This Month’s Theme:
Keep in Step with the Spirit
Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.
Galatians 5:25
Artist’s Reflection
Life can sometimes feel like one big maze, with so many pathways in front of us. And that’s why we need the Holy Spirit to guide us in making the right choices.
Before putting my daughter to sleep, I would often pray over her, and ask that the loudest voice she would hear in her ears would be the Holy Spirit’s voice. It’s the same prayer I pray over myself and my household every day.
And I’ve seen in my life how following the Spirit’s guidance has helped me love others better, have peace in the midst of storms, see things with clarity, and work wiser. Keeping in step with the Spirit has also brought out creative ideas I never would have thought up myself. I’m so grateful that we have this wise teacher to walk us through life’s challenges.
We may not have a literal map to this maze of life, but we have the Holy Spirit to lead us. All we have to do is obey and trust that God knows where He’s taking us.
—Hsulynn Pang
Join in the Conversation
There are seasons in life where we find ourselves in a maze. We don’t know where the way out is, or how long it’ll take us to get there.
When it feels like the walls are hedging in, let’s not forget we have a wise and all-knowing guide who lives in us—the Holy Spirit. He walks with us, and invites us to keep in step with Him. The question is, will we follow His lead?
The way of the Spirit is true freedom. When we feel trapped by our circumstances–the world’s never-ending demands and our insatiable desires, the Spirit reminds us that we’ve been set free. The way out is certain if we look to the Spirit, who knows what is yet to come and will guide us into all truth. What an a-maze-ing assurance that is!
If you’ve got a story to share, we’d love to hear it! Check out our writer’s guidelines and send us your story.
Here are some subthemes to help you get started:
- Putting to death the works and desires of the flesh
- Walking and living by the Spirit
- Bearing the fruit of the Spirit
Topics to Explore
Putting to death the works/desires of the flesh
Uprooting excessive and destructive habits: gluttony, unhealthy habits, addictions, sexual impurities (masturbation, pre/extramarital sex), becoming desensitised to crudeness/lewdness/violence
Surrendering our idols: testing our hearts, giving up what we love more than God, shifting our trust to God and away from the world (money, accomplishments, people, self, anything that claims to know and secure our future
Replacing anger and discontent with godly peace and contentment: stepping back from unnecessary conflict/quarrel, relinquishing your anger to God, remembering God’s forgiveness and forgive, trusting God’s justice, confessing jealousy/envy, looking to Jesus/the Cross instead of others’ accomplishments and the world’s expectations
Walking and living by the Spirit
Receiving the Spirit by faith, hearing and believing God’s word, meditating on Jesus’s promises, acknowledging the Spirit’s presence and role in our lives, praying thoughtfully/intently, singing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, giving thanks, asking for the Spirit’s wisdom, hearing and obeying the Spirit’s voice/counsel
Bearing the fruit of the Spirit
Preaching God’s word to yourself, loving sacrificially, rejoicing in salvation and growing faith, pursuing peace through forgiveness and reconciliation, exercising patience in suffering, responding in kindness and generosity, taking every opportunity to do good, being faithful in keeping your word, being gentle in restoring others, practicing self-control through discipline, consistently depending on the Spirit
Join in the Fun
If you’re more of a visual person, you can be a part of the YMI community by contributing or tagging your artworks with our hashtag #ymitoday. Check out our creatives’ guidelines and send us your artworks.
We know you love your colours, so do we! Each quarter, we set a colour theme that we’ll work around. Use the colour palette below to increase your chances of getting featured!
