When I have a goal, it’s important to organize my life for success.

For example, let’s say I want to lose weight. To greatly improve my chance of success, I might need to change a few things — besides eating healthier and getting exercise. Maybe I need to change the way I travel home from work because my current route takes me past the delicious smells of my favorite fast food restaurant when I’m hungry and tired.

And maybe I need to get rid of the snack foods I purchased before I set my goal. If they aren’t in my house, they won’t be tempting me every time I look in my cupboard.

And maybe I need to stop watching TV at dinner time since I tend to eat more when I’m distracted by a show and enticed by food commercials.

No matter what I’m trying to avoid in this life, there are many things I can do to help myself succeed. To avoid sin, one of the things I can do is to walk by the Spirit.

“I say, then, walk by the Spirit and you will certainly not carry out the desire of the flesh.” (Galatians‬ ‭5‬:‭16,‬ ‭CSB‬‬)

To walk by the Spirit, I need to arrange my life to spend time with God. I must make time to pray, read and reflect on the Bible, and worship Him. And I have to listen carefully to hear God’s Spirit. He may be telling me I have to adjust some routines, get rid of some habits, and change some patterns. These routines may seem to have nothing to do with sin, but by changing them, avoiding sin will be so much easier.

Dear God,

Thank you for your great advice when it comes to avoiding sin. Remind me to spend time with you, listening to your great advice. Please give me the strength to obey. Forgive me for the times when I ignore your advice in favor of my flesh. I know you love me, and your way is so much better.