PRAY IT! UP NOW SON - Galatians 3:1-4

Hamster, meet wheel.  Doing things in our own strength/power/might produces human-sized results.  And it gets tiring over time.  As Christians, we desire God-sized results.  Once we've experienced the magnitude of that, it can be hard to settle for anything less.  And we shouldn't.  But sometimes, we go right back to trying to "finish" things our own way and in our own power.  I'm not sure why we do that... but I think that while we're going to battle in prayer, we also need to ask Jesus to help us combat our "natural" tendencies (to take charge, do things "our" way, to rely on ourselves only, and not God, and our plan, not God's...) and to replace those tendencies with humility as we call out in need to our mightier, wiser God. 

This week, as we continue on in our Up Now Son sermon series, we will be exploring Galatians 3:1-4.  

Galatians 3:1-4

3 You foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? Before your very eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed as crucified. ² I would like to learn just one thing from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by believing what you heard? ³ Are you so foolish? After beginning by means of the Spirit, are you now trying to finish by means of the flesh?^{[a] 4} Have you experienced^[b] so much in vain—if it really was in vain?

Ah, we need to "get up" in God's strength and power, and then remain moving in His strength and power.  (Another win for daily presence!)  Simply, we can do things in the Spirit or we can do things in the flesh.  One of those is the blessed choice!  As John 15:7 reminds us "I am the vine; you are the braches.  Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing."

So... in light of this passage, how do we "pray it?"  Over the remaining 3 weeks, in the "PRAY IT" blog, we're going to spend some time savoring Ephesians 6:10-18, which, in my opinion, illustrates another fine example of how we, as praying Christians, are to get up.  Right off the bat, in the first verse of this passage, we see how we are supposed to start/finish things (in the Spirit... in the Lord's strength... uh, in whose strength?  The Lord's strength!)... OH YEAH!!!

¹⁰ Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. ¹¹ Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. ¹² For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. ¹³ Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. ¹⁴ Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, ¹⁵ and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. ¹⁶ In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; ¹⁷ and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, ¹⁸ praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, ¹⁹ and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, ²⁰ for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak.

What we start in the Spirit should be finished in the Spirit.  To finish in "the flesh" would be akin to us putting on all that armor given to us from God, only to then take it all off and replace it for a Halloween costume version of armor - plastic, cheap, and ineffective in any real battle. 


Don't pray without your armor.  Don't don your armor and then forget to pray.

Spirit, not flesh.

Dear Jesus,
Please help us to abide in you and remain in you because truly apart from you we can do nothing.  Please reveal to us any ways in which we are trying to finish in the flesh what was started in the Spirit, and help us to correct this immediately!  Please grow our dependence on you and help us to confidently rely on you as you are steadfast and trustworthy.
Amen.

Continue to Seek God for the City - 2015!  Today we are praying for prisoners and their families, for the gospel to be declared to all people, and for the following European/Central Asian countries:  Macedonia, Malta, Moldova, Monaco, Montenegro, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, and Portugal. 

Pastor Celia