in our lives; reflecting our redemption in Christ in our daily lives.
And this is true. We should want to reflect the fact that we have been born again; new creations in Christ.
But today we will look at this from a different angle; one that shows us the importance of following God’s Spirit when what we hear conflicts with our feelings.
Please allow me to explain.
Sometimes God will speak to us, either through another person or directly, and what we hear may anger us because it conflicts with what we feel or what we believe is true.
This can cause us to reject what we hear without ever examining it to see if it is true.
Jesus dealt with this frequently.
Here He was, “The Truth”, God in the flesh, standing face to face with the religious leaders of His day. But they rejected Him because they got caught up in their emotions.
And as they tore their clothes and threw dust on their heads, rejecting the long-awaited Messiah, the prophecies of God passed them by.
We can sometimes be the same way; rejecting truth that is right in front of us because that truth angers us or doesn’t align with our personal views or opinions.
And if we allow our emotions to rise up within us unchecked, we will reject the words of the Holy Spirit, tossing aside anything that He wanted to teach us.
We must understand that our emotions or our preconceived ideas should never take precedence over God’s voice or His truth.
So, even if we don’t like the messenger that God has chosen to give that word, we should never reject the message.
Again, doing so causes us to miss out on what God is trying to tell us and give us understanding in. And we risk putting ourselves in the same shoes as the Pharisees and Sadducees that Jesus spent so much time rebuking.
And the message that was nestled within the words spoken to us is forever lost due to our stubbornness and lack of ability to see past our emotions and embrace that message.

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