2026_09_06 A Conscious Dependence on the Holy Spirit

Sep 06, 2026

Devotional

Day 1: Crucified with Christ, Alive in the Spirit

The Christian life begins with death—not physical death, but a surrender of the old self. When believers trust Jesus, they are united with Him in His crucifixion. This death releases a new life powered by the Spirit dwelling within. Just as a seed must die to bear fruit, the old patterns of self-reliance must yield to the Spirit’s presence. This reality isn’t a metaphor but a daily truth: Christ’s life flows through those who abide in Him. Victory comes not by trying harder, but by trusting the One who lives in them. [44:20]

“I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”
(Galatians 2:20, NIV)

Reflection: What old habit or mindset do you need to “crucify” today to make space for the Spirit’s life? How might your choices shift if you truly believed Christ’s power resides in you?

Day 2: The War Within: Flesh vs. Spirit

Every believer faces an internal conflict. The flesh craves control, comfort, and temporary pleasures, while the Spirit stirs a hunger for holiness and love. This tension is not a sign of failure but a reminder of the ongoing battle between two opposing forces. Paul’s warning is clear: indulging the flesh leads to death, but walking by the Spirit brings freedom. The promise is stark yet hopeful—those who depend on the Spirit will not gratify sinful desires. Victory is certain, but only through surrender. [49:04]

“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.”
(Galatians 5:16–17, NIV)

Reflection: Where do you feel the fiercest tension between your flesh and the Spirit’s promptings? What practical step can you take today to lean into the Spirit’s strength instead of your own?

Day 3: Fruit Born of Surrender, Not Striving

The fruit of the Spirit isn’t a checklist to achieve but a harvest that grows naturally from abiding in Christ. Love, joy, and peace flourish when believers stop striving and start relying on the Spirit’s inner work. Like a branch connected to the vine, fruitfulness comes from staying rooted in His presence. These qualities aren’t manufactured; they’re evidence of a life surrendered to God’s transformative power. The Spirit’s fruit isn’t meant to impress others—it’s meant to reflect Christ. [59:45]

“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.”
(Galatians 5:22–23, NIV)

Reflection: Which fruit of the Spirit feels most distant in your life right now? How might you create space for the Spirit to cultivate it rather than trying to force it yourself?

Day 4: From Head to Heart: Pietism’s Fire

True faith isn’t merely intellectual assent—it’s a heart ignited by the Spirit. The pietists of history emphasized this: doctrine must move from the mind to the bloodstream, shaping actions and desires. A faith that doesn’t transform daily life is a faith untethered from the Spirit’s power. Just as a candle’s purpose is to burn, believers are made to radiate Christ’s character through practical love, humility, and obedience. Head knowledge alone leaves the soul cold; the Spirit’s fire makes faith alive. [45:31]

“For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”
(Ephesians 2:10, NIV)

Reflection: Where has your faith become routine or disconnected from your daily choices? What would it look like to let the Spirit reignite your heart with passion for God’s purposes?

Day 5: Marching Orders: Keeping Step with the Spirit

Walking by the Spirit isn’t a vague spiritual idea—it’s a disciplined alignment with His rhythm. Like soldiers marching in formation, believers are called to stay attentive to the Spirit’s direction. This requires daily dying to selfish impulses and choosing to follow His lead. Missteps will happen, but grace offers course correction. The Christian life isn’t a solitary trek; it’s a collective march toward holiness, fueled by the Spirit’s unending presence. [01:02:05]

“Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.”
(Galatians 5:25, NIV)

Reflection: What distraction or resistance most often knocks you out of step with the Spirit? How can you practice moment-by-moment awareness of His guidance today?

Sermon Summary

The Evangelical Covenant Church’s fifth affirmation calls believers to a conscious dependence on the Holy Spirit. Pietism, the revival movement behind the Covenant’s beginnings, insisted that correct doctrine matters deeply, but correct doctrine alone is not enough. Christianity must move from the head, to the heart, to life. New birth must result in new living.

Paul’s command in Galatians 5 is plain: “Walk by the Spirit.” The Holy Spirit is not a distant doctrine or an overlooked member of the Trinity. The Spirit is God’s presence in the believer, the one who draws hearts to Jesus, applies Christ’s saving work, gives new birth, makes God’s people holy, and empowers witness and ministry. Since believers live by the Spirit, they already possess the Spirit’s life, presence, power, and resources.

The conflict between flesh and Spirit remains real. The flesh is not merely the physical body. The flesh is the old self trying to live apart from God, in its own strength, desires, and direction. That old self bears bad fruit: impurity, idolatry, rage, jealousy, selfish ambition, envy, drunkenness, and all the rest. Fleshly desires may still bubble up, but they do not have to master those who belong to Christ.

Paul gives a staggering promise: those who walk by the Spirit will not gratify the desires of the flesh. The battle can feel like a frustrated stalemate, yet the Spirit does not leave believers stuck there. Temptation calls for more than simply saying no, because saying no can wear down over time. Temptation calls for death. Those crucified with Christ can say, “I died,” and can put to death what belongs to the earthly nature, even when that death feels like loss and grief.

The Spirit fills the vacuum left by crucified desires. The fruit of the Spirit is already present in those born of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. This fruit is singular because it is the unified character of Christ growing out through a yielded life.

Paul’s final image is soldiers marching together: “Keep in step with the Spirit.” Failure still happens, but failure becomes an occasion for repentance, cleansing, and renewed dependence. The old self is not the believer’s true identity. Christ lives within by the Spirit, and the Spirit’s ever-present grace enables a new way of living.

Key Takeaways

1. New birth must produce new living Pietism refuses to separate salvation from a transformed life. Biblical truth must move beyond mental agreement into a heart awakened by God and a life shaped by Christ’s character. Good works do not create new birth, but new birth bears visible fruit. [46:28]
2. The Spirit is already here The Holy Spirit is not merely assistance believers seek from a distance. The Spirit dwells within those who belong to Christ, bringing God’s presence, power, and resources into ordinary moments. Conscious dependence begins by becoming aware that the Spirit is here, right now. [59:05]
3. Fleshly desires need not master believers The flesh still raises its old desires, but temptation is not the same as surrender. The old self may entice, irritate, and accuse, yet it no longer holds final authority over the person born of the Spirit. Walking by the Spirit means refusing to complete or indulge what the flesh demands. [56:08]
4. Temptation requires an inner death Simple willpower eventually gets worn down when temptation keeps pressing. Crucifixion goes deeper by recognizing that the old life has died with Christ, even when putting it away feels painful and costly. The grief of saying, “I’m dead to that,” makes room for the Spirit’s life to rise in its place. [57:23]
5. Keeping in step means yielding daily The Spirit-led life is not passive or automatic. Believers watch for the Spirit’s promptings, die to the flesh, and choose love, joy, patience, gentleness, and self-control in concrete situations. Failure calls for honest repentance and a fresh return to the Spirit’s grace rather than despair.

## [62:05]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[34:49] - Covenant Affirmations Return
[35:09] - Pietist Roots and Mission Friends
[36:47] - The Six Covenant Affirmations
[38:33] - A Conscious Dependence on the Holy Spirit
[39:29] - The Spirit’s Essential Work
[41:34] - Galatians 5: Walk by the Spirit
[43:06] - Alive in the Spirit
[45:11] - Pietism: Head, Heart, and Life
[49:04] - The Battle Between Flesh and Spirit
[52:54] - What the Flesh Produces
[57:05] - Put Temptation to Death
[58:53] - The Fruit of the Spirit Within
[62:05] - Keep in Step With the Spirit

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading

Galatians 5:16-26
“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.” [41:37]

Galatians 2:20
“I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” [44:20]

Colossians 3:1-5
“Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds

Sermon Clips

42s

#WalkByTheSpirit

“In other words, the desire may still be present and still at war with our spiritual desires through the Holy Spirit. But as we walk by the spirit, we won't indulge them. In this life, the desires may still rise up, but they don't have to master us. We don't have to gratify or indulge in them. We can be free by walking in the spirit. So how do we walk by the spirit? Well, when temptation comes, you kill it.”

38s

#NotJustSayingNo

“You see, turning from temptation is deeper than just say no. Have you ever just tried to just say no? And that works until you get worn down, and then you say yes. Paul is describing an inner death. In Colossians three, Paul says, set your minds on things above, not on earthly things, for you died and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. This is past tense. When you became a Christian, you died and a new life was born.”

38s

#SpiritLivesInYou

“But it doesn't stop there. We look to the spirit within to live his life through us, which brings me to my final point. As we depend upon the spirit within, our lives will naturally bear good fruit. This is good news. We choose to walk by the spirit. The spirit is here. He's in you. Right here. Always, always here. Point to your chest and say, the spirit is here. Alright? Right now.”

45s

#KeepInStepWithTheSpirit

“These words keep in step, it's used in the Greek of soldiers marching together. It's a different word than word than walk. Keep in step. We're watching the spirit and aligning our lives with his promptings. We can make key choices that enable us to walk by the spirit, enable us to remain filled with the spirit. And so when those fleshy desires arise, we feel enticed to sin, we die to them within. Then we look to the spirit and get in step with him, and we choose to show love and joy and kindness and patience and gentleness and self control.”

66s

#HeartOverHeadFaith

“Spinner and the Pietus believe that orthodox Christian doctrine was essential, but that wasn't enough. Correct doctrine wasn't enough, rather we also needed to be transformed into the character of Christ. Christianity, they understand, and we need to understand this today, Christianity needs to move from the head, understanding it, to the heart, experiencing it, and life living it. And so the pietist and the early covenators believe that the bible clearly taught that we must be born again to be saved. We need a personal faith in Christ, not just religious beliefs. And personal relationship with Jesus should be expressed in a holy living, in practical acts of love, in good deeds.”

42s

#NewBirthNewLife

“True Christianity goes beyond just salvation. Part of salvation indeed how we live. We've been saved to live a new life. the bible tells us in Ephesians chapter two, were created in Christ Jesus to do good works, to live holy lives. believers alive in the spirit, but we also must walk in step with the spirit, bearing the fruit of the spirit. New birth must result in new living.”

27s

#SpiritFillsTheVoid

“And when you say, no, and more than that, you die, look to the spirit. He's there right now to fill that vacuum and bear his fruit. He's there. The fruit of the spirit is in you. You just don't always let it out. Ain't that good news? Good news.”

38s

#RepentAndRelyOnHim

“And we will fail, we will blow it, and we'll go, I'm sorry, Lord. Forgive me. Wash me. That was my old self. I wasn't depending upon you. I look to you. I died of that. And I look to you and your ever present grace and life in me to walk in your ways. I've been crucified. And I can, in this moment, die to that fleshly desire, that temptation, and then get in step with the Holy Spirit.”

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