Daily devotion – Continuing in the Spirit.
Galatians 3:3
“Are you so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are you now being made perfect by the flesh?”
When self-confidence rises in our lives, we often begin to push the Holy Spirit aside and rely on our own strength. But this only ever ends in disaster.
Proverbs 3 gives us clear direction on how we are to live:
“Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths. Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the LORD and depart from evil. It will be health to your flesh, And strength to your bones.” (vv. 5–8)
As I grow older—both in years and in my walk with the Lord—I have become increasingly dependent on Him in all matters. As young Christians, we are often filled with zeal that lacks wisdom. Why? Because we haven’t yet made enough mistakes or felt the pain of failures that teach us we are not wise in ourselves. Our own fleshly efforts, no matter how well-intentioned, usually bring more confusion than clarity, more harm than good.
The psalmist said it well:
“Unless the LORD builds the house, They labor in vain who build it; Unless the LORD guards the city, The watchman stays awake in vain.” (Psalm 127:1)
If only I could go back and undo all the things I did in the flesh—when I thought I had “good ideas” that God should implement!
We began our walk with God in the Spirit:
“For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free—and have all been made to drink into one Spirit.” (1 Corinthians 12:13)
Even when we sit down to read the Word of God, we must pray first, asking the Lord to help us understand and to teach us by His Spirit.
Have you in your walk with God dismissed the Holy Spirit’s sovereignty over your life? The signs might be there: a lack of grace, increased confusion, a sense of barrenness or fruitlessness.
But let me leave you with one more crucial reminder: many people claim the Spirit is leading them—yet they neglect the Word of God and act in ways that contradict it. That is not what Paul is saying in Galatians 3:3. The Holy Spirit’s leading will never be in opposition to the Word of God. The Spirit and the Word always work in perfect harmony.
This week, spend time in God’s Word. Bring every area of your life before Him. Ask the Lord to lead and direct you—and you will not only have begun in the Spirit, but you will also continue in Him.