You Wish | Pastor Don Delaney

Devotional

Day 1: When Flesh and Spirit War, You Don’t Do What You Wish

The tension between flesh and Spirit creates a battlefield where even sincere desires get tangled. Paul names this conflict plainly: the flesh’s cravings sabotage the Spirit’s leading, leaving believers stuck in cycles of frustration. Yet this struggle isn’t a dead end—it’s an invitation to lean into the Spirit’s power. Just as the Israelites faced their own wilderness of divided loyalties, believers today wrestle with competing voices. The answer isn’t self-effort but surrender. Crucifying the flesh isn’t a one-time act but a daily choice to walk in the Spirit’s rhythm. [01:32]

“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 5:17, ESV)

Reflection: Where do you feel the sharpest tension between your Spirit-led desires and your flesh’s demands? What practical step can you take today to lean into the Spirit’s guidance instead of self-reliance?

Day 2: Blessings Can Bury Your Hunger for God

God warned Israel that abundance in the Promised Land might dull their dependence on Him. Prosperity, while good, often masks spiritual apathy. Like the Israelites, believers today risk trading intimacy with God for the distractions of comfort or success. Backsliding begins subtly—a neglected prayer life, a compromised conviction, a heart drifting toward lesser loves. Yet God’s grace remains, calling His people to return. True inheritance isn’t earthly blessings but walking in step with the One who gives them. [04:55]

“When all these blessings and curses I have set before you come on you and you take them to heart… then the Lord your God will restore your fortunes and have compassion on you.” (Deuteronomy 30:1–3, ESV)

Reflection: What “blessing” in your life might be quietly competing with your hunger for God? How can you recenter your heart on His presence over His provisions?

Day 3: The Devil’s Billboards Sell Counterfeit Wishes

Satan dangles flashy alternatives to God’s promises—lust, status, instant gratification—like billboards on life’s highway. These temptations target believers just as they targeted Jesus in the wilderness. The enemy’s offers—whether relationships, achievements, or pleasures—promise fulfillment but deliver emptiness. Like the man who vanished after choosing a girl over his Bible study, chasing counterfeits derails destinies. True freedom comes when believers fix their eyes on Christ, the only source of lasting joy. [08:38]

“For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world.” (1 John 2:16, ESV)

Reflection: Which “billboard” tempts you most right now? How might you actively reject its lie and fix your gaze on Christ’s superior promise?

Day 4: Feed the Spirit, Starve the Flesh’s Instant Gratification

The marshmallow test reveals humanity’s struggle: flesh craves immediate satisfaction, while the Spirit cultivates patience. Feeding the Spirit through Scripture, prayer, and accountability strengthens resilience against fleeting desires. Like Paul “dying daily,” believers must consciously nourish their spiritual nature. The flesh’s voice grows quieter when the Spirit’s truth becomes daily bread. Victory isn’t about perfection but persistence in choosing eternal fruit over temporary fixes. [17:49]

“Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.” (Galatians 6:8, ESV)

Reflection: What habit or routine could you adjust today to better “feed” your spirit? How might delaying a flesh-driven choice strengthen your spiritual resolve?

Day 5: God’s Wish List Starts With Your Soul’s Prosperity

John’s prayer—“that you may prosper and be in health, even as your soul prospers”—reveals God’s priority: inner transformation over external success. Soul prosperity—marked by love, joy, and peace—fuels lasting impact. Just as the church members serving joyfully in humble circumstances model this, believers thrive when their deepest wishes align with God’s virtues. Walking in the Spirit isn’t about hustling for blessings but resting in the One who authors them. [36:52]

“Dear friend, I pray that you may enjoy good health and that all may go well with you, even as your soul is getting along well.” (3 John 1:2, ESV)

Reflection: How would your life look different if your soul’s prosperity became the measure of your success? What fruit of the Spirit do you need to cultivate most urgently?

Sermon Summary

Paul opens Galatians 5 by putting a real fight right in front of the believer: “walk in the Spirit and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.” The flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh, so that the things a person wishes are not always the things a person does. The conflict is not strange, and it is not proof that God has left. It is the normal battle between the old nature and the new life God has put inside.

God’s dealings with Israel show that God already knows the whole road. God brought Israel toward blessing, toward a land flowing with milk and honey, and still said, “when you return to me.” God knew the blessing would not cure the flesh. The flesh would get bored, chase other gods, and find that the fruit of going after false wishes is death. God’s grace would still be there, but the point was clear: the flesh will never inherit the blessing of God.

The devil wants people to think he holds all the wishes. The devil puts up a big billboard with the lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh, and the pride of life. The devil offered kingdoms to Jesus, and he still offers “girls, guys, gold, glitter, or glory” when the opportunity fits the maturity level of the believer. His wishes are counterfeits. The real treasure is knowing God.

The flesh also wants to control the wish list. Paul’s list of adultery, idolatry, hatred, jealousy, wrath, envy, drunkenness, and “the like” is not there so people can feel smug if only some of it shows up. The list shows what is possible in the flesh. Peter said, “I’ll never deny you,” and in the flesh that lasted about six hours. The answer is not gritting teeth harder, but crucifying the flesh and going after God.

God’s Word becomes the ultimate wish list because it feeds the spirit man. Even a few minutes in the Word brings strength, calmness, wisdom in the inward parts, and a move from hustle to wholeness. The Spirit then lines up desires with the right virtues: love, joy, peace, long suffering, kindness, goodness, faith, gentleness, and self control. God’s wish is that the soul prospers, and when the soul prospers, the rest of life begins to line up under his peace.

##

Key Takeaways

1. The flesh cannot inherit blessing The flesh can enjoy religious moments, make big promises, and even stand at the edge of a promised land, but it cannot carry the life of God. God exposed Israel’s future failure not to mock them, but to show that human strength cannot keep divine blessing. Grace receives the returning heart, but the flesh must still be crucified rather than trusted. [06:53]
2. The devil sells counterfeit wishes The devil’s billboard always looks personal, timely, and reasonable, because temptation is usually matched to a person’s appetite and maturity. His offers are not random distractions, but carefully placed traps that promise treasure while pulling the heart away from God. The real issue is not whether the offer looks good, but whether it competes with knowing God as the true treasure. [08:38]
3. Feed the spirit, not flesh The image of two fighting dogs makes the battle plain: the strongest appetite is usually the one that has been fed. The flesh does not disappear with time, age, or ministry experience, so neglecting the spirit always gives the flesh room to grow loud. Daily surrender is not panic or self-hatred, but the steady choice to starve what destroys and nourish what lives. [21:36]
4. God’s Word calms the hustle God’s Word does more than provide information; it brings truth into the inward parts where anxiety, pressure, and striving begin. A rushed soul can stop, open the Word, and let God’s peace reorder the inner life before the outer situation changes. The move from hustle to wholeness begins when God becomes the source again instead of the blessing itself becoming something to maintain in the flesh. [24:13]
5. Virtue realigns every wish The Spirit does not merely cancel wrong desires; the Spirit forms better ones through love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith, gentleness, and self control. God cares about motives because a wrong motive can turn even a blessing into pressure, pride, or competition. When desires are lined up with the Spirit’s virtues, the heart can receive blessing without being owned by it.

## [35:47]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[01:06] - Galatians 5 and “You Wish”
[03:33] - God Knows the Whole Journey
[06:28] - The Flesh Cannot Inherit the Kingdom
[08:21] - The Devil’s Billboard of Wishes
[10:07] - Girls, Guys, Gold, Glitter, Glory
[12:47] - New Eyes After Being Born Again
[14:23] - The Flesh Wants Control
[17:29] - The Marshmallow Test
[20:54] - Two Dogs and Daily Feeding
[22:51] - God’s Word Feeds the Spirit
[24:13] - From Hustle to Wholeness
[29:31] - The Spirit Aligns Desires
[32:07] - Accountability in the Body of Christ
[36:39] - God’s Wish for Soul Prosperity
[39:50] - Prayer for Salvation and Restored Joy

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading

Galatians 5:16-26
“But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit.” [01:09]

1 John 2:16
“For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world.”

3 John 1:2
“Beloved, I pray that all may go well with you and that you may be in good health, as it goes well with your soul.” [36:39]

Psalm 51:6
“Behold, you delight in truth in the inward being, and you teach me wisdom in the secret heart.”

Observation questions

In Galatians 5, what two things are shown to be in conflict inside a believer, and what result does that conflict have on a person’s choices? [03:11]
Looking at Paul’s list of the works of the flesh, which sins deal with broken desires, and which ones deal with broken relationships in a community? [14:23]
What pictures are used to describe temptation and spiritual growth: a billboard, a marshmallow, and two dogs? What does each picture help show? [21:13]
According to these passages, what kinds of things belong to a prospering soul, and what kinds of things show up when the flesh is being fed? [29:36]

Interpretation questions

Galatians 5 says the flesh and the Spirit are opposed to each other. Why might that conflict actually be a sign of spiritual life rather than proof that something is wrong with a believer? [03:20]
Israel was brought toward blessing, yet still drifted and had to return. What does that reveal about the limits of blessing itself? Why can good things never be trusted to fix the flesh? [05:15]
The world offers desires of the flesh, desires of the eyes, and pride of life. Why do those offers often feel so personal and persuasive, even to sincere believers? [11:24]
3 John 1:2 connects outward well-being with the soul prospering. What does it mean for the soul to prosper, and how might that change the way a person thinks about success, peace, and health? [36:39]

Application questions

Which voice has been louder lately in real life: the flesh or the Spirit? What has been feeding that voice during the week? [21:46]
What “billboard” has been most noticeable lately—approval, romance, money, comfort, recognition, or something else? How has that pull tried to compete with knowing God as the real treasure? [08:38]
When pressure rises, is the first instinct to try harder in the flesh or to slow down and draw near to God? What would it look like this week to stop the hustle and let the Word bring calmness back into the soul? [24:13]
Paul says those who belong to Christ have crucified the flesh. Is there a pattern that needs to be starved instead of managed right now? What practical step would help weaken that pattern this week? [22:01]
The fruit of the Spirit includes love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Which one feels most needed in this season, and where does that need show up most clearly? [31:00]
Accountability helps believers keep walking in the Spirit. Who are the people that can encourage, challenge, and tell the truth with love right now? Is there any missing relationship that needs to be built? [34:06]
If joy has gone missing, where might it have been lost? What would returning to God in a simple, honest way look like this week? [38:06]

Sermon Clips

42s

#GodsWordDaily

“``God's word produces the ultimate wish list in your life. The word of god. I can't stress enough how much it means just to even read the word for two minutes a day is gonna help. It really does because the word actually is food to your spirit man. And you're feeding your spirit man just by reading the word a little bit. And sometimes if you just sit a little bit longer and just meditate on the word, it's amazing how you become stronger and more god focused, and you begin to see, what god is doing.”

42s

#FeedYourSpirit

“I always shared this story before. You've heard it before, but there's two dogs in a fight. And the owner of the dogs was the same owner of both dogs. And he put them in the ring, and he'd have people bet. And he'd say every time which dog is gonna win. And somebody said, well, how do you know which dog is gonna win? The one I always feed is the one that's gonna win. The next week, I'll feed the other dog, he's gonna win. And it's the same thing is true when it comes to your flesh and your spirit. Whichever one you feed becomes the strongest.”

56s

#MeditateNotHustle

“And, you know, as you read the word, what happens is there's a calmness that comes into your spirit. Because how many of know you can get up in the morning and you can have a thousand thoughts in your mind, and before you know it, you're racing off on those thoughts. And your day becomes more hustle than wholesome. And you're hustling and you're hustling. And you get more anxious and you get more and you think, man, I gotta stop. And that's the beautiful thing. You can stop at any moment. Go somewhere. Go sit in your car. Open up the word and say, I am just gonna stop hustling and just start meditating on your word. Calm down. Let your peace come into me. And I'll tell you, when God comes into that situation, you go out in harmony with God.”

52s

#JourneyToWholeness

“And here I am. That was so many, many years ago. But, you know, there is a process in your life, and God is sovereign. He loves you, and he's gonna take care of you. He's not gonna let you go. Sometimes you think, man, we look at our shortcomings in our life or look at the areas in our life. We're saying, man, I'm just not as outspoken as that person, or I'm just not this, or I'm just not that. You know what? Give it to God. You're a work in process. It's not about the hustle. It's about wholeness. God is making you whole, and he does it a little at a time. You just gotta trust him. It's a journey. Just walk with him, and he'll get you where you need to go.”

Ask a question about this sermon

Eastpoint Victory Outreach Church Calgary This sermon · AI assistant

What causes the conflict between flesh and spirit

How does God's word reshape our deepest wishes

How can believers recover joy and peace