Can't or Won't?

I just can’t do that.

...That was me. I said it. I’ll admit. And after a moment of silence, the sweet voice of Holy Spirit said,

Can’t or won’t?

What if I ask you to do it?

That really made me stop and think. Sometimes, we get so caught up in what we don’t want to do that it quiets His voice of direction telling us what we need to do.

The conversation continued...

Would that make a difference, would that make it better?

My initial thought was, No. Not really. But the more I thought about it the more He explained.

His asking didn’t really make it better, it made it doable.

See, if He asks me to do something that means that He will help me do it. That doesn’t mean it will be easy. It usually requires something of me, quite literally. It means dying to my flesh a little bit more, submitting another piece of myself to Him as the Potter so that He can continue to mold me into the beautiful masterpiece that He designed me to be.

What causes my heart to be so full in the uncomfortableness of “taming my flesh”, is that anything He asks me to do, He will enable me to do.

He doesn’t ask us to live a life for Him, without Him.

In John 14:16 (AMPC) Jesus said,

And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Comforter... that He may remain with you forever.

I love the Amplified version of this verse because of how it defines the coming Comforter:

Comforter

Counselor

Helper

Intercessor

Advocate

Strengthener

Standby

Spirit of Truth (vs. 17)

That is quite the resume. That is Holy Spirit. It is who He desires to be in our lives. Strengthener, Helper, Advocate. It is Holy Spirit enabling us.

Galatians 5:16 (AMPC)

But I say, walk and live [habitually] in the [Holy] Spirit [responsive to and controlled and guided by the Spirit]; then you will certainly not gratify the cravings  and desires of the flesh (of human nature without God).

When we submit our lives to Jesus as Lord and Master, He gives us His Spirit (as was promised in John 14). Ezekiel 36:27 says, “And I will put my Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statues, and you shall heed My ordinances and do them.”

His Spirit in us .

Galatians 5:24-25 (AMPC)

And those who belong to Christ Jesus (the Messiah) have crucified the flesh (the godless human nature) with its passions and appetites and desires.

If we live by the [Holy] Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit. [If by the Holy Spirit we have our life in God, let us go forward walking in line, our conduct controlled by the Spirit.]

In Galatians 5 Paul talks about the practices of the flesh and the fruits of the Spirit. The practices of our flesh are what we do on our own accord; natural reactions and behaviors apart from God. BUT the fruits of the Spirit are what He produces in us!

Think about the beauty of spring and how we are seeing leaves, buds and flowers being produced from something within the plant. When we walk responsive to, controlled and guided by Holy Spirit, it is Him in us producing the good fruit like:

Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness and Self-Control.

The Fruits of the Spirit are found in Galatians 5:22-23. I encourage you to read those verses in several difference Bible translations to really get insight into the depth of what Holy Spirit can and will produce in us,

…if allowed.

That’s the key.... we must be willing. Going back to my first statement... can’t or won’t. The choice I have to make is, If He asks me to, will I say yes?

Whatever He asks us to do, whether it’s dropping a habit, changing a behavior or having a difficult conversation with a friend; if He asks us to do it, we can be sure it is because He sees the big picture and He has our best interest at the center of His heart.

Scriptures for Encouragement:

Galatians 5

John 14

Luke 4

Zechariah 4:6

Yours Truly,

Nancy Jo