The NorthWord
NorthWord is a daily Christian podcast from St. John's Fort Smith in collaboration with the Anglican Family. Hosted by Father Aaron from Fort Smith, Northwest Territories.
Here's how it works: Every Sunday we release the full sermon preached that morning. Then Monday through Saturday, you get 3-5 minute daily reflections based on that sermon - one thought you can actually use each day. Every Wednesday we explore the rhythm of Jesus' life and how his followers have lived it out for 2,000 years.
Whether you're Pentecostal, Orthodox, Baptist, Catholic, or just curious about faith - this is for you. Ancient faith. Real life. No fluff.
The Word. The North. Your Week.
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The NorthWord
Desire Is Not Destiny
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Following Christ doesn’t make the pull of the old nature disappear — it means that pull no longer has the final word. A reflection on what it looks like to carry two natures, and why the presence of temptation is not a sign of failure.
Text us directly by clicking ‘Text Us’ at the top of these show notes to share your journey!
Watch the sermon on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@theanglicanfamily
Good morning, this is Northword. The poll doesn't disappear when you follow Christ, but it stops being the final word. Good morning, this is Northword, the word the North Your Week, a daily podcast from St. John's Ford Smith in collaboration with the Anglican family. I'm your host, Father Aaron. If grace is as powerful as St. Paul says, if it floods in, justifies, and exalts, then why are we still sinning? The answer is this grace does not remove the desire, the pull of the old nature doesn't vanish. What change is, is whether the pull is destiny.
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SPEAKER_00Paul tells us in Romans 5, verse 19, that by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, not by personal choice, but by inheritance. We carry Adam's nature the way families carry generational trauma. It shapes behavior across generations without anyone consciously choosing it. But through Christ's obedience, something new has been added. We inherit the disease from Adam. We inherit the capacity for obedience through Christ. Both are now present. Both are real. The old pole is still there. But there is now another voice. Think of someone in a strained marriage who encounters someone offering what feels like genuine connection. The desire arises, and it is real. It is not sin. But they know that following it will cost them something, something much better. The desire doesn't make the decision. They make the decision. That is what life in Christ looks like. Not a life without a pull to the wrong, to the sin, but a life in which the pull no longer is the only voice. And it's definitely no longer the loudest voice. Today's episode is brought to you by Auntie's Corner Store, one of the sponsors of our 90th anniversary celebration at St. John's. If you've spent any time in Fort Smith, you already know. Auntie's Corner Store is the place for a great bowl of soup or a sandwich on some real homemade bread. Their beef barley soup has attracted attention well beyond Fort Smith. And let me tell you, for good reason. If you're here locally, stop by. If you're not, well, maybe here's the motivation to travel down to Fort Smith. Thank you, Auntie's Corner Store. This has been Northward, the Word, The North Your Week, a daily podcast from St. John's Fort Smith in collaboration with the Anglican family. You are not defined by what pulls at you, you are defined by what you are being made into. Desire is not destiny. That is the freedom of the gospel. Use the text us link in the description to reach out. I would love to hear from you and where you are on your journey. Until tomorrow, God be with you. In the name of Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.