The Fresh Wind of the Spirit
Well now, friend, I am mighty glad you wandered up to this ol’ front porch today. Go on and pull up a chair and settle yourself in like you’re expectin’ the Lord to tuck somethin’ steady and life‑givin’ right into your heart. The breeze is siftin’ through these ol’ pecan branches like it’s conductin’ a slow inspection of every leaf in the county, and a bold lil’ ol’ squirrel keeps dartin’ across the porch rail tryin’ to convince a lumberin’ ol’ box turtle that the warmest sunbeam belongs to critters that actually enjoy movin’ more than once every blue moon. Watchin’ that whole back‑and‑forth plum reminded me of Romans 7:6. “But now we have been delivered from the law, having died to what we were held by, so that we should serve in the newness of the Spirit.” That there verse is some real good Bible-talk sayin’, “Quit draggin’ around the old rulebook and step into the freedom Jesus has already placed in your hands.”
Romans 6:5-11 tells us that when we came to Christ, our old self was nailed to that cross with Him. The old sin‑soaked version of us got buried, and the new Spirit‑filled version got raised. We ain’t just draggin’ around the old rulebook anymore. We’re walkin’ in the newness of the Spirit. Galatians 5:25 says, “If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.” That there means Jesus don’t just save us. He plum lives His life right through us.
Truth is, friend, we can’t live Christlike on our own. We can try, but we’ll plum end up lookin’ like an ol’ goat tryin’ to do ballet. Jesus wants to do His work through us by the Holy Spirit. A Christlike attitude is one that ain’t focused on us but on doin’ the will of God. And we can only do that through the Spirit’s power movin’ inside us like a river that refuses to run dry.
Every day is a fresh chance to say, “Holy Spirit, guide me. Fill me. Lead me. Have Your way in my words, my deeds, and my choices.” Major Ian Thomas said, “All of Christ in all of you. You can never have more. You need never have less.” That’s the whole Christian life in one sentence.
Father, teach me to live in the newness of Your Spirit. Help me stop tryin’ to earn what You have already given. Fill me today. Guide my thoughts, my steps, and my heart. Let Christ live fully through me. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Alright then, friend, settle this truth into your heart the way a steady old river settles into its banks after a long rain, calm and sure of where it belongs. The Spirit inside you is stronger than any habit that tries to creep back in like a sneaky vine lookin’ for a fence to climb. You’re not carryin’ the old you anymore. You are walkin’ in the fresh, bright, Spirit‑filled life Jesus died to give you, the kind of life that grows courage the way a sunrise grows color across the sky. Step forward with confidence today. You are held the way a mighty oak holds its ground, you are guided the way a bright lantern guides a traveler through the dark, and you are walkin’ in the newness of the Spirit every single day with a strength that doesn’t come from you but from the One who lives within you.
With joy,
Gwen
