Who—or what—is controlling your life?

Most of us would probably answer, “No one controls me. I make my own decisions.”

But Scripture suggests the question isn’t quite that simple.

Paul warned believers not to be controlled by wine. But alcohol isn’t the only thing that can exert control over us. Our desires, ambitions, fears, possessions, relationships, need for approval, or determination to get our own way can influence how we think, speak, and behave.

So what happens when the Holy Spirit is the controlling influence instead?

After spending three chapters explaining everything believers possess “in Christ,” Paul begged the Ephesians to “walk worthy of the calling with which you were called.”

Then he began showing them—and us—what that kind of life actually looks like.

And some of the clearest evidence may show up in places much closer to home than we expect: our words, our attitudes, our gratitude, and especially our relationships.

We’ll take a closer look today.

And Isaiah describes something else that may sound strangely familiar: truth stumbling in the streets, justice nowhere to be found, and those who turn from evil becoming targets themselves.

How should God’s people live when the world around them looks like that?