* Remembering the works God has done in our lives.

(Comments by Joan Boney)

It is so important to think of those things God has done for us.  

* God saved me by giving me HIS word and by that HE changed me from that person I once was and created me into a new person who has new interests.    (Think on how God made this change in you.)

* Now God causes me to focus on HIS Works instead of my works.

* God has given me a love and respect for HIS Word and and desire to know HIS Word and to know what HE thinks about the issues pertaining to this life.

* God gave me HIS Spirit and now I walk in HIS Spirit instead of fulfilling the desires of my own flesh.

* Now I am interested in knowing what God wants me to do today.  Before I was interested only in that which I wanted to do each day.

* I once wanted my enemies to be destroyed but now I pray that God will save my enemies and reveal HIS truth to them and save them.

* Before I wanted to beat people, to outdo people, but now I want to help them.

When we walk in the Spirit of God, following God, we are different from that which we were when we followed our own flesh and it's ideas.

***

Galatians 5:19-21   Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,

20 Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies,

21 Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.

***

We crucify our flesh when we choose to follow that which the Spirit of God shows us to do because instead of hating we love through the Spirit of God.

Instead of speaking things that needlessly hurt people we learn to bridle our tongue through the Spirit and by choosing to do that which the Spirit shows us to do.

And by following that which the Spirit shows us to do we produce the fruits of the Spirit.

Galatians 5

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,

23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.

And we keep our flesh crucified by following the Spirit thereby we end up fulfilling the law as we follow the Spirit.

For example:

The flesh says:  "Look what he did.  I'll set him straight when I see him."

The Spirit says:  "Remember how you once were?  You could just pray for him asking God to help him in this."

This gives us a choice between following what our flesh wants to do or following what we hear from the Spirit.

If we follow the flesh, we produce works of the flesh.

If we follow the Spirit, we produce the works of the Spirit.

Peace comes by following the Spirit and we are recreated inwardly by God each time we choose to follow the ideas of the Spirit of God.

*****