Week 11 | 2
Always Looking Ahead
Romans 13:11-14
The Christian life is one of forward motion—living with eyes fixed on Jesus’s return while our hearts remain engaged in His mission. Paul reminds believers that redemption not only rescues us from sin’s penalty but also reorients us toward spiritual purpose. Through the Holy Spirit’s presence, we are empowered to resist the pull of the flesh, the patterns of the world, and the schemes of the enemy—to seek first His kingdom and righteousness until Jesus returns. But until then, we are called to fight faithfully, to live distinctly, and to walk daily in the Spirit so that our lives reflect His grace to a watching world.
Application
1. Recognize the Battle
Don’t be naïve—there is a real war between the Spirit and the flesh, the truth of God and the deception of the world. The battleground is your own mind and heart.
2. Live on High Alert
DEFCON 1 – Live as if every day counts. Spiritual warfare has no off-season, no vacation, and no time outs—so remain vigilant and prayerful.
3. Strengthen Your Soul
Build your life around the “big three”: Scripture, worship, and prayer. These three-spiritual disciplines (along with a few others) strengthen the Spirit’s influence and guard against spiritual drift.
4. Walk with the Right People
Surround yourself with others who are pursuing Jesus with the same intensity and going in the same direction towards Him. Isolation breeds vulnerability; community breeds victory.
5. Feed the Spirit—Starve the Flesh
What you nurture will grow. Fill your mind with truth, your time with obedience, and your heart with gratitude—then watch the Spirit lead you in victory.
Don’t be naïve—there is a real war between the Spirit and the flesh, the truth of God and the deception of the world. The battleground is your own mind and heart.
2. Live on High Alert
DEFCON 1 – Live as if every day counts. Spiritual warfare has no off-season, no vacation, and no time outs—so remain vigilant and prayerful.
3. Strengthen Your Soul
Build your life around the “big three”: Scripture, worship, and prayer. These three-spiritual disciplines (along with a few others) strengthen the Spirit’s influence and guard against spiritual drift.
4. Walk with the Right People
Surround yourself with others who are pursuing Jesus with the same intensity and going in the same direction towards Him. Isolation breeds vulnerability; community breeds victory.
5. Feed the Spirit—Starve the Flesh
What you nurture will grow. Fill your mind with truth, your time with obedience, and your heart with gratitude—then watch the Spirit lead you in victory.
Closing Prayer
Lord Jesus, thank You for the promise of Your return and for the gift of Your Spirit within me. Help me to live each day alert, steadfast, and faithful in the fight. Strengthen my resolve to choose to walk in the Spirit and not gratify the desires of my flesh. Give me discernment to recognize what is of You, what is of my flesh, what is of the world, and what is of the enemy. May my life be found faithful—clothed in Your righteousness and abounding in Your work—until the day I see You face to face. In Your name I pray, amen.