“And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules.” – Ezekiel 36:27

God promised the Holy Spirit hundreds of years before He poured it out onto all believers at Pentecost. If Jesus is your Lord, then you have the Holy Spirit living in you. In this verse, God highlights one of the most important roles the Holy Spirit plays in your life as a follower of Jesus. The Spirit convicts you when you stumble into sin. He makes you feel guilt for your sins so that you’ll quickly repent and confess them to God to receive His forgiveness and resume walking in obedience to God’s commands.

The Holy Spirit is an incredible blessing in your life. He’ll help you live the holy life you’re called to live. But you do have to actually listen to His promptings. When he points out your sins and failures, you need to respond not with anger but with sorrow. You need to respond to His conviction with repentance. Otherwise, you’ll quench the Holy Spirit, limiting His influence and wasting this precious gift of God’s presence in your heart. Walking in the Spirit is a powerful and important part of what it is to truly #FollowJesus

“For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” – Ephesians 2:8-9

Once again, there’s not much to say beyond these glorious words from the Lord! Your salvation is only available as a gift of grace. A gift that’s never earned or deserved. There is absolutely no other way to be saved and there is absolutely nothing you can contribute to your salvation. Jesus did everything for you when He went to the cross to die for your sins.

You have no room to boast in your good deeds or behavior because those aren’t what brought you into a relationship with the Lord. That came only by His loving grace and mercy. Receive the gift for what it is – a gift. Rejoice and be glad in it! Once again, take time to read and re-read these verses, because there’s no other way of salvation for anyone on earth apart from God’s grace given through faith in Jesus Christ. Rejoice in the grace you have received! Then #FollowJesus

“In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight” – Ephesians 1:7-8

There isn’t much to add to these glorious words! They are so beautiful, so powerful, and so true! Just sit with these words for a while right now. If Jesus is your Lord and Savior, this is true about you. You have redemption through the blood of Jesus that He shed on the cross for you. Your freedom from slavery to sin and death was bought with the innocent blood of Jesus. Your sins have been forgiven. God’s grace has been lavished upon you. You didn’t receive a tiny snack-sized portion of grace. In Christ, you have received an enormous outpouring of grace beyond all imagination.

Rather than read more in a devotional, spend the next few minutes reading and re-reading these verses several times. Think about how they are completely true about you through faith in Jesus Christ. Then rejoice and #FollowJesus

“Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.” – Galatians 6:2

Think about these words for a moment or two. The LAW of Christ. That’s serious business!!! And how do we fulfill it? By bearing one another’s burdens. Clearly, this is very important for Christ followers. It isn’t optional (and it isn’t convenient).

However, we must understand what a burden is, biblically speaking. After all, 3 verses later it says that each person has to bear their own load. So, what’s the difference between the load we must bear by ourselves and the burdens we must help each other bear?

A person’s load is the ordinary obligations of life… Working to provide for themselves and their family. Raising their children in the Lord and ensuring they are educated. Paying their taxes. Navigating normal amounts of illness, injury, and pain. Loving God and neighbor. Making disciples. These are things that every person must simply embrace in the Lord.

So, what’s a burden? Something above and beyond the ordinary. Burdens are those things in life that are simply too much for a person to carry alone. The things that can grind a person down or even break them. Chronic illnesses. Disabilities. Tragedies. Broken relationships. Persecution. Disasters. Dire and unexpected financial blows.

Every Christian is called to help one another with their burdens. To encourage and strengthen one another. To assist, meet needs, love, and pray for one another. It isn’t optional. It is the fulfillment of the law of Christ. #FollowJesus

“If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit.” – Galatians 5:25

If Jesus is your Lord, then you have the Holy Spirit living in you. But do you walk in step with Him? The original language in this verse pictures soldiers marching in line and lockstep with their leader. That’s how followers of Jesus are intended to live our lives – marching in line and lockstep with our leader, the Holy Spirit. He is to set our direction and our pace. When we walk in step with Him, we feel joy, satisfaction, and become very fruitful for the Lord.

Unfortunately, most Christians don’t walk in step with the Spirit. Many quench the Spirit, either by continuing to tolerate sin in their life (which radically opposes the Spirit’s leadership) or by simply ignoring the presence and promptings of the Holy Spirit. The more we do those things, the easier it is to keep doing them. If you can get past those two ways of stifling God’s influence, you will experience more of the Spirit’s power and leadership. This is wonderful, but do we truly walk in step with the Spirit?

As the Spirit leads your life, do you hesitate and hold back? Does the Spirit move far ahead of you because your fears (of failure, embarrassment, etc.) or your attachment to how things already are? Or, do you race ahead of the Spirit, because you’re so eager to do what He wants that you neglect to pray and listen for His guidance? Neither situation is ideal. Both can lead to disappointments, frustrations, and failures.

Take time to really reflect on where you are with regard to the Holy Spirit. How can you be more obedient when He prompts you to move? How can you still your racing mind and draw nearer to Him when you’re tempted to race ahead? It’s very important to get this right if you want to experience the full joy and fruitfulness the Spirit desires to give you as you #FollowJesus