You Can Conquer and Overcome
ICS Daily Devotions

Galatians 5:15-17 (NKJV) say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish.

There is a parallel between the Israelites’ possession of the Promised Land and Christians’ taking hold of the abundant life God has given us. They both need Action and obedience to enjoy the land and the fruit of the abundant life. Therefore, we need to have the spirit of a conqueror. There are things we need to conquer and overcome in our lives. We are saved by grace and will enjoy eternal life with God, but we must rein in the flesh to experience the abundant life of love, joy, and peace. Our breakthroughs can also lead to breakthroughs in the lives of others.

We must not allow what once caused us to live miserably or the sins that enslaved us to continue holding us captive. As born-again Christians, we can walk in the Spirit because we live under the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus. We have the indwelling and empowerment of the Holy Spirit. The law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set us free from the law of sin and death. Nonetheless, we need to deal with the lust of the flesh just like the Israelites had to drive out the inhabitants of the land.

God has given us the right to be free moral agents, with the ability to choose between obedience and disobedience to His Word and instructions. Disobedience will lead to painful suffering. God told the people of Israel that if they didn’t drive out all the inhabitants of the land, those people would be like a snare, a whip, a thorn, and a trap for them (Joshua 23:13). In fact, the suffering caused by their disobedience would last up to 300 years. Similarly, some consequences of the decisions made in disobedience to God can cause us to suffer for months, years, or even decades.

Lewdness or licentiousness is a shocking disregard for sexual and moral boundaries, an unrestrained indulgence of lust. It overlaps with excess in drinking, crude speeches, cohabitation, and the practice of fornication. It could be an inappropriate relationship—an affair or an adulterous relationship. We must sever inappropriate soul ties because there will be long-lasting consequences of physical, emotional, and mental pain resulting from these choices.

Selfish ambition refers to the attitude of the heart that prioritises selfish desires, personal status, and factional interests over obedience to God. It can become an idol in our lives. Many are called to full-time ministry, yet many choose to pursue their own selfish ambitions rather than respond to God’s because their personal pursuit of status has taken precedence over obedience to God. We become jealous of others’ success. If we don’t deal with the idol of success and selfish ambition, outbreaks of wrath and anger will appear in our lives, and those who suffer most will be the people closest to us.

As Christians, we are saved by grace and will enjoy eternal life with God, but we must rein in the flesh to experience the abundant life of love, joy, and peace.

Sermon Series: Resolution for 2026