Hello Sunshine! Are You Ready For Crucify It 2.0? Who’s Leading You?

Who’s Leading You? We are going from Crucifying the Flesh to Walking in the Spirit. I so thought that we were finished with this, but God.

We spent the last five days talking about crucifying the flesh. We dealt with the hard stuff. We talked about how your flesh does not get the final say, how you have to stop feeding what you are trying to crucify, how denying yourself is not denying your destiny, and how new territory requires new discipline. We even talked about those difficult conversations that sometimes have to be had whether we want to have them or not. By the time we reached Day Five, I thought, “Okay, Lord, we got it. Crucify it, surrender it, and let the Holy Spirit lead.” But sometimes you can think God has finished speaking simply because He has finished one part of the conversation. And that is what happened to me during this season.

So, after re-reading Monday’s devotional and another devotional that I read, this scripture came front and center. All I can say, ole my God after I read 1 Corinthians 6:12, and the words would not leave me alone; “I will not be brought under the power of any.” I stopped right there. We had just spent an entire week talking about crucifying our flesh, and now the Lord was causing me to look at something deeper. It was almost as though He was asking, “Now that you have identified what needs to die, have you examined what still has power over you?” Did you know that there is a difference between putting something down and no longer being controlled by it.

You can put something down temporarily and still want it. You can walk away and still keep looking backward. You can stop doing something outwardly while continuing to entertain it inwardly. You can even call something surrendered while secretly leaving the door cracked in case you decide you want to return. That is why Paul’s words struck me differently: “All things are lawful for me, but all things are not helpful.” In other words, maturity cannot always be measured by the question, “Am I allowed to do this?” Sometimes maturity asks, “Is this helping me become who God is calling me to be?”

And that is where transition comes with a cost. We love to talk about transition when we are talking about going somewhere greater. We celebrate new seasons, new territory, new opportunities, new relationships, new assignments, and new doors. But we do not always talk about what transition requires you to leave behind. You cannot transition while insisting on carrying everything from the previous season with you. There is a cost to becoming.

Sometimes the cost is a habit. Sometimes it is your comfort. Sometimes it is your need to be understood. Sometimes it is a relationship that continually pulls you backward. Sometimes it is an attitude, an appetite, an old way of thinking, your need to control everything, or the version of yourself that learned how to survive one season but cannot lead you effectively into the next one. Jesus said in Luke 14:28, “For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost?” There is a cost associated with building. And if God is building something different in you, there will be a cost associated with becoming the person who can carry it and crucifying your flesh was part of that cost. I am truly beginning to understand that crucifying something is not always the end of the process. Sometimes crucifixion creates space for transition. God removes what has been governing you so that He can teach you how to live under a different kind of leadership.

Then Tuesday’s devotional and I read, Hebrews 5:11–14, and now the conversation moved from control to maturity. The writer essentially says, By now, you should be further along. There were people who should have been able to handle solid food, but they still needed milk. And verse 14 says that mature believers have their senses exercised “to discern both good and evil.” And that made me ask another question: What if some of the things God is requiring me(you) to leave behind are not punishment at all? What if they are evidence that He expects me to mature? There are things you may have needed in one season that you cannot continue needing forever. There are reactions God may have tolerated while He was developing you that He is now confronting. There are excuses that may were explained yesterday but cannot continue governing your tomorrow; at some point, you must grow and that  will cost you.

It will cost you the comfort of always doing what you have always done. It may cost you the luxury of blaming everybody else. It may cost you some conversations you have been avoiding. It may cost you the need to always have the last word. It may cost you immediate gratification because you finally understand that what feels good right now can interfere with what God is developing for later.

Then Wednesday came, and I read Romans 8 and this was the icing on the cake, so here we are again in this week, for all the scriptures began to come together. First Corinthians asked, “What has power over you?” Hebrews asked, “Are you mature enough to discern?” And Romans 8 essentially asked, “Who is leading you?” Romans 8:5 says, “For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit.” Then Romans 8:14 declares, “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.”

I realized that Crucify It was not the end. It was preparation for transition. God was not simply teaching us what needed to die. He is preparing us to recognize what should live. He is not simply saying, “Stop letting your flesh lead you.” He is preparing us for the next question: “Will you now allow My Spirit to lead you?” And this my sister and brother is where the cost of transition lives.

You cannot ask the Holy Spirit to lead while reserving the right to overrule Him whenever His direction becomes uncomfortable. You cannot say, “Lead me,” and then only follow when His direction agrees with your preference. Spirit-led living means sometimes He will tell you no when your flesh wants yes. Sometimes He will tell you wait when you are ready to move. Sometimes He will tell you move when you would rather remain comfortable. Sometimes He will tell you be quiet when you have the perfect response prepared. Sometimes He will tell you to have the conversation you have been avoiding and sometimes He will tell you to release it when everything inside you wants to hold on.

Now I don’t want you to misunderstand the cost of what is being asked of you. What God is asking you to surrender is not greater than what surrender produces in you. Romans 8:6 says, “To be spiritually minded is life and peace.” There is something on the other side of surrender. There is life. There is peace. There is maturity. There is discernment. There is freedom from things that once controlled you. So, the question is no longer simply, “What do I have to give up?” The question becomes, “What is God trying to grow in me that requires me to release this?” And this changes the conversation. Now we are going for another five days. Not because Crucify It did not work; but because God apparently was not finished with the conversation. We crucified it, now we are going to count the cost of transition, examine what still has power, get off the milk, exercise our discernment, renew our minds, and learn to live under the leadership of the Holy Spirit.

Because after everything we have surrendered, everything we have learned, and everything God has been showing us, this one question still remains, who’s leading you now?

Let’s Begin Day 1: Good Morning Sunshine! Just Because You Can Doesn’t Mean You Should!

1 Corinthians 6:12 (NKJV) ~ “All things are lawful for me, but all things are not helpful. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any.”

In 1 Corinthians 6, Paul is addressing believers in Corinth who were learning what it meant to belong to Christ while living in a culture where many behaviors were treated as normal and acceptable. Some had begun using their freedom as a reason to justify their choices. Paul responds by making an important distinction: something may be permissible, but that does not automatically make it beneficial. And even when you have the freedom to do something, you must not allow it to become your master.

Paul’s words were not an invitation to do whatever you wanted. In the surrounding verses, he specifically addresses sexual immorality and reminds believers that their bodies belong to the Lord. His larger point is that your freedom in Christ is not permission to live without regard for God’s purpose. You have been given freedom so that you can live for Him—not so that another desire can take control of you. And that brings us to today’s question: Just because you can, does that mean you should?

So, let’s get started, you just finished learning what and how to crucify your flesh. You examined your desires, your habits, your reactions, your discipline, and even those difficult conversations you would sometimes rather avoid. You were challenged to stop feeding what you are trying to crucify and to stop allowing your flesh to have the final say. But now you are standing at another point in the journey, and the Holy Spirit is asking you to look a little deeper. You may have stopped doing something, but has it stopped having power over you? Now this is not a question that you should rush to answer, (sit in this and write the question and the answer down.)

Sometimes you can put something down without truly releasing its hold on you. You can stop responding to a particular person but still spend hours rehearsing what you wish you had said. You can decide to change a habit but continue arranging your day around the opportunity to return to it. You can walk away from something outwardly while still allowing it to occupy your thoughts, direct your emotions, and influence your decisions. This is why Paul’s declaration matters: “I will not be brought under the power of any.” He is not merely asking whether he has permission. He is refusing to surrender his freedom to something that would control him. You see the things that had been controlling you are not the things you immediately recognize as wrong. Think about it, it could be your phone, your schedule, your spending, your appetite, your desire to be noticed, or your need to know what everybody thinks about you.

Or it may be your need to respond immediately when someone says something you do not like. It may be your desire to have the last word, your need to fix everybody else’s problems, or your inability to rest because you feel that everything depends on you. None of these things should be examined only by how they look from the outside. The deeper question is, “What happens inside me when I cannot have it, cannot do it, cannot control it, or cannot get the response I want?” You see if you become consumed by the thought of it, if your peace disappears when it is unavailable, or if you repeatedly set aside what you know God is asking of you to satisfy that desire, it may be time to examine how much influence you have given it.

Now, this is where the conversation becomes personal. You may be able to explain why you do what you do. You may have a reason for your response, a history behind your habit, or a justification for the decision you want to make. But having an explanation does not always mean you should continue allowing that thing to govern you. Sometimes spiritual maturity requires you to acknowledge, “I understand why I developed this pattern, but I cannot keep allowing it to lead me.”

Think about how often you ask, “What’s wrong with it?” You may ask that question about what you watch, what you say, what you purchase, where you go, whom you spend time with, or how you choose to respond. But what if the Holy Spirit is inviting you to ask a different question? “Is this helping me become who God is calling me to be?” Something may be enjoyable without being helpful in every circumstance. Something may be available without being appropriate for this season. Something may have served a purpose in your life before but no longer deserves the amount of time, attention, or influence you are giving it now.

You do not have to call everything bad in order to recognize that it is not beneficial for you. Consider your time, and I know that I have mentioned your phone earlier, but you need to see this again; yes, you have the freedom to spend an evening scrolling through your phone, watching television, or doing something you enjoy; but you need to know that rest and recreation have their place in your life also. But if you continually tell yourself that you do not have time to pray, study the Word, complete an important responsibility, or have a needed conversation, you may need to examine what has been receiving your attention. The question is not whether you are allowed to enjoy your evening. The question is whether your choices are supporting or working against the life you say you want to live.

Consider your words, you may have every opportunity to respond when someone offends you and you may even have a valid point to make. But Proverbs 15:1 reminds you that “A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.” Just because you can say something does not mean it needs to be said in that moment, in that tone, or in that way. Sometimes the Holy Spirit will lead you to speak truth in love. Other times, He will lead you to pause, listen, and allow your emotions to settle before you speak. And remember those difficult conversations we discussed during Crucify It. You cannot use today’s message as an excuse to avoid them. There is a difference between being led to remain silent for a moment and using silence to escape a conversation you know needs to happen. Discernment requires you to seek God’s wisdom about what to say, when to say it, and how to say it. Your flesh may want to attack, withdraw, defend itself, or avoid the issue altogether. The Holy Spirit can lead you toward a response that is truthful, loving, and mature.

Consider your desire to be in control. You may be capable of managing a situation, solving a problem, or stepping in when someone else is struggling. But does every situation require your involvement? Are you helping because God is leading you to help, or because you are uncomfortable when things happen without your input? Sometimes the most difficult thing for you to surrender is not a bad habit. It is your belief that you must be the one who makes everything work. Proverbs 3:5–6 calls you to trust in the Lord with all your heart and not lean on your own understanding. That means you can acknowledge what you know and what you are capable of doing while still asking God whether He wants you to act. Your ability to do something does not automatically make it your assignment.

You have been praying about the next season of your life. You have been asking God for greater wisdom, greater opportunities, healthier relationships, deeper spiritual understanding, and the discipline to carry what He places in your hands. But you cannot keep asking God to lead you into something new while insisting that every old desire must be accommodated along the way. For the cost of transition is the ability to give up something that you are perfectly capable of doing because you recognize that it is no longer helping you grow. Sometimes it is choosing not to purchase something because wisdom is calling you to steward your resources differently. Sometimes it is declining an opportunity because you recognize that an open door is not automatically your assignment. Sometimes it is refusing to participate in a conversation that feeds offense, comparison, or gossip, even when you have something you could contribute. And sometimes the cost is admitting that you have been allowing something to control you while continuing to call it a preference.

You see the purpose of this examination is not to make you fearful of every choice or convince you that enjoying life is wrong. The Holy Spirit is not leading you into a life of constant suspicion and condemnation. He is teaching you to recognize the difference between enjoying something and being governed by it, between making a free choice and responding to an appetite that you have stopped questioning. Galatians 5:1 says, “Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage.” You have been given freedom in Christ. Do not voluntarily hand that freedom back to something that cannot give you life.

So today, take a close look at the things you routinely say yes to. Not only the obvious temptations, but the familiar patterns you rarely stop to question. Examine what receives your time, what shapes your thoughts, what triggers your reactions, and what influences your decisions. Ask yourself whether you can willingly set something aside when the Holy Spirit directs you to do so. You do not need to prove your freedom by participating in everything available to you. Sometimes your freedom is most clearly demonstrated by your ability to say, “I can, but I choose not to.”

And as you begin your new journey, remember that you are not trying to earn God’s love by making perfect decisions, but you are learning to live as someone who already belongs to Him. You are allowing His Word to mature your judgment and His Spirit to guide your choices. Yesterday’s question may have been, “What do I need to crucify?” Today’s question is, “What am I still allowing to have power over me?” Do not be afraid to ask it. And when the Holy Spirit shows you something, do not rush to defend it. Bring it before God. Ask Him to help you understand its influence, establish the boundaries you need, and make a different choice. Because just because you can does not mean you should. And just because something is available does not mean it deserves access to you. You have been given freedom. Now learn to walk in it without allowing anything else to become your master.

Let’s Pray:

Heavenly Father, thank You for loving me enough to continue teaching me even when I think I have reached the end of a lesson. Thank You for what You have already revealed as I have worked through crucifying my flesh. Now, as I begin this next part of my journey, I invite You to search my heart and show me what still has more influence over me than it should. Help me not to rush past this question or defend the things You are asking me to examine. Give me the humility to acknowledge what is true and the courage to respond to what You reveal. Holy Spirit, teach me the difference between what I am free to do and what is beneficial for me to do. Help me recognize when a desire, habit, emotion, relationship, responsibility, or opportunity is beginning to govern my choices. Where I have confused my ability with my assignment, give me wisdom. Where I have allowed my appetite to make decisions for me, strengthen my self-control. Where I have allowed my need for approval, comfort, recognition, or control to direct my actions, teach me to find my security in You. Father, I do not want to leave one season of bondage only to become entangled in something else. If there is anything I keep returning to in my thoughts, anything I continue making excuses for, or anything I am unwilling to surrender when You ask, help me bring it honestly before You. Teach me to establish healthy boundaries without becoming fearful, to enjoy Your good gifts without allowing them to control me, and to make wise decisions without depending solely on my own understanding. God, as You prepare me for what is ahead, help me accept the cost of transition. Give me the strength to say no when no is necessary, to wait when waiting is wise, to speak when truth needs to be spoken, and to remain silent when my flesh simply wants the last word. Help me recognize that every opportunity does not require my participation and every desire does not require my agreement. Let my choices reflect the maturity You are developing in me. Lord, I want my next season to be marked not merely by new opportunities but by a deeper dependence on You. Let my freedom produce obedience, my obedience develop discernment, and my discernment keep me attentive to Your Spirit. When I am tempted to ask only, “Can I do this?” remind me to ask, “Does this honor You? Is this helpful? Is this where You are leading me?”  Thank You that I do not have to walk this journey in my own strength. Continue the work You have begun in me, and help me surrender whatever competes with Your leadership. I declare that my flesh does not get the final say, and I will not willingly give another desire the authority that belongs to You. In the Mighty Name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Nugget: Just because you can doesn’t mean you should. Freedom is not the need to say yes to everything available to you; it is the ability to say no to anything that should not have power over you. Let the Holy Spirit lead your choices, not merely your desires. Before you make a familiar choice today, pause and ask yourself: “Is this helpful, or have I simply become accustomed to doing it? Can I set it aside if the Holy Spirit leads me to?” You do not have to examine your entire life at once. Begin with one area where you sense that your habits or desires may be influencing you more than you realize.

Blessings…

Love, Dr. Jean….