Time for another SOAP Notes devotional! If you aren’t sure what I am referencing, see this post for a full explanation of this series!

Today’s key verse is Galatians 6:8-9

S: For he who sows to his own flesh (his lower nature, sensuality, his sinful capacity, his worldliness, his disgraceful impulses) will from the flesh reap decay and ruin and destruction, but he who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. And let us not lose heart and grow weary and faint in acting nobly and doing right, for in due time and at the appointed season we shall reap, if we do not loosen and relax our courage and faint.

O: In the case of our actions and spiritual outcomes, we find that the same principles apply as those which are found in physical nature. Our outcomes are a reflection of actions. What we do, how we do it, and the motives behind it go beyond worldly wisdom and knowledge. They enter into the spiritual realm and are at work beyond what is visible and tangible, much in the way a seed is planted and hidden from view until it reaches the right time to spring to life. Even if we believe in this process, we will face times of doubt. What often looks like barren ground has just not yet met the appointed time for harvest. We are instructed to hold to our confidence in God’s promises and His truth.

A: How we act (whether from our fleshly desires or from spiritual understanding) will dictate the outcome of those actions. There is no getting past it. The same action sewn in a motive of selfish ambition will not receive the same spiritual blessing and favor as those sewn with the heart and mindset of spiritual aims. In the time that we wait for the spiritual outcome, we must trust those principles, even when we cannot yet see evidence if them. We must continue to act in alignment with the Spirit and not lose hope when things appear to be fruitless.

P: Father, allow me to recognize that my motive and attitude greatly impact and influence the outcomes of my actions. Allow me to act in alignment with Your Word. Help me to trust You during the times I am waiting for Your spiritual principles to go to work on my behalf. Remove the temptation to doubt. Remove the distraction of worldly influence. Help me to ignore my fleshy thoughts. I ask that the more I choose to ignore these thoughts, the more quiet they will become. I thank You that Your hands can accomplish far more than mine when I do the work and place it as well as the outcome, in Your control. Amen.

Reader questions:
1/ Do you have difficulty trusting Biblical principles when you can’t see the immediate outcomes?
2/ What ways have you found help to overcome the urge to act on worldly and fleshly wisdom?

| Kaci