Galatians 5:25 | Don’t Hold Your Breath

Galatians 5:25 ESV says, “If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit.”

When I think of the Holy Spirit, I often think about the breath of God. Remember back in Genesis 2:7, which says, “then the Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature.”

When Paul wrote in Galatians about living by the Spirit, I think about the very essence of our lives. Where is our source coming from? Do we live life holding our spiritual breath? Or are we living and moving in the Spirit?

What happens when we hold our breath? A quick google search can give you an idea. This article from Wexner Medical Center talks about how oxygen gets scarce when we hold our breath, our heart starts pumping, and the body goes into overdrive to keep everything working. If you hold your breath too long, you could faint, have a seizure, or worse!

Maybe you want to close your eyes and hold your breath for a few moments. Did you feel your body starting to change its patterns? Maybe your heart started racing a bit more. Maybe your head started to feel pressure. The fact is that we need to breathe the air around us constantly to live.

So why do we think that in the spirit, we can take a few breaths a week? Or even a few gasps of air a day? We need to constantly breathe in God’s Spirit and live in every moment connected to the Lord.

This is the invitation we have today. It is easier said than done. To live every moment abiding in God’s presence requires a lifetime of dedication, yet it is not hard to access. There will be distractions, trials, temptations, and strongholds to surrender.

This is the journey of abiding. Let us walk in the Spirit today, not holding our breath but living alive in Christ.

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