Stop the Cycle
Moving Forward (Day 3) // Prayer365
“So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.” Galatians 5:16-25 NIV
For 40 years the Israelites were walking in circles in the wilderness. Not because they were lost, but because their hearts were not ready for the blessing of God. This resulted in the unbelieving generation dying off over the course of 40 years. While we study this text in relation to our lives, we should not look at it as literal but by principle. A truth we’ve built on this week is that God will not promote us into something we’re not prepare for. Because of this we often find ourselves in cycles a lot like the Israelites. The circles they journeyed in the natural represented the spiritual cycles in their hearts that prevented them from moving forward. However, I want you to understand that God is not awaiting our passing away or the removal of certain people from our lives or ministry before we can move forward. No, God has not desire for pointless deaths, but what He longs for is intentional sacrifice. When we look at the word sacrifice, it suggests that something has to die. Paul refers to this as crucifying the flesh. Today we’re going to call it “Stopping the Cycle.”
In Galatians 5, Paul lists the works of the flesh as opposed to the fruit of the Spirit. By saying “works” it suggests effort, however, it’s possible to give effort and not be effective. Here’s the truth: works without forward progress is a fruitless cycle. If the work you do (no matter how well you do it) does not produce fruit, it’s a both unproductive and ineffective. It’s a fruitless cycle and the cycle must stop!
There were fruitless cycles that prevented the Israelites from going into the promised land: a reactionary ethic (being reactive), an unhealthy connection to their past, division and dissension rooted from fear. Those were things that stem from the works of the flesh. Some of those things are what Paul referred to: discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition. They wanted what they desired more than what God desired and planned for them, even though what God promised was better. The Israelites had fruitless cycles that prevented them from walking into the promise land.
Today, I want you to take a moment and look over your life. Ask yourself, “What are the fruitless cycles in my life that are preventing me from walking into the promise that God has for me? That’s preventing my family from walking into the promise that He has for us?” God has a desire to prosper us, to give a future and an expected end, but what are the things that are preventing us from walking into that manifestation. I encourage you to begin to identify those cycles today and write them down, say it aloud and declare that “The cycle stops today!” Because what God has been preparing for you is BIG! It’s bigger than what you can imagine, bigger than what you can see with your natural eyes! What He’s been preparing for you has been established before the foundation of the earth. God has plans for your life, but we cannot walk into the manifestation of those plans holding onto fruitless cycles. Today, we must stop the cycle.
Prayer Focus: The ability to identify fruitless cycles and the grace to stop them.
I’m praying for you and with you,
Pastor Enrique Brooks
For 40 years the Israelites were walking in circles in the wilderness. Not because they were lost, but because their hearts were not ready for the blessing of God. This resulted in the unbelieving generation dying off over the course of 40 years. While we study this text in relation to our lives, we should not look at it as literal but by principle. A truth we’ve built on this week is that God will not promote us into something we’re not prepare for. Because of this we often find ourselves in cycles a lot like the Israelites. The circles they journeyed in the natural represented the spiritual cycles in their hearts that prevented them from moving forward. However, I want you to understand that God is not awaiting our passing away or the removal of certain people from our lives or ministry before we can move forward. No, God has not desire for pointless deaths, but what He longs for is intentional sacrifice. When we look at the word sacrifice, it suggests that something has to die. Paul refers to this as crucifying the flesh. Today we’re going to call it “Stopping the Cycle.”
In Galatians 5, Paul lists the works of the flesh as opposed to the fruit of the Spirit. By saying “works” it suggests effort, however, it’s possible to give effort and not be effective. Here’s the truth: works without forward progress is a fruitless cycle. If the work you do (no matter how well you do it) does not produce fruit, it’s a both unproductive and ineffective. It’s a fruitless cycle and the cycle must stop!
There were fruitless cycles that prevented the Israelites from going into the promised land: a reactionary ethic (being reactive), an unhealthy connection to their past, division and dissension rooted from fear. Those were things that stem from the works of the flesh. Some of those things are what Paul referred to: discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition. They wanted what they desired more than what God desired and planned for them, even though what God promised was better. The Israelites had fruitless cycles that prevented them from walking into the promise land.
Today, I want you to take a moment and look over your life. Ask yourself, “What are the fruitless cycles in my life that are preventing me from walking into the promise that God has for me? That’s preventing my family from walking into the promise that He has for us?” God has a desire to prosper us, to give a future and an expected end, but what are the things that are preventing us from walking into that manifestation. I encourage you to begin to identify those cycles today and write them down, say it aloud and declare that “The cycle stops today!” Because what God has been preparing for you is BIG! It’s bigger than what you can imagine, bigger than what you can see with your natural eyes! What He’s been preparing for you has been established before the foundation of the earth. God has plans for your life, but we cannot walk into the manifestation of those plans holding onto fruitless cycles. Today, we must stop the cycle.
Prayer Focus: The ability to identify fruitless cycles and the grace to stop them.
I’m praying for you and with you,
Pastor Enrique Brooks
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