Are You Driven by the Flesh or Led by the Spirit?

"For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God" (Romans 8:14).

In my transition from working full time in an office to being at home full time in my home office, I’ve had the luxury of creating my own schedule. Since I love routines, one of the first things I did was draft a typical week. In my ideal week on that fancy spreadsheet I included some extra, intentional time with God each Monday morning.

Mondays are when I would naturally jump into all my tasks for the week, but I knew pausing to seek the Lord for His direction for how to fill my days was essential to my success.

The first Monday went well. I spent extra time in His Word and in prayer, receiving my marching orders for the week. The second Monday something else came up and I had to skip my time with the Lord. The third Monday I completely forget. The forth Monday I remembered, but my to-do list was too long to allow for the luxury of lingering in His presence.

Isn't that just so like the flesh?!

Our flesh strives and strains to get things done. It tries to figure things out, plans our way forward, and lives by our own wisdom. It has no time or space to listen for the still small voice of God.

But this is not the abundant life Jesus came to give us. Our fleshly striving has no place in the kingdom. In our attempt to make a name for ourselves and build our little empires, we collapse in exhaustion. It's like chasing the wind.

You and I are no longer obligated to the flesh and its demands (Rom. 8:12). We have the Spirit of the living God on the inside of us.

Those who are sons and daughters of God are led by the Spirit of God. In the midst of the clamour of this world, we carve out quiet to listen for His voice. We establish life-giving rhythms of time in His Word, in biblical community and prayer. We create space in our lives and invite God to fill it.

Refusing to push forward with planning and choosing instead to be led forward by the Spirit, we are demonstrating trust in a God who leads, guides, and provides. We posture ourselves to receive from the Lord instead of grab for ourselves. T

The Holy Spirit whispers and gently nudges us forward. We follow in obedience and humble dependence.

This is the life of faith.

To learn more about being led by the Spirit (Romans 8), subscribe to the Scripture & Story podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or Google Podcasts.