Text: Luke 4:1-2
Memory verse:
“But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’ ”
‭‭Matthew‬ ‭4‬:‭4‬ ‭‬NKJV

Walking in the Spirit would have been such an easy experience for all believers if not for the antagonistic works of our sinful nature, that is, the flesh. We have seen that our flesh has been crucified with Christ and should not have power over us again. Even though this is the truth, we can’t experience it in reality until we receive, believe, and enforce this truth. In our meditation yesterday, we established that we must start by enforcing it in our minds. Until the victory is won in the mind, it can’t be won in reality.
In addition to this, we must enforce death daily on our flesh. Paul said, “…I die daily.” (‭‭I Cor‬ ‭15‬:‭31‬)‬‬.
If we have been crucified with Christ, we must live the crucified life. Our lifestyles must not raise again what has been put to death.
If you have a pathway that you have cleared of weeds and cleaned and you want it to remain like that, you don’t return to water, till and manure the path. You starve what you don’t want to grow and feed what you want to grow.
One of the ways of starving the flesh or dying daily is by living a fasted life. This is different from the corporate or personal routine fasting. It is the Spirit-directed fasting. “Then Jesus, being filled with the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness,” ‭‭(Luke‬ ‭4‬:‭1‬).‬‬ Like it happened here, the Spirit can direct you to abstain from physical or emotional foods completely or partly for some days, so that you can be with Him or for a divine purpose (1 Cor 7:5). He may also direct you to eat lightly or reduce the size of your meal so that you can be alert for Him to commune with you. This is not a regimented fasting but that which is totally controlled by the Holy Spirit. He determines when to start, when to end, and the mode of the fast. As you yield to Him, you grow in self-control and your dominion over the flesh. Many times, He leads me on a fast and just about ending the fast, He tells me to keep my position. I have learnt over the years to be open to His leading when fasting.
Friends, while it is good for you to nourish your body, never indulge your flesh through physical or emotional foods – overeating, unregulated eating, or pleasure. As you live the Holy Spirit-controlled life, your dominion over the flesh will become a reality, and your walk in the Spirit will become exciting. Hallelujah!

Prayer points
1. Father, please help me to yield whenever You direct me to withdraw from food to be with You, in Jesus’ name.
2. Father, please, help me never to indulge my flesh through overeating, unregulated eating or pleasure, in Jesus’ name.

Today’s declarations
1. As I live the Holy Spirit-controlled life, my dominion over the flesh becomes a reality, and my walk in the Spirit becomes more exciting.
2. Living the fasted life makes me to be more conscious of the presence of the indwelling Spirit.