The Woman Who Lives At My House
“So, brethren, we are not children of the slave but of the free woman. (Galatians 4:31, ESV)
As you press in to grow in your life of faith, do your fleshly desires mock and hinder you? We all face battles in our flesh. Times we are tried and tested, and we fail. I have felt overthrown many times, but I am learning that the Christian life is not lived by feelings. It is lived by faith in the Son of God, and by the truth of His word.
For those who follow him, God promises the abundant life and power enough for every battle. If you are a Christian, the life you now live in Christ, through the power of the Holy Spirit, gives you authority over your flesh and liberty to live a victorious life in the Spirit. Forget what your feelings tell you friend. Believe God’s word. If you are an heir to God’s promises, then you are the undisputed Mistress of your home. But, like Sarah in Genesis 16:8-9 you have a thorny branch on your family tree.
Now the angel of the Lord found her by a spring of water in the wilderness, by the spring on the way to Shur. He said, “Hagar, Sarai’s maid, where have you come from and where are you going?” And she said, “I am fleeing from the presence of my mistress Sarai.” Then, the angel of the LORD said to her, “Return to your mistress, and submit yourself to her authority.” (Genesis 8-9, NASB)
There is a foreign woman that lives at my house, too. Paul calls this creature “the old man” in Romans 6:6. I call her Hagatha. God gives me all power and authority to rule over Hagatha, and yet she is a force to be reckoned with. Hagatha is a thorn in my flesh that I must contend with daily. Sometimes minute by minute.
It embarrasses me to talk about Hagatha, but when I try to hide her deeds, I find that it just enables her. However, when I confess her faults, she is humbled, and it gives me the advantage. There are times when she is so forceful that I feel like I have no power over her at all. “I am doomed! “I have lost the battle!” But the Lord, in His compassion, hears the cry of my flesh. Once again, he goes to that runaway slave-girl and says, “Where are you coming from, and just where do you think you are going?
God hears my cries of frustration, and He knows my desperation. So, in His compassion He sends Hagatha right back where she belongs. Under the authority of the Spirit-filled Mistress at my house. Me.
Friends, we do not have to sit on the sidelines of victory in our walk of faith if we will APPLY what we learned today. Ask yourself, who rules the roost at your house? Is she the bondwoman or the free?
- A – accept that you are the undisputed Mistress of your home.
- P – place your faith in Jesus for every situation.
- P- practice putting Hagatha in her place when she steals your peace.
- L- learn to rule in the power and authority God has given you.
- Y – Yield to the conviction of the Holy Spirit.