Unashamed Reading Plan
Check out all the previous Unashamed readings here.
Unashamed Reading Plan | Week 7 | Day 4
Prayer
Take a moment to be silent and still. In order to be fully present in body and mind, take a deep breath in and let it out slowly. Do this three times. Ask God to give you His wisdom today.
Bible Reading: Galatians 5:13-25
Read these verses three times slowly.
You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love. For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”If you bite and devour each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other.
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.
Reflection & Questions
By Heather Lee
As I put my phone down after mindlessly scrolling for far longer than I’d like to admit, I heard a quiet “no one can read the Bible for you.” Many of us struggle with the best intentions to prioritize reading God’s Word daily, only to get caught up in the distraction at our fingertips. The truth is, to know God and His word, we need to talk with Him and read it for ourselves. No one can walk by the Spirit for us; it’s a choice we make.
In Galatians 5:13-25 Paul explains that we have a choice in how we live our lives. We can follow our natural, selfish desires—leading to distractions like doom scrolling—or we can prioritize our time by following God’s commands. This connects to what we learned in Romans 7 about the struggle to do what is right versus falling into sin.
While social media isn’t inherently sinful, scrolling before reading scripture reveals my lack of effort in building my relationship with God. No one can read the Bible for us or pray in our place. It’s up to each of us to walk with the Holy Spirit and make choices that align with God’s will. Just as we need to put effort into any relationship, we need to put in effort to grow our relationship with God through daily Bible reading, prayer, and listening to the Holy Spirit’s guidance.
- How can you prioritize scripture before scrolling in your daily routine?
- What practical steps will you take to walk with the Holy Spirit and abide with God this week?
Prayer
Talk to God in response to today’s reading.
Worship Song
You might use this song today to worship Jesus today:
Bible Reading: Galatians 5:16-18, 22-25
Read these verses three times slowly.
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.
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.
Reflection & Questions
We have been discussing our temptations and how our sinful nature is always trying to get us to do wrong. So what are we supposed to do to help ourselves out of these situations?
Paul gives us the simple answer: “walk by the Spirit.” The Holy Spirit comes to live within us when we accept Jesus as our Savior from our sin. He is the little voice that tells us right from wrong and guides us to make good choices. So how do we “walk by the Spirit?” By spending more time with Him. And how do we do that? We choose to spend more time reading the Bible and praying.
How easy is it to pick up your phone and waste time mindlessly scrolling? Or playing video games? Or watching YouTube? We have a choice to do these things. Or we can choose to do things that build a closer relationship with the Holy Spirit. Just as we need to put effort into any relationship, we need to put in effort to grow our relationship with God through daily Bible reading, prayer, and listening to the Holy Spirit’s guidance.
- What is something that you do on a daily basis that is taking the place of spending time with God? How can you make time with God in the Bible a more important part of your day?
Pray
Ask God to help you prioritize the time you should be spending with Him. Thank Him for the gift of the Holy Spirit as your guide.
Check out more Bible Reading Plans here.
Questions?
Ed Applegate
