Galatians 5 This is some good stuff!

13For you have been called to live in freedom--not freedom to satisfy your sinful nature, but freedom to serve one another in love.

When I read the scripture above, I thought of someone in my life that models this verse daily. My friend Kelly Ann is a beautiful treasure in my life. We have known each other since we were fourteen years old. During our teenage years we definitely had our share of fights! But now that we are all grown up with kids, our relationship has evolved. I talk to her just about every day and we hang out at least once a week. Well, we try to! Kelly takes care of me. She is the best listener I know and has the sweetest spirit of anyone I know. She is one of a kind. But the thing that I have come to realize about her the most is her ability to serve. When she comes to my house, she picks up toys and just recently organized all the DVD's in our playroom. And she may not realize it but just having her attentive ears in my life serves me like I can't explain. I need her. She is a wonderful Mommy, wife, friend and godly woman. Lord, I pray that you will give me opportunities to serve my friends. Thank you Kelly Ann for always serving me.

16So I advise you to live according to your new life in the Holy Spirit. Then you won't be doing what your sinful nature craves. 17The old sinful nature loves to do evil, which is just opposite from what the Holy Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are opposite from what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, and your choices are never free from this conflict. 18But when you are directed by the Holy Spirit, you are no longer subject to the law.

When someone is ugly to me, my instant desire is to get in their face. Not a good quality at all but it's my flesh. It seems that even when I am walking in the spirit, my flesh will tempt me. If we are in a restaurant and we have a rude waiter or waitress, I really have to bite my tongue. What do I prove anyway? Nothing. There are those times when someone has truly been ugly and they need to be put in place but I have learned that the Holy Spirit can put someone in their place a lot better than I can. Pray that God will show someone their intentions, He will. He's done it in my life when I have been wrong so I know He will do the same for someone else. The flesh battles the spirit often in my life with many other things but this one is the worst for me. I have to learn to keep my mouth shut EVEN when someone else is up to no good!

22But when the Holy Spirit controls our lives, he will produce this kind of fruit in us: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23gentleness, and self-control. Here there is no conflict with the law.

When I was twenty years old I had a beautiful young lady in my life that was about six years older than me. She taught me so much about cooking, decorating, gardening and how to truly be the heart of my home. She was a true Southern girl from Macon, Georgia. Jeremy says that I have the best sweet tea ever, yes better than CHicken Express! Well, I pride myself on that sweet tea because my I learned how to make it from Casey, my friend from Georgia. She would tell me, "Make sure you always have a pitcher of tea made and stuff in your pantry and refrigerator for homemade chocolate chip cookies! That way a surprise visit from a guest will never throw you off!" She taught me that having those things was part of having rudimentary ingredients for any kitchen. So still to this day, I make sure I always have everything I need for homemade chocolate chip cookies. That way I am not running to the store for all of the ingredients! If I find I am running low on sugar, I make sure to get it during my next grocery outing. Much like the ingredients for chocolate chip cookies are staple items, so are the fruits of the spirit for believers. There are nine ingredients for homemade chocolate chip cookies. If you have flour, baking soda, salt, butter, white sugar, brown sugar, vanilla, eggs, chocolate chips, then you have a batch of cookies waiting to be made! If you have love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control, you have a spirit filled child of God!

24Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there. 25If we are living now by the Holy Spirit, let us follow the Holy Spirit's leading in every part of our lives. 26Let us not become conceited, or irritate one another, or be jealous of one another.

When I read this verse I think a lot about women. If we could all learn to be honest with each other, if we could all destroy that pride inside that wants everyone to think our life is perfect, I think we would all get along much better. When we are conceited, we are really insecure. When we are trying to irritate someone else, we are usually irritated with ourselves. When we are jealous, we are usually jealous of a non existent perfect life/Marriage and jealousy also means we don't like ourselves. I hate how Satan uses his tactics to throw women off course. Women, we have emotions that will destroy us. We must walk in the Spirit if we truly wish to be a good friend to others.