Spiritual Tug-Of-War

Spiritual Tug-of-War
By Pastor Todd Crofford

Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.
-Galatians 5:25 NIV

I always hated tug-of-war at our annual middle-school field day.  Without fail, I would put my all in it, only to be let down by some classmates who just didn’t care.  The result?  A nice case of rope burn and muddy gym shorts.

For those who do understand the concept, one key component of the struggle is to keep the ground you gain.  If you make progress, keep working at it–eventually, you’ll reach your goal of pulling the flag across the finish line.  In the same way, our Christian walk demands we keep the ground we have gained.  In this way, we keep in step with the Spirit.  

The Holy Spirit does not have a mixture of plans for our lives- only good plans.  So every step we take in the direction the Holy Spirit guides us is a step we should never retrace.  Baby step or giant leap, it is all good progress.

What good things has the Holy Spirit been doing in your life?  More kindness? Perhaps self-control or patience. Is he helping you clean up your act around friends, family, and even adversaries? Celebrate that and lock it in!  It is easy to get discouraged when we are not everything we yet desire to be, but don’t let that cause you to throw in the towel or back up.

God is working and though sometimes it seems slow, every step in the right direction is victory for you and defeat for the devil.