Faithbase

Hey folks, so we're deep into this series on keeping in step with the Spirit, but if you're just jumping in, that's okay. Today, I want to talk about how. How do we keep in step with the Spirit? We talk about this a lot, but what does that mean? And what are some steps I can take? Okay, we're gonna look at Romans 12 in just a minute, but this is going to take some effort and some training. I've been talking about what it looks like for us to put some effort into our spiritual life. This is gonna mean we're gonna stop doing some things and start doing some others. Okay, for one minute, imagine if the LA Rams, right, going to the playoffs, what, what, decided as when the season was over, they were just gonna stop doing any sort of workouts or eating healthy and then just show up on game day in the fall for the first football game and just be like, let's kind of see what happens. That is gonna go really poorly for them, isn't it? They need to stop eating poorly and drinking things that are bad for their body. They need to stop sitting around and doing nothing, and they need to get out there and work out, and they need to eat what's good for their body and drink what's good for their body. If they want to actually see some progress, the spiritual life is not so different. And friends, we're gonna have to put in some effort. We're gonna have to stop doing some things, and we're gonna have to start doing some others. And this is kind of what we've just been talking about, right? We've got to crucify the sinful nature, and we have to let the Spirit lead us. Let's look at Romans 12. This is helpful. So, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice. The kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him. Okay, so I actually said this yesterday. We have to submit ourselves, offer ourselves as a sacrifice. A living and holy sacrifice. We have to give ourselves to God, okay? And then Paul says this, and we're gonna keep talking about that. Paul says this, don't copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Okay, changing the way you think. Let's just focus on this for a minute. If I'm going to change my behavior, I'm gonna need to change the way that I think. And let's take a look at the life of David. David was known and described in Scripture as a man after God's heart. And if you just look at the Psalms that he wrote, how much he meditated on the Word of God, and how much he allowed that to just wash over him, how much he loved it. It changed him, and it was a powerful tool. Joshua. He was the first leader of the nation of Israel after Moses. So Moses stepped in, incredible leader, and he passes the baton to Joshua. We know these verses where God tells him, be strong and courageous. That's good, wonderful things. But he says just as much about adhering to his law and to his commandments as he does about being strong and courageous. Listen to this, Be careful to obey all the instructions Moses gave you. Do not deviate from them, turning either to the right or to the left. Then you will be successful in everything you do. Study this book of instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do. Okay, I got to wrap this up, guys. But this is going to require some changes for us, and I'm going to talk about some resources and ways that we can do this in some upcoming videos, so stay tuned. I want you to really consider today, how important has Scripture and changing the way you think been a part of your spiritual life? God bless you. See you tomorrow.