Disregard Instructions & Bad Things Can Happen But God Has An Answer

Romans 7:14-25  &  Galatians 5:16

Don't let your flesh carry you backwards. Obeying God's Word keeps you on your feet.

Soul Food

“We know that the law is spiritual; but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin. I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.

So I find this law at work: Although I want to do good, evil is right there with me. For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; but I see another law at work in me, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me. What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death? Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!” 

- Romans 7:14-25 (NIV)

“So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.” 

- Galatians 5:16 (NIV)

Soul Search

• Have you ever been tempted to do something that you knew was wrong?
  How did you know it was wrong?
  Did you know it was wrong because you had read somewhere that that kind of behavior is wrong or did a “voice” inside of you tell you that it was wrong?

• Can you give any examples of those types of temptations?
  Can you share a story of being successful to not give into the temptation?
  Is there a story you can share when you weren’t successful and gave in to the temptation?

• Can you identify what it was that caused you to give in to the temptation?
  Was that behavior or action wrong?
  Why do you think it was it wrong?

Soul Moves

• Pay attention to that inner-voice in you when it begins shouting that something you’re about to do is wrong.
  Begin to recognize that inner voice to be the voice of God’s Holy Spirit.

• Ask God to help you understand why you sometimes disregard or pay no attention to His instructions as found either in the Bible or inside you through the inner voice. 

• Ask God to make you more aware of the conflict at work between your spirit-man and your flesh-man.
  Ask Him to help you feed your spirit-man in order to build him up and make him strong and healthy and to starve your fleshly man so that when the battles and temptations come you know which one is going to ultimately win.