Galatians 5:16–17
“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.”
We have all been there. Knees bent, words whispered, waiting for God to move. When heaven feels quiet, it can feel like abandonment. In many cases, the silence reveals something deeper. Sin is blocking communion with a holy God.
Isaiah 59:2
“Your iniquities have separated you from your God. Your sins have hidden His face from you, so that He will not hear.”
Prayer is not a transaction. It is relationship. If I cling to what grieves the Spirit, I am choosing static over His voice. I am asking God to speak while I hold the line on mute.
Too often, we do not seek repentance. We seek relief. We pray for God to bless the very comforts that pull us away from Him. We want peace without surrender, freedom without obedience, intimacy without sacrifice. Galatians 5 makes the conflict plain. Flesh and Spirit do not walk together. One will lead, the other must yield.
So what feels like silence may not be indifference. It may be mercy. God refuses to reinforce what destroys us. His “no” or “not yet” can be an invitation to examine the heart, to bring hidden loyalties into the light, to finally agree with Him about sin and turn from it.
Walk by the Spirit
Paul’s command is simple and costly. Walk by the Spirit. Starve the desires of the flesh. Say yes to what He loves and no to what wages war against your soul. As we align with the Spirit, prayer regains clarity. The line opens. The static fades.
Reflection
- What am I asking God to bless that He is asking me to surrender?
- Where have I called comfort “peace” when it is actually compromise?
- What practical step of repentance do I need to take today?
Prayer
Lord, search me and know me. Expose anything in me that grieves Your Spirit. Teach me to walk by the Spirit and not the flesh. Align my desires with Your will. Restore clear communion as I turn from sin and follow You. Amen.
In Luminance 