The emPHAsis Is On The Wrong sylLAble

You have your emPHAsis on the wrong sylLAble. This is a phrase my husband taught me. When you emphasis the wrong syllable the word ends up sounding strange or just plain wrong. That's not only true with the spoken word that's true in life. I often emphasis the wrong thing and the result is confusion.

There is a war going on. It is a clash of the Spirit against the flesh. Sometimes I just want to give in and say, ”I just can't help myself.” When I do that I am putting the emPHAsis on the wrong sylLAble. This battle of flesh and Spirit is fought first in the mind. According to the fourth chapter of Ephesians before I was a Christian I had no choice. I was callous and given up to sensuality, greed and practices of impurity in other words I was dead spiritually. When I became a Christian I became alive spiritually now I can have the mind of Christ. So which will it be, which will it be? Shall I let the emphasis be on my fleshly desires or shall I obey the Spirit?

Hebrew 11:25 speaks of the fleeting pleasures of sin. If there was no pleasure in sin then there would be no clash between flesh and Spirit. What begins in the mind doesn't stay there it moves to my actions. Romans six goes on to say that I become a slave of the one I obey. I either become a slave of sin that leads to death or of obedience that leads to righteousness.

Something makes me angry. Now I'm faced with a choice. Do I place the emPhasis on the offense and become angry and let strife grow possibly causing divisions and dissension or do I choose to walk in the Spirit and be forgiving? To be honest my flesh wants to simply give full vent to my anger. Where I place the emphasis will go beyond my thoughts and effect my actions. Galatians five tells me that “If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit.”

Lord Jesus, I am faced with this pull between my flesh and Spirit every day in so many ways. You have invited me to walk in your Spirit and experience love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Please let my first response be to turn my face to You and ask for mercy and take hold the grace by faith that You have assured me is available.