0:07 Brothers and sisters, there are two
0:09 powers at work within every believer.
0:12 The flesh and the spirit. One pulls us
0:16 downward towards self, pride, and sin.
0:18 The other lifts us upward toward
0:21 holiness, surrender, and divine power.
0:23 And the great question that defines our
0:26 walk with God is this, which one rules
0:29 you? Many people think being spiritual
0:32 is about trying harder, praying louder,
0:35 or doing more good works. But true
0:37 spirituality is not about doing. It's
0:40 about yielding. It is not about the
0:42 strength of your will, but the surrender
0:45 of your heart. When the word of God
0:47 speaks of the flesh, it is not speaking
0:51 of your skin, bones, or blood. It is
0:53 speaking of something far deeper, the
0:57 old nature within you that resists God.
0:59 The flesh is the part of man that was
1:01 corrupted through sin, that craves
1:03 independence, that wants to sit on the
1:06 throne where only Christ belongs. It is
1:09 that stubborn self-life that says, "I
1:12 know better." Even when God has spoken.
1:14 It is the invisible enemy that hides
1:16 beneath good behavior and spiritual
1:19 appearances. You can read your Bible,
1:22 sing hymns, and even serve others and
1:25 yet still be ruled by the flesh. Because
1:27 the flesh is not only visible in open
1:30 sin. It is also hidden in pride, in
1:33 self-reliance, in the quiet desire to be
1:37 praised, to be seen, to be in control.
1:40 The flesh whispers gently. You can
1:43 handle this on your own. It tells you to
1:46 pray, but only in your own strength. It
1:48 tells you to serve, but only for your
1:51 own satisfaction. It tells you to love,
1:55 but only when it feels easy. And so even
1:57 when you are doing the right things,
2:00 your heart can still be wrong. Because
2:02 the motive flows from self. That is why
2:05 a person can be busy with religious work
2:08 yet still feel empty. That is why you
2:10 can speak the words of faith but feel no
2:13 power. The flesh can imitate godliness
2:16 but it cannot produce life. It can act
2:19 humble but it cannot submit. It can wear
2:22 a smile but it cannot carry peace. It
2:24 can sing about love, but it cannot love
2:27 with purity. Everything the flesh
2:30 touches, it taints with self. The
2:32 tragedy is that many believers spend
2:35 years trying to make the flesh better.
2:37 They try to educate it, discipline it,
2:40 train it, polish it, and dress it in
2:42 religious garments. But the flesh can
2:45 never be reformed. You cannot make it
2:48 holy. You can only crucify it. The cross
2:51 is not a decoration for your life. It is
2:54 the death sentence for your old nature.
2:58 God never said improve the flesh. He
3:01 said crucify the flesh. That means to
3:03 bring every selfish thought, every proud
3:06 desire, every hidden ambition to the
3:08 cross and say this is not who I am
3:12 anymore. I no longer live, but Christ
3:14 lives in me. The moment you stop
3:16 trusting in your own strength and start
3:18 depending on the spirit, something
3:21 changes within you. The life that was
3:23 once full of striving becomes full of
3:26 rest. The heart that was full of noise
3:30 becomes full of peace. You realize that
3:33 what God desires is not your performance
3:35 but your surrender. He does not ask you
3:39 to be strong. He asks you to be yielded.
3:41 Because when you yield, the spirit
3:44 begins to live through you. The old man
3:46 decreases and the new life of Christ
3:50 rises in power. The flesh loses its hold
3:53 and the spirit takes his rightful place.
3:56 Only then can you truly live not by
3:59 effort but by grace. Not by trying to be
4:02 holy but by letting the holy one live
4:05 through you. The spirit is not a mere
4:07 influence that touches your emotions
4:09 from time to time nor a passing feeling
4:12 that visits you during worship. The
4:14 spirit is the very life of Christ within
4:17 you. The same power that raised Jesus
4:18 from the dead now dwelling in your
4:21 mortal body. He is not beside you
4:24 cheering you on to do better. He is in
4:26 you waiting for you to let him live
4:29 through you. The spirit does not come to
4:31 make you stronger in yourself. He comes
4:33 to replace your strength with his own.
4:35 He does not assist you in living your
4:37 life for God. He enables you to let
4:40 Christ live his life through you. That
4:42 is the mystery of the Christian life. It
4:45 is not imitation but participation. You
4:47 see, many believers strive to live holy
4:50 lives by their own energy. They say, "I
4:53 will try harder. I will pray more. I
4:55 will be more patient." But the
4:58 spiritfilled life does not begin with
5:01 trying. It begins with dying. It begins
5:03 when you realize that you cannot live
5:05 the Christian life apart from the spirit
5:08 of God. It is not your willpower that
5:11 brings transformation. It is his
5:14 indwelling presence. When the spirit
5:16 fills you, you begin to think
5:19 differently, speak differently, walk
5:21 differently, not because you are forcing
5:24 yourself, but because another life is
5:26 flowing through you. The fullness of the
5:28 spirit means that Christ becomes the
5:30 source of every action, the motive
5:33 behind every decision, the peace behind
5:36 every storm, the voice behind every
5:38 silence. The spirit is the breath of
5:41 heaven within the heart of man. He is
5:44 the living connection between you and
5:47 the divine life of Jesus. When you walk
5:49 in the spirit, you are no longer
5:52 governed by fear, guilt, or self-effort.
5:54 You are carried by the current of grace.
5:57 You begin to sense a new freedom. The
5:59 freedom to be weak so that his strength
6:01 may be revealed. The freedom to let go
6:04 of control and trust his leading. The
6:08 spirit is gentle but powerful. He does
6:10 not shout. He whispers. He does not
6:14 push. He invites. His goal is not to
6:16 make you more spiritual by human
6:19 definition. It is to make you more like
6:22 Christ. When he fills you, your heart
6:24 becomes tender. Your words carry life
6:28 and your steps move in divine rhythm.
6:30 The same spirit that once hovered over
6:32 the face of the deep now hovers over the
6:35 depths of your soul, bringing order out
6:38 of chaos, peace out of confusion, and
6:41 life out of emptiness. To live in the
6:43 fullness of the spirit is to live in
6:46 continual dependence. It means waking
6:49 each morning and saying, "Lord, live
6:52 through me today." It means walking
6:54 through every trial with the quiet
6:57 assurance that he is enough. It means
6:59 letting his patience flow where yours
7:02 ends. His love flow where yours fails,
7:06 his wisdom guide where yours is blind.
7:08 The spirit is not a visitor to your
7:12 soul. He is the resident Lord. And the
7:15 more you yield to him, the more you find
7:17 that the Christian life is not a burden
7:20 to bear, but a river to flow in. A
7:23 divine exchange where you cease striving
7:26 and begin abiding. where it is no longer
7:28 you who live but Christ who lives in
7:31 you. You cannot cast out the flesh, nor
7:34 can you argue with it, outgrow it, or
7:37 train it into submission. The flesh must
7:40 be denied, not occasionally, but daily.
7:43 It will not quietly step aside. It must
7:45 be confronted by the cross every single
7:49 day. Jesus said, "If anyone will come
7:51 after me, let him deny himself, take up
7:54 his cross daily, and follow me." The
7:56 cross is not a symbol of suffering
7:59 alone. It is the place of surrender. It
8:01 is where the old life ends so that the
8:04 new one can begin. Every morning you
8:07 must make a choice. Will you live by the
8:09 desires of your old nature or will you
8:12 yield to the spirit of life within you.
8:15 The flesh wants to rule to speak first
8:18 to have the final say. It wants to
8:21 defend itself, justify itself, and
8:24 please itself. It wants recognition when
8:27 you serve, comfort when you sacrifice,
8:30 and control even in your obedience. It
8:32 hides behind good motives and noble
8:35 intentions. That is why the cross must
8:36 stand not only at the beginning of your
8:39 faith, but in the center of your daily
8:42 walk. The cross cuts deep, dividing
8:45 truth from deception, humility from
8:49 pride, spirit from self. Every time you
8:52 choose silence over self-defense, you
8:55 deny the flesh. Every time you choose
8:58 forgiveness instead of revenge, you deny
9:00 the flesh. Every time you obey when it
9:04 costs you something, you deny the flesh.
9:06 To deny the flesh is not to hate
9:09 yourself, but to refuse to let your
9:12 self-life rule over you. It means you no
9:15 longer allow your emotions, opinions, or
9:18 impulses to decide your path. It means
9:20 you say no to the voice of self that
9:23 rises up within and yes to the voice of
9:26 the spirit who leads you to life. The
9:28 cross may seem painful but it is the
9:31 only doorway to resurrection. The moment
9:33 you lay your flesh on the altar,
9:36 something divine begins to happen inside
9:39 you. The life of Christ starts to rise
9:42 where yourself once reigned. There is a
9:44 mysterious joy that follows true
9:47 surrender. The kind of joy that cannot
9:50 be explained, only experienced. When you
9:53 finally stop fighting for your own way,
9:56 you find peace. When you stop demanding
9:59 to be right, you find rest. When you
10:02 stop chasing the approval of others, you
10:05 find freedom. The cross that once seemed
10:07 heavy becomes light because the spirit
10:10 carries it with you. The more you die to
10:13 self, the more you feel alive in Christ.
10:15 Denying the flesh is not a one-time act
10:18 of devotion. It is a rhythm of life.
10:20 Each moment gives you another chance to
10:24 say, "Not my will, but yours." And with
10:26 every surrender, the spirit gains more
10:29 ground within you. Slowly, the things
10:31 that once controlled you lose their
10:35 power. Pride loses its grip. Lust loses
10:38 its lure. Fear loses its voice. You
10:42 begin to walk lighter, freer, holier.
10:44 The self that once demanded to live
10:47 finally learns to die. And through that
10:50 death, you discover the unshakable power
10:53 of the spirit. To deny the flesh is not
10:55 the end of your strength. It is the
10:58 beginning of his. The spirit of God
11:01 leads, but he never forces. He is
11:05 gentle, patient, and deeply personal. To
11:07 walk in the spirit is to learn the
11:10 sacred art of sensitivity. To become
11:12 aware of his quiet voice that whispers
11:15 in the inner chambers of your heart. He
11:17 will not shout above the noise of your
11:20 desires. You must quiet yourself to hear
11:23 him. The flesh is loud, impulsive,
11:26 demanding, always in a hurry to act. The
11:30 spirit is calm, soft, and sure. He
11:32 guides with peace, not pressure. He
11:36 convicts, not condemns. And those who
11:38 truly desire to walk in the fullness of
11:40 the spirit must learn to listen, to
11:42 wait, and to obey even when the
11:45 instruction seems small. Many believers
11:47 miss the leading of the spirit not
11:49 because they reject him outright, but
11:52 because they are distracted. They move
11:56 too fast, think too loud, live too busy.
11:59 The spirit is speaking, but the heart is
12:02 full of other voices. the voice of fear,
12:04 the voice of self, the voice of the
12:07 world. And yet, the one who will pause
12:09 long enough to listen will find that
12:12 God's voice is never far away. He is
12:15 always speaking in the word, in the
12:19 stillness, in conviction, in peace, in
12:21 those gentle nudges that pull you away
12:24 from sin and toward holiness. Obedience
12:28 to the spirit is the key to power. He
12:30 will not fill a vessel that refuses to
12:33 move when he says go or stop when he
12:36 says wait. Many believers quench the
12:39 spirit not through open rebellion but
12:41 through quiet resistance. They feel his
12:44 prompting to forgive, to speak truth, to
12:47 let go, but they hesitate. And each
12:50 hesitation silences his whisper a little
12:52 more. The more you ignore him, the
12:55 fainter his voice becomes. But the more
12:59 you obey him, the clearer he speaks, his
13:01 direction becomes sharper, his presence
13:05 stronger, his peace deeper. To walk in
13:07 the spirit is not to have every step
13:10 mapped out, but to trust the one who
13:13 leads. It is to say, "Lord, I don't see
13:16 the whole road, but I will take the next
13:18 step you show me." The spirit will
13:20 sometimes lead you into stillness when
13:23 your flesh wants to act or into action
13:26 when your flesh wants to stay safe. He
13:28 might close a door you were praying to
13:31 open or open one you never considered.
13:34 But his guidance is perfect for he sees
13:37 beyond your present moment into your
13:40 eternal purpose. Those who live by the
13:42 spirit do not measure success by
13:46 outcomes but by obedience. They find
13:48 peace not in understanding everything
13:51 but in knowing they are walking with
13:54 him. The spirit-led life is not marked
13:56 by chaos or confusion but by quiet
13:59 confidence. The assurance that even when
14:03 you don't know what comes next he does.
14:05 To walk in the spirit is to surrender
14:08 control to let him set the pace. To live
14:12 each day aware that you are not alone.
14:15 It is a journey of trust. one step at a
14:18 time, guided by a voice that never leads
14:21 astray. And when you follow that voice,
14:23 you will find that your path, though
14:26 narrow, always leads to life. When a
14:29 person walks in the flesh, life becomes
14:32 a constant struggle, a weary cycle of
14:35 striving, guilt, and disappointment. You
14:38 try to do good, but fail. You make
14:40 promises to God, but break them again.
14:43 You want peace, but end up restless. The
14:45 flesh always demands effort but never
14:48 gives satisfaction. It drives you to
14:51 perform, to impress, to prove yourself
14:53 yet leaves your soul exhausted and
14:56 empty. But when you begin to live in the
14:59 fullness of the spirit, everything
15:02 changes. The burden lifts, the striving
15:06 ceases, what once felt heavy becomes
15:08 light, and what once felt impossible
15:11 becomes effortless. Because the spirit
15:14 does not ask you to do more. He empowers
15:16 you to become more. He doesn't place
15:19 weight on your shoulders. He fills you
15:21 with strength from within. The spirit
15:24 brings freedom. Not the freedom to do
15:26 whatever you please, but the freedom to
15:29 finally do what is right with joy. Where
15:31 the spirit of the Lord is, there is
15:35 liberty. That liberty is not rebellion.
15:37 It is release. It is the breaking of
15:40 every chain that once held you bound.
15:43 fear, sin, shame, addiction, bitterness,
15:45 pride. The Spirit releases you from the
15:48 inside out. He does not simply change
15:50 your circumstances. He changes your
15:53 desires. The things that once tempted
15:55 you lose their grip. The things that
15:58 once frightened you lose their voice.
16:00 You begin to walk in a supernatural
16:03 freedom that cannot be explained, only
16:06 experienced. And this freedom naturally
16:10 produces fruit. The fruit of the spirit.
16:14 Notice it is called fruit, not results.
16:17 Results are achieved by effort. Fruit is
16:20 produced by life. A tree does not
16:22 struggle to bear fruit. It simply abides
16:25 in the soil and lets the life within
16:28 flow outward. So it is with you. When
16:30 the spirit fills your life, love begins
16:33 to flow, not as a duty, but as a
16:37 delight. Joy rises even in hardship.
16:39 Peace anchors you in the middle of
16:41 storms. Patience blossoms where
16:44 frustration used to live. Kindness,
16:47 goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and
16:50 self-control all begin to grow quietly
16:52 and steadily because the very nature of
16:55 Christ is taking root in you. The fruit
16:56 of the spirit is not something you
17:00 achieve. It is something you receive. It
17:02 is the evidence that you are no longer
17:05 walking in your own strength. It shows
17:08 the world that something divine has
17:11 happened within you. That God himself
17:14 has taken residence in your heart. You
17:16 no longer need to force holiness. It
17:19 flows naturally like rivers of living
17:22 water. This is the beauty of life in the
17:24 spirit. It transforms you from the
17:27 inside. You don't have to fake peace.
17:30 You carry it. You don't have to pretend
17:32 to love. It overflows from you. You
17:35 don't have to beg for joy. It springs up
17:38 like a fountain. And that joy, that
17:41 peace, that love becomes a testimony of
17:43 the power of God working through you.
17:45 The spirit does not make you perfect
17:48 overnight, but he makes you free. Free
17:53 to grow, to rise, to live without fear.
17:55 The life that once felt bound now
17:58 becomes a song of freedom. You find that
18:00 the more you yield, the more you bear
18:03 fruit. And this fruit, unlike human
18:08 effort, never fades. It remains eternal,
18:11 fragrant, alive, the unmistakable mark
18:14 of a life filled with the spirit. The
18:16 life of the spirit is not built upon one
18:19 great emotional moment, but upon
18:21 continual surrender. Many people
18:23 experience the touch of God once and
18:25 think they have reached the fullness of
18:29 the spirit. But fullness is not a single
18:32 experience. It is a constant yielding.
18:34 It is not about how much of the spirit
18:37 you have. It is about how much of you
18:40 the spirit possesses. Every day, every
18:43 hour, every situation asks the same
18:46 quiet question. Will you yield or will
18:49 you resist? The spirit's presence
18:52 remains, but his power flows only where
18:54 he is allowed to rule completely. He
18:56 cannot fill what is already full of
18:59 self. He cannot reign where the will
19:02 refuses to bow. Continuous surrender is
19:04 not weakness. It is the secret of
19:06 strength. It is the posture that says,
19:10 "Lord, I am yours." Not just on Sunday,
19:12 not just when I feel holy, but in every
19:15 breath and every decision. It means
19:17 giving him access to the hidden corners
19:20 of your heart, your ambitions, your
19:22 fears, your secret struggles, your
19:24 dreams. The spirit does not demand
19:27 instant perfection. He asks for
19:29 permission. He knocks, waits, and
19:31 invites you to open each locked door of
19:34 your soul. The more you yield, the more
19:37 his peace deepens. The more you trust,
19:40 the more his power flows. The flesh
19:43 hates surrender. It wants control. It
19:45 wants to dictate how, when, and where
19:47 God should move. But surrender breaks
19:51 that power. It says, "Not my will, but
19:53 yours." It gives up the right to
19:55 understand everything and chooses to
19:58 simply trust. Every act of surrender, no
20:01 matter how small, becomes a doorway for
20:04 the spirit to fill more of you. And in
20:08 that filling, you find rest. You stop
20:10 striving to be spiritual because he
20:12 becomes your strength. You stop fearing
20:15 the unknown because you know who holds
20:17 tomorrow. You stop wrestling with
20:19 outcomes because your peace no longer
20:22 depends on what happens. It depends on
20:24 who lives within you. The more you
20:26 surrender, the more you see that the
20:28 spirit never takes something away
20:30 without giving something greater in
20:33 return. He asks you to lay down pride
20:36 and gives you peace. He asks you to
20:38 release bitterness and fills you with
20:41 love. He asks you to stop fighting for
20:43 control and replaces anxiety with
20:46 assurance. Surrender does not empty you.
20:49 It fills you. It opens the door for
20:52 heaven's life to flow freely into every
20:54 part of your being. And this is the
20:57 mystery of the spiritfilled life. You
20:59 lose nothing worth keeping and gain
21:01 everything you were created for. Each
21:04 day becomes a new opportunity to say,
21:07 "Lord, take all of me." When that
21:09 becomes the cry of your heart, the
21:11 spirit fills you again and again, not as
21:13 a distant guest, but as the living
21:16 presence of Christ within you. In that
21:18 place of continuous surrender, you
21:20 discover the greatest freedom. You no
21:24 longer live by effort, but by grace, no
21:27 longer by fear, but by faith, no longer
21:30 by your own will, but by his divine life
21:33 flowing through you. This is the
21:35 fullness of the spirit. A life that
21:38 breathes with the rhythm of surrender
21:40 where self is silent and Christ lives
21:44 completely. Beloved, this is the true
21:46 secret of life in the spirit. Not
21:48 striving, not performing, not pretending
21:51 to be strong, but simply surrendering to
21:54 the one who already lives within you.
21:56 The Christian life was never meant to be
21:59 a battle fought by human willpower. It
22:02 was meant to be the outflow of divine
22:04 life. When you stop depending on the
22:06 flesh and start yielding to the spirit,
22:08 you step into a realm where weakness
22:10 becomes strength, where obedience
22:13 becomes joy, where burdens turn into
22:16 blessings. The flesh will always try to
22:19 reclaim control. It will whisper, "You
22:21 must fix yourself. You must prove your
22:23 worth." But the spirit whispers
22:26 something very different. You are
22:30 already mine. Rest in me. Trust me. Let
22:33 me live through you. The more you listen
22:36 to that gentle voice, the more you will
22:38 find peace. Not the peace of
22:40 circumstances, but the peace of
22:43 presence. The spirit does not make life
22:46 easier. He makes you stronger. He
22:48 doesn't always change the storm, but he
22:51 changes you in the storm. He gives you a
22:54 calm that confusion cannot shake. A love
22:56 that rejection cannot steal. A faith
22:59 that darkness cannot drown. When you
23:01 live in the fullness of the spirit, your
23:04 days stop being ordinary. Every step
23:07 becomes divine. Every moment becomes
23:10 sacred and even the smallest act becomes
23:14 worship. So let the old self die and let
23:16 Christ live through you. Let go of your
23:19 plans, your pride, your fears, and watch
23:21 how the spirit fills the empty places
23:24 with his glory. You do not have to beg
23:26 for his presence. He already dwells in
23:29 you. You only have to surrender again
23:32 and again until every breath, every
23:35 thought, every heartbeat becomes his.
23:36 And when that happens, you will know
23:39 what true life is. You will no longer
23:42 just exist. You will live as one carried
23:44 by the wind of heaven, filled with peace
23:47 that passes understanding, guided by
23:49 love that never fails, and empowered by
23:52 grace that never runs dry. This is the
23:55 fullness of the spirit. Not a feeling,
23:58 not a moment, but a continual overflow
24:01 of Christ in you, the hope of glory. So
24:05 walk in the spirit, live in the spirit,
24:08 and let the world see not what you can
24:11 do, but what God can do through a life
24:14 completely surrendered. For when the
24:17 flesh dies and the spirit reigns, you
24:20 will finally discover what it means to
