How You can Walk in the Spirit
This is Part 1 of a 4 part series – How You Can Walk in the Spirit
Experiencing the adventure
A medical doctor approached me with great excitement at the conclusion of our training conference. He was overflowing with joy and excitement.
“Since I have learned how to be filled with the Holy Spirit and walk in His power, the Christian life has become a great adventure for me!” he exclaimed. “Now, I want to experience this same adventure with Christ.”
Would you like to know how to enjoy what this man an millions of other Christians have experienced? You too can know the adventure of a full, abundant, purposeful and fruitful life in Christ!
If you have been living in spiritual defeat – powerless and fruitless, wondering if there is any validity to the Christian life – there is hope for you! What greater promise could Christ offer to the Christian than the assurance that he can walk daily in the power of the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Jesus Christ, and experience an abundant and fruitful life of purpose and adventure? Here is His promise:
I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.
And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father.
You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.
Certain basic spiritual truths, when understood and experienced by faith, bring revolutionary spiritual benefits. These proven principles can help you to be more consistent in your walk with God and be more effective in your witness for our dear Savior.
The Christian life, properly understood, is not complex nor difficult. As a matter of fact, the Christian life is very simple. It is so simple that we stumble over the very simplicity of it, and yet it is so difficult that no one can live it! This paradox occurs because the Christian life is a supernatural life. The only one who can help us live this abundant life is the Lord Jesus Christ who empowers us with His Holy Spirit.
Be sure you are filled with the Spirit
One of the most important truths of Scripture, the understanding and application of which has enriched my life as has no other truth, is a concept which I like to call “Spiritual Breathing.” This concept has been shared with millions – with revolutionary results – through our literature and various training conferences and seminars.
As you walk in the Spirit by faith, practicing Spiritual Breathing, you need never again live in spiritual defeat. Spiritual Breathing, like physical breathing, is a process of exhaling the impure and inhaling the pure, an exercise in faith that enables you to experience God’s love and forgiveness and walk in the Spirit as a way of life.
The moment you invited Christ into your life as Savior and Lord, you experienced a spiritual birth. You became a child of God and you were filled with the Holy Spirit. God forgave your sins – past, present and future – making you righteous, holy and acceptable in His sight because of Christ’s sacrifice for you on the cross. You were given the power to live a holy life and to be a fruitful witness for God.
But the average Christian does not understand this concept of Spiritual Breathing as an exercise of faith and, as a result, lives on a spiritual roller coaster. He goes from one emotional experience to another living most of his life as a worldly Christian, controlling his own life – frustrated and fruitless.
If this is your experience, Spiritual Breathing will enable you to get off this emotional roller coaster and enjoy the Christian life that the Lord Jesus promised to you when He said, “I came that they might have life and might have it abundantly.” As an exercise in faith, Spiritual Breathing will make it possible for you to continue to experience God’s love, forgiveness, and the power and control of the Holy Spirit as a way of life.
If you sin by committing a deliberate act of disobedience, breathe spiritually. Exhale by confession. God’s Word promises in John 1:9, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” In the Greek, the original language of the New Testament, the word “confess” (homologeo) means to “agree with” of to “say along with.” Such agreement involves at least three considerations.
- First, you acknowledge that your sin or sins – which should be named to God specifically – are wrong and are therefore grievous to Him.
- Second, you acknowledge that God has already forgiven you through Christ’s death on the cross for your sins.
- Third, you repent, which means that you change your attitude toward your sin. The power of the Holy Spirit will enable you to change both your attitude and conduct. Instead of doing what your old sinful nature – your flesh – wants to do, you can do what God wants you to do.
Now inhale by appropriating the fullness of God’s Spirit by faith. Trust him to control and empower you according to his command to “be filled with the Spirit” which actually means to be constantly and continually controlled and empowered with the Holy Spirit.
According to His promise, God hears you and grants your request because you pray according to His will. I encourage you to continue to claim his love, forgiveness and power by faith and continue to have fellowship with Him moment by moment.
You can get off your spiritual roller coaster, cease to be a worldly or carnal Christian, and become a Spirit-filled believer by practicing Spiritual Breathing. If you are breathing and inhaling by appropriating the fullness of the holy Spirit by faith – you are a Spirit-filled Christian.
You become a worldly Christian again when you develop (over time) an attitude of unbelief – when you set your heart against believing the promises of 1 John 1:9 and 1 Corinthians 10:13:
No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.
You do not become carnal simply by committing one sin or a dozen or a hundred sins provided that you sincerely continue to breathe spiritually. You will become worldly only when you develop and attitude of unbelief and refuse to breathe spiritually.
You can know right now that you are filled with the Holy Spirit. Through the concept of Spiritual Breathing, you can go through life assured of his fullness. Simply keep short accounts with God. Do not let sins accumulate.
If you try to live the Christian life by your own fleshly effort, it becomes complex, difficult and even impossible to live. But when you invite the Lord Jesus to direct your life; when you know the reality of having been crucified with Christ and raised with Him by faith as a way of life; when you walk in the light as God is in the light in the fullness and power of the Holy Spirit, the Lord Jesus simply lives his abundant life within you in all of His resurrection power.
I’m not suggesting that the Christian who walks in the fullness of the Spirit will have no difficulties. Problems of poor health, loss of loved ones, financial needs and other such experiences are common to all people. However, many of our misfortunes are self-imposed because of our own worldly, selfish actions. The spiritual person is spared most of these self-imposed hardships. But when the problems do come, the spiritual person can face them with a calm, confident attitude because he is aware of God’s resources which are available to him to deal with adversity.
This is not simply a matter of positive thinking. We are instructed to cast our cares upon the Lord Jesus because He cares for us. The spiritual person knows the trustworthiness of God from experience. The Lord becomes the problem-solver, and the trials and burdens of this world are no longer too great for us when He is carrying the load.
This was at the heart of the apostle Paul’s moment-by-moment experience:
I have been crucified with Christ: and I myself no longer live, but Christ lives in me. And the real life I now have within this body is a result of my trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
There is a throne, a control center – the intersection of one’s intellect, will and emotion – in every life. And either self of Christ is on that throne. Let me illustrate.
I like to plan as far in advance as possible, especially for key events. But occasionally I get so busy with the many details of our worldwide ministry that an important item slips through. With a key conference just a couple of weeks away, I had just realized the need for a set of printed materials that would be a tremendous benefit to the conferees.
As I shared the urgency with the department director responsible for this need, he responded, “Bill, we’re full up already. Two weeks just isn’t enough time.” I became impatient. Couldn’t my associate see that we are in a war for men’s souls, that we must seize opportunities when they arise and not limit our efforts to 8-to-5 workdays? I made my point clear to him.
“But if we had more notice…” he protested, “There just is no way we can squeeze in such a huge job with so little time. There’s the writing, then the design and typesetting and artwork, then the printing.”
It seemed obvious that he did not share my burden for the upcoming event. I pressed my point. “Look, this is an important international conference,” I said firmly, my voice rising, “and this is no time for ‘business as usual.’ Please find a way to finish this project in time for the conference, even if you have to work around the clock.”
I could tell my colleague was frustrated. But I reasoned, We need those printed materials. Whatever it takes, we need them.
Within a few moments after our conversation, I sensed the conviction of the Holy Spirit. Yes, even in our well-intended service to the Lord, we can stumble – and in the name of godliness I had offended a dear brother in Christ. I had failed to give him and his staff the benefit of the doubt – failed to take into account the tough workload they already were facing each day. Instead of asking him to think through the possibilities with me and helping him rearrange his priorities to accommodate the new task, I had virtually ordered him to get the project done and shown little appreciation for the many late evenings his team was already devoting to their work. I had reacted impatiently rather than in a spirit of love, understanding and teamwork.
At this point I had a choice to make.
On the one hand, I could let it go. After all, doesn’t the head of a large organization have the right to ramrod projects through when necessary? Didn’t the end (the strategic international conference) justify the means (get the job done no matter what it takes)? And didn’t my associate’s hesitant attitude warrant a stern talking-to about the urgency of the hour?
By all human standards, I probably could have justified letting the incident go. But deep inside I would have been restless and uncomfortable as the Holy Spirit continued to point out the sin to me, and God would not have blessed my efforts on His behalf as long as this sin remained unconfessed. On top of that, several of my dear co-workers would have continued to hurt as a result of my calloused attitude.
On the other hand, I could deal with the problem by taking scriptural action to clear the slate. The unrest in my conscience was the Holy Spirit cross-examining me as I tried to rationalize my behavior. What I had thought was forceful leadership, He was identifying as the sins of impatience and unjustifiable anger.
I knew that taking scriptural action was the only choice I could make that would please my Lord. I confessed my sin to Him and appropriated his forgiveness.
Then came the toughest part.
I drove down to the office complex where my associate and his team were located and asked their forgiveness. We cried and laughed and prayed together, sensing a fresh outpouring of God’s love in our midst. Then we talked through our mutual needs and found a way – as teammates – to rearrange priorities and accomplish the task – on time!
That is what the Christian life is all about – just keeping Christ on the throne. You do this when you understand how to walk in the control and power of the Holy Spirit, for the Holy Spirit came for the express purpose of glorifying Christ by enabling the believer to live a holy life and to be a fruitful witness for our dear Savior.
As I have said previously, to be sure you are filled with the Holy Spirit, you need to remember two important words: command and promise. The command is found in Ephesians 5:18,
Be filled…with the Holy Spirit, and controlled by him. (Living Bible)
And the promise is found in 1 John 5:14,15:
Ask him for anything in line with his (God’s) will. And … we can be sure that he will answer us. (Living Bible)
On the authority of God’s command you know that you are praying according to His will when you ask Him to fill you – to control and empower you. Therefore, you can expect him to fill and empower you on the basis of His command and promise provided that you genuinely desire to be filled and trust him to fill you.
Remember that the Holy Spirit already dwells within you if you are a believer. You do not have to ask him to come into your life; he is already indwelling you. Your body was a temple of God from the moment you became a Christian. So you simply say to Him, “I surrender my life to You, and by faith I claim Your fullness and power.”
Then continue to breathe spiritually, exhaling whenever the Holy Spirit reveals sin that you need to confess and inhaling as you go on walking in the fullness and control of the Spirit by faith. Some Christians breathe spiritually faster and more often than others.
Do not depend upon feelings. Tied as they are to your ever-changing circumstances, feelings are unreliable in evaluating your relationship with God. The unchanging promises of God’s Word, not your feelings, are your authority. The Christian is to live by faith, trusting in the trustworthiness of God Himself and His Word. A train is a good illustration of the relationship between fact, faith and feeling.
Let us call the train engine “fact” – the fact of God’s promises found in His Word. The fuel car we will call “faith” – your trust in God and His Word. The caboose we will call “feelings.”
As fuel flows into the engine, the train runs. It would be futile and, of course, ridiculous to attempt to pull the train by the caboose. In the same way you, as a Christian, should not depend upon feelings or emotion live a Spirit-filled life. Rather, God wants you to simply place your faith in his trustworthiness and the promises of His Word.
Feelings are like the caboose – they are important but are designed to follow a life of faith and obedience. Jesus promised all who obey Him, “Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him.” So, you can expect to have a valid emotional relationship with our Lord when you trust and obey Him. But you should never depend on feelings or seek after an emotional experience. The very act of looking for an emotional experience is a denial of the concept of faith, and whatever is not of faith is sin.
To summarize then, you can know that your are filled with the Holy Spirit by trusting in God – His command and promise – and you can go through life with that assurance.
Next: Be Prepared for Conflict
Return to the Transferable Concepts Index Page
Related links:
Living a Spirit-filled life
How can I walk in the power of the Holy Spirit?
Questions about the Holy Spirit
a good work done
good article thank you for posting it
A very good Biblical-based article.
one saying i had heazd is we are not human being with a spiritual experience but spiritual being with a human experience i think its good
You just blessed me today. God reward you abundantly for taking time to post this great piece.
i believe in Christ Jesus
I was fine breathing in the Holy Spirit, filling my soul and expelling sin from my life with each out going breath (which is so similar to prana breathing) but I stumble when I come across the conditions of “Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me.” Christ left 180 commands in the NT and there are thousands of requirements in Mosaic law. How do we keep them all??
That’s a great questions John because I think many people misunderstand verses like that. A lot of us will read that and think, “If I do all the commands then it will prove my love for Jesus.” But Jesus is saying something quite different. It may seem a subtle difference but the ramifications are huge! It is not saying that in order for our love of Jesus to be acceptable by Him we need to follow His commands, instead He is saying that the ones who love Him will naturally follow His commands. The focus is not on the obeying the commands but on loving Jesus. If you focus your attention on obeying the commands (i.e. looking them all up, making a list, memorizing the list so that you can follow them all) you won’t have time to love Jesus. All of your energy will be in the legalistic endeavors and miss out on the relationship. What Jesus wants is our hearts, to focus all of our energy on loving Him. When we make that the center of our pursuit we will naturally follow His commands without even thinking about it. That’s because when we make our love for Jesus the focus we hear His voice directing our every step in life and in our love we will follow. Jesus said, “My sheep hear my voice and follow me.” (John 10:27) Jesus will never lead us contrary to His commands so we will never break His commands. That is why Paul wrote, “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free!” (Galatians 5:1) Being set free by Jesus does not mean that we are now under the slavery of following rules in order to love Him but instead our love for Him transforms us so we follow those rules naturally. “If anyone is in Christ he is a new creation. The old has passed away and behold all things are new.” (2Corinthians 5:17) The ‘new’ is a nature that instinctively follows Jesus commands. Even when a follower of Jesus does break one of Jesus’ commands and they discover it they confess and ask the Holy Spirit to keep them from that in the future because they don’t want to hurt their Lord Jesus. That’s where the spiritual breathing comes in.
Does that make sense John? Do you love Jesus?
RE: John (following God’s commands)
Hi John,
Loving Jesus Christ is the fulfillment of the law… In our sincerest desire to love, serve and please Christ, we will constantly invite Him into our lives; Our hearts, minds, actions, attitude, desires, words, agendas – they will all be a direct reflection of where God is placed in our lives. If He’s at the center on the throne of our hearts, His grace will make the difference for where we fall short (not where practice sin in moderation.)
God has decided that He would put His Spirit in us and live through us. So as I give more of my mind to Christ, I will effortlessly and sincerely keep His commands. (Romans7:25)
So, be encouraged sir! Keep chasing our Lord Jesus Christ with your whole heart.
Romans 13 & Galatians 5
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Great link SOWing!
Thank you for this, it is a real transforming material.
John,
We are not saved by keeping the law. You can read about this in Galatians and Romans. It is not prayer that is our focus but Christ. It is turning to Christ as our only hope that fulfills the righteous requirements that only Christ could fulfill. We are called to believe in Christ and surrender our lives to him to experience forgiveness and a new life in him. Read the new testament because it is the new covenant that we have in Christ and pray to grow in a relationship with Him by the Holy Spirit then your mind and heart will understand and know the will of God for your life. Trust in Christ because He is faithful to fulfill his promises to us.
Luke,
Glad you are finding this website and this article in particular helpful to your spiritual growth. Walking in the power of the Spirit really is transformational to our walk with God.
John,
You are right that we are not saved by keeping the Law, but if we are walking in close fellowship with Christ and walking the power of the Holy Spirit, then we will want to obey those commandments. As our heart is changed, so our walk should also be changed.
I did spiritual breathing as a new Christian for years. After three years ups and Downs I finally got fed up with my sin. I always wondered why this 1 sin would never leave. I repented believed prayed but this one main sin I would repeatedly run back to. I searched for the root tried to reconcile that. I figured that the lust in be would’ve died by now but its strong as ever. I took a hiatus from the church and God because I could not stop my masturbation. Recently I received a dream telling me about Romans 10:2 explaining how Israel (me) had a zeal for God but not the right way. You say repentance and prayer is walking in the spirit but I had no victory no power over my sin. I honestly couldn’t approach gods throne saying I would turn from my sin after being defeated so long so many times. Is it my belief isn’t strong enough. You said fact first. I have heard somethings that may have shook my faith a a little. I have not been moved by the Gospel but when I hear about injustice in the news I feel a passion in my soul that wants to move me to action. Right now I am walking in darkness masturbating basically every night.was I walking the spirit when it was less frequent.and I repented every night. If it was this wasn’t what I expected while being saved. I watched a movie where the Guy said “I don’t want gods mercy I want his help” I agreed why should we be messed up after coning to him its torture. I still believe but I still live on the roller coaster. What must do to be saved? Really saved.
Mike I can hear the frustration in your words. I want you to know that you can be set free from this sin that keeps on knocking you down. Paul wrote, “But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh.” (Galatians 5:16) So you see it is possible to resist this sin in your life and the way that happens is by ‘walking in the Spirit’.
But you asked a very specific question at the end of your message so let me first address that: “What must I do to be saved? Really saved.” Now I am sure that you know someone in the Bible asked that very question. We read about that in Acts 16 about Paul and Silas in Philippi. It was their jailer who asked the question, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” Paul’s response to him is just as applicable to you today, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved” (Acts 16:31) Your salvation from your sin nature, from the penalty of sin and from the grip that sin has on your life is all based in Jesus. There is nothing you can do that can save yourself any more and there is nothing you can do that can save yourself any less other than believing that when He died on the cross He received the punishment that you should have received for all of the sin you have ever committed and ever will commit, and that when He rose from the dead He provided you all that you need in order to live a new life no longer controlled by your sinful nature. There isn’t anything that you can do that will ramp that up or diminish its power in your life; Jesus did it all and offers it to you as a free gift. Not only that, but He has sent His Holy Spirit to live in you, guide you and empower you to ever increasingly reflect the character of Jesus through the way that you live. Peter wrote, “As we know Jesus better, his divine power gives us everything we need for living a godly life. He has called us to receive his own glory and goodness!” (2Peter 1:3) You will notice that he writes “everything we need”. That, my friend, is comprehensively inclusive. He did not say “most thing” or “a lot of things” or even “almost everything”. The promise is that Jesus has given us EVERYTHING we need.
So why do I still sin?…I think the answer to that is complex but at the same time very simple. We can get ourselves all tied up in the complexity but I think we are best served when we focus on the simplicity, and to do that I go back to Galatians 5:16. Again, let me point out what Paul does NOT say: he does not say “if we try really hard we will not carry out the desires of the sinful nature”, nor does he say, “if we don’t carry out the desire of the sinful nature we are then walking in the Spirit.” No, the ’cause-and-effect’ of this statement is that our walking in the Spirit results in not carrying out sin.
So what is “walking in the Spirit”? It is living life with the awareness that the Holy Spirit is always with us (‘us’ being anyone who is a follower of Jesus) and that He is always speaking to us, teaching us about God, ourselves and other people, showing us the steps that He wants us to take, empowering us to walk in obedience to what He directs, and refining us to better reflect the character of Jesus more and more. If we have that awareness and expectation we should then be looking for Him at all times so that we can catch what He is trying to teach us, where He is trying to direct us and how He is empowering our obedience. So instead of trying hard not to do the wrong things, our focus is on listening to the Spirit and doing the things that He directs. And if every moment of life you are doing the things that the Spirit of God directs you can be sure that you will not be doing the things that the sin nature wants.
Let me make it even more practical: there are times and places where you know that same old temptation is going to come up in your life. In those places and times look to the Holy Spirit for direction of what He wants you to do. Is He calling you to avoid that place? Then leave. Is He directing you to review verses that talk about how you have been given everything for living a godly life? Then start meditating on what those verses mean. Is He instructing you to call up a Christian brother who can help encourage you to stand firm? Give that person a call. Just know that the Spirit is giving you everything you need to resist this temptation so look to him for that help. When the temptation hits you immediately ask for His help. You know He is going to answer that prayer so then flee from the temptation.
Also know that your ability to resist temptation is not just in the moment of temptation but is best accomplished when you are living every moment with the awareness of the Spirit and your attention on His teaching and direction. When you are at work know that He has a plan of what He wants you to accomplish and will help you accomplish it. In your times with friends there are things that He is trying to teach you and direct you so keep watch for His leading. In your times of being alone He is speaking to you so engage in those activities that are going to help you better hear His voice (Bible reading, prayer).
The imagery of “walking in the Spirit” is so perfect: as soon as you stop putting one foot in front of the other you are no longer walking. Similarly, when you stop looking for the Spirit you are no longer walking in the Spirit. Also, when a child learns to walk he/she needs to really concentrate on what they are doing but the more that they practice the more natural it becomes. In the same way, the more we mature in our relationship with Jesus the more natural this kind of life becomes. So focus hard when you are learning to walk by the Spirit so that it becomes more and more a natural part of your life.
So does this make sense Mike? Is it practical enough? Is it too simplistic? Let me know what you are thinking.
It is spiritually nourishing. It helps a christian overcome some spiritua challenges. It is an expository biblical teaching. It blessed my life. Thank you Lord.
Samuel, I am glad you were blessed and I join you in praising the Lord. I lift you up in prayer now, that you would know with certainty that He will bring to completion the good work He has begun in you!
Jamie,
Thank you so much for your response to Mike. The Lord directed me to this post and conversation bc I have concerns just as Mike does. Your insightful and love-filled response was EXACTLY what I needed to hear regarding my own situation. The simple awareness of the Holy Spirit constantly with us and guiding us will change my entire perspective on my sinful habits.
Hey Justin that is great to hear. If you would like to have someone to talk to who can help support you as you make the Spirit your focus go to our Mentor Request Form at http://powertochange.com/experience/talk-to-a-mentor/ and one of our onlin ementors will connect with you by email.
Jamie thank you. Especially about the part about the baby walking. I used to feel so drained always having to pay attention to my every act word etc. That I felt just like you said like it was unnatural. I know God was leading me during that time in my life. I guess I didn’t hold on long enough and coming from the lifestyle I had I may need to hold on for a good amount of time. I pray I don’t do anything to quench to spirit pray for me too. I tried to run from God but I could never it just doesn’t feel right. Thank you again bless you!
I know exactly what you mean Mike; life without God just does not make sense to me. Even when things are hard I find myself echoing what Peter said, “Lord, to whom would we go? You alone have the words that give eternal life” (John 6:68)
Lord God I pray for my brother Mike. He needs Your help in learning how to walk in Your Spirit. You know all the pressures that keep tugging at his attention and get his eyes off of You. I pray that You would bring things into his life that would be reminders to focus on knowing You in every moment. Give him the strength to hold on even when the going is hard. Sanctify him for Your purposes and give him the joy of seeing Your character more and more reflected in His life. Amen!
Hey Mike, do you have people in your life that encourage your relationship with God? God has made us social and dependent on one another. That’s why we are referred to as “The Body Of Christ” because we are all interconnected through Him and we support each other in living out His purposes. You need good friends that you can talk to about stuff like this.
very helpful…thank you
Hi Mike. I know exactly what you are going through. I think it is such a common thing for christians. What really helped me was learling who I was in Christ and what happenned to me at the cross. Check out Romans chapter 6.My true identity is based on what God has done not only to Jesus on the cross, but also to me. Also, check out what Galatians 2:20, Ephesians 2:6, and Colosians 3:3,4-7. Praise the Lord.
I Have Been So Blessed After Reading This Article And I Really Thank God For Evryone Involved In Making This Reach Me. Now I Will Enjoy My Christianity Through The Daily Fellowship With The Holy Spirit. Agh! THIS IS A GREAT EXPERIENCE, THANK YOU!
Daniel, I am so glad in my heart to hear how much this article has helped you. Truly, I can relate to the freedom you are experiencing in learning what it means to walk in the power of the Holy Spirit, rather than trying to steam-roll your way through the Christian life in your own strength – something that only leads to frustration from repeated failures, for we are not capable of doing so. That is exactly why we need a Saviour, and there is only One! His Name is Jesus Christ! Amen.
John, everything you say is so very true, for all that applies to Jesus also applies to those of us who believe in Him and confess Him as Lord and Saviour of our lives. Why? “For [as far as this world is concerned] you have died, and your [new, real] life is hidden with Christ in God [Colossians 3:3, Amplified Bible].” What an amazing Truth!
The Scriptures you list are all excellent examples of this, and one of my personal favourites is Galatians 2:20:
20 I have been crucified with Christ [in Him I have shared His crucifixion]; it is no longer I who live, but Christ (the Messiah) lives in me; and the life I now live in the body I live by faith in (by adherence to and reliance on and complete trust in) the Son of God, Who loved me and gave Himself up for me [Amplified Bible].
Thank you both for sharing your insights and thoughts on “Walking in the Spirit.” May God richly bless you as you continue to seek His face and draw ever closer to Him by faith. Amen.
walking in e spirit is about change your mind in e way we work for GOD
Hi Pastor
I have only to night understood the concept of The Holy Spirit. I confessed to believing in Jesus Christ when I was a 16 years old, I am now 56 years old.
The late realization had saddened me that I have lost all these years, but, I am also very glad to have found peace after making the connection, and I have now renewed my faith in Jesus Christ.
“Thank you Jesus for forgiving me for my daily sins and for opening my heart to my short comings. Help me to grow daily with the guidance of the Holy Spirit.”
I understand that the Holy Spirit is my “birthright” given to me by Jesus Christ, when I was baptized.
It is for me to use for my daily growth, to allow me my faith to grow stronger and over coming any adversaries that challenge me day by day….that is my understanding…to face up to the darkness and negative challenges of this world.
On the other side my belief in “churches” are very shallow but, I MUST find a place of worship so that I can allow me to express my joy with others who share this same “birthright”.
I have asked The Holy Spirit to guide me to a place of fellowship, and I believe it will be happening soon.
I had to share this news with someone and you were the closest one at the immediate instance.
Thank you for your guidance on “The Holy Spirit”.
Good night.
Patrick.
Patrick, I am delighted and I praise God with you that you have discovered the power of walking in His Holy Spirit! Please be encouraged, and not discouraged, that you have found this tremendous gift at this point in your life. The fact that you are 56 years of age enables you to walk in maturity and sincerity, and to take seriously this tremendous gift you have been given and to not take it for granted, my dear brother in Christ!
Sammy, you are correct in saying that walking in the Spirit of Almighty God is about a change in our mind in the way we work for God; most importantly, it is about working in HIS power and NOT our own strength!
I want to offer both of you, as well as all who have written in to this site about this series of articles on “How You Can Walk in the Holy Spirit” two links to two tremendous series of video sermons by Pastor Max Wilkins from Family Life Church in Gainesville, Florida that I pray will bless you. The first is the link to a six-part series called, “Walking in the Spirit,” and they teach us how to get into the Presence of the Holy Spirit. The second is a link to a series called, “The Power Hungry Church,” and they teach us how to appropriate the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives. Here are those links, for those of you who are interested in watching these series of sermons:
Walking in the Spirit – Part 1: http://youtu.be/T0fg0kxcuMk
A Power Hungry Church – Part 1: http://youtu.be/YAHtvxeewdg
It is my prayer that many of you will choose to watch Pastor Max Wilkins as he shares his heart on the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives, and that you will be as deeply blessed as I have been in doing so. May God richly bless each and every one of you as you move forward in His will and as you move by the power of His Holy Spirit, touching the lives of others in a mighty way and glorifying His holy Name as you do so. I pray these things in the precious and powerful Name of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Thanks
Walking with the Holy Spirit can seem standing alone, not doing what ever one else is doing. “Everone” can mean a family member or a friend. May one be at peace to hear that “small still voice”, Amen.
All I can say is Thank You to Jamie…. came across this today 2/6/2013 and God just so confirmed to me where I am with him in such “clarity” in a way he only could know that I could “understanding”. God Bless You Jamie and your ministry.
Hi, I have been greatly blessed by this article and loved so many of the comments. My comment however is directed at Mike q, I hope he gets to read this and I hope it helps him. I started masturbating at the age of 11 when I did not understand what it was but I knew it was not right. I had a continual struggle to get out of it and sometimes I was successful, six months would pass and I would not get into it yet one day I would trip again. I got frustrated and thought to myself that I could not continue with the constant struggle, I could not tell anyone and also I began to feel like I did not deserve God’s love not after knowing to do right yet I did wrong. About 5 years after I got into this, I had a dream and heard “Don’t concentrate on being free, concentrate on staying connected”, thats how a new journey started for me, I concentrated on maintaining an EVERYDAY communication with God. It was a long journey, but finally 7 years after I started I was free, this was in 2008. Fastforward to 2013, I had been free for 5 years and had gotten to the point where I knew masturbation could not bring me down anymore. I am in graduate school right now and the schedule has been really tight, lets just say my schedule had been pushing my time with God out of it. On this particular night, my housemate comes home with a guy and I can hear everything clearly, it stirred something within me and had to spend the next one week dealing with constant lustful thoughts,I realised I was even enjoying these thoughts. I felt defeated, after so many years. I prayed but I must admit I enjoyed the thoughts. Eventually, I had to tell my boyfriend(who is also a good christian), this helped to break its hold over my thoughts, we prayed about it together and he made me accountable for the next few weeks. Lets just say after telling him, all the desires seemed to vanish suddenly. Thinking about the struggle I had recently, I realised a few things. During my struggle to break free of masturbation, I had avoided EVERYTHING with any sexual connotation. Recently however, I could sit in conversations where they are discussing such, or listen to music with sexual innuendoes or “skim” through a magazine like “Cosmopolitan”. This has taught me a lesson “Let him who thinks he stand take heed lest he fall”. Even after been free, the things you did to get free has to be constantly done.
I know this has been a long one but I hope it gets to help you. God bless you and I pray that as he has helped me he would help you too because he desires more than we do to be free from it. STAY CONNECTED STAY FREE
Thanks Elotam, it is so cool to hear how God is helping you through difficult temptation. You are right, it is so easy to get too confident and fall back into old habits. It is wonderful how that realization keeps us focused on knowing God better each day and looking for His leading and strength to resist. I hope Mike gets your message as well.
Jamie, thank you for sharing your powerful love of God on this website. I have one important thing to say namely that an unsaved person doesn’t have the awareness of the Holy Spirit that you are writing about as Jesus hasn’t yet baptised them in the holy Spirit!
Truly God’s creation are only freed of the frustrating, debilitating, degrading pull and unclean urge to masturbate when God saves them. Only then are they totally free to walk self-controlled before Almighty God.
Lord Jesus Christ died on the cross also to set mastabators free, but they must be willing to receive God’s instruction and correction before His victory over Satan and sin can be seen in their lives.
May God continue to richly bless you body, soul and spirit to His glory.
You are right Reine, the circles in this article only portray people who are Christians. There is another circle that represents those who have not allowed Jesus access to their life at all. He is still outside of the circle of their life and they remain on the throng of their life. You can see a description of this circle and how a person can invite Jesus to be Lord of their life by following this link http://powertochange.com/discover/faith/discoverpurpose.
One of the most wonderful blessings in life is that in Christ Christians are more than overcomers. In His love, like Job, we can overcome loss no matter how hard it strikes us! Not only can we overcome loss but God can work a miraculous transformation within us so that we love Him much more deeply.
Precious readers, there is absolutely nothing to be afraid of when loss and set backs plummet down upon us! Absolutely nothing for God is with us no matter how exacting our personal challenges are!
One of the antidotes to fearing during these difficult times is rigorously reminding yourself how so very much Lord Jesus delights in the well-being of His servants! Praise Him for the opportunity to bless Him.
After heart-breaking loss we ought to be very determined to surrender our will to God’s will. Let’s ask for God’s protection against fearing the future, for fear of the future keeps us less productive than we should be.
Truly what’s happened in the past is past. Today is a fresh new day and we’ve all got new joys and adventures aplenty to look forward to. God’s word to us is to rejoice in the Lord always and when we do our witness will be that truly the companionship of Almighty God is our highest joy.
How blessed we are to know such a unique God. But, LORD, ’tis for You, for Your coming we wait, Your wonderous presence, not the grave, is our goal and destination; Oh, holy healing voice of the Lord! Our blessed hope, the giver of blessed rest, forever shall those who love You praise You.
Loyal loving compassionate Lord God, our joy is palpable for soon You will usher in the day when our faith shall be sight. Soon You will usher in the day when the clouds will be rolled back as a scroll. O joy of joys soon to be experienced when You will usher in that glorious life-changing day when the trumpet shall sound, and the Lord Jesus shall descend triumphantly in glory, for truly truly then, it will be well with the soul of all true believers.
Friends, Our beautiful God is our rewarder. What is to fear in being rewarded by Him? Be very encouraged for He doesn’t say that a true believer is awful. He says that they are good and faithful!
Our praise is for Jesus Christ who has regarded our helpless estate, and hath shed His own blood for our soul.
Our sin, oh, the bliss of this glorious thought! Our sin, not in part but the whole, is nailed to the cross, and we bear it no more, Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!
Rejoice for soon justice and joy-bringing Jesus, our Prince of Peace and Purity, will return to earth in power and glory and sorrows like sea billows will no longer roll! Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!
Hi John
Your teaching of holy sprite add to me a great happiness.
God Bless You
With some tweaking on such comments as “control” and “breathing,” this article can be of great help to alcoholics and addicts who want God’s help in overcoming their suffering. Let’s start with Romans 8. God doesn’t “control.” He makes it possible for us to stand fast in the liberty wherewith Jesus Christ has made us free. Galations 5. If born again Christians were deemed under God’s control, there would be no need for James 4:7 and resisting the devil. There would be no need for asking God for wisdom (per James 1). There would be no need for putting on the whole armor of God so that we can stand against the wiles of the devil (Ephesions).For God permits even born again believers to be carnal and walk after the flesh or to renew their minds and walk in the spirit–asking God in accordance with His will for what is needed and claiming it. This is because of what Jesus Christ has already accomplished. Ye are of God little children and have overcome them because greater is he that is in you than he that is in the world. We are urged to be “more than conquerors.” We are urged to be kind, truthful, loving, forgiving, etd. Why? Because we have a choice to utilize the power and love of God to tell the devil to take a hike and then follow the instructions in God’s Word as to how we should walk. The problem arises when anti-A.A. folks start picking at the flaws of this or that AA and then assuming that the AA person as well as A.A. as a whole have been poisened and condemned to the pit by sinful conduct–theirs or that of their carnal predecessors. Not so. There would be no need to confess a sin as specified in 1 John 1 if we didn’t sin even after we had become children of the living God. We have an advocate in Jesus Christ because we do err and need his help. And we can receive forgiveness by repenting, confessing, asking forgiveness, and getting back into the walk by the spirit with all the word of wisdom, word of knowledge, and discerning of spirits that our new creation has made possible when we followed the precepts of Romans 10:9. Some call the additional tasks “sanctifcation.” Some call them “renewing of the mind” (Romans 12:1-2). And some call them claiming the new creation and the mind of Christ that the Son of God made available. [it is our policy not to publish personal contact information]
Hi Dick, I don’t think Dr Bright was talking about ‘control’ as a forced manipulation but more in the sense of God’s benevolent leading and guiding in our lives through the active work of His Spirit in and around us. It is the idea of control that Paul writes about, “Whatever we do, it is because Christ’s love controls us. Since we believe that Christ died for everyone, we also believe that we have all died to the old life we used to live. He died for everyone so that those who receive his new life will no longer live to please themselves. Instead, they will live to please Christ, who died and was raised for them.” (2Corinthians 5:14-15) We are called to surrender to that controlling love but there certainly are times when ignore/reject His controlling hand and follow our own path and that is why we have the instruction to resist the devil, ask for wisdom, walk by the Spirit, etc. But as you point out, our confession and repentance of that rebellion–which is motivated by the controlling love of Jesus–gets us back on track following the moment-by-moment leading of God.
I agree that A.A. reflects much of what we see in the Bible and I would point out that the 12 steps acknowledge our need for God’s controlling love in our lives. Hence, the first three steps: 1) acknowledging I have a problem and am powerless over it; 2) acknowledging that I need a Higher Power to restore my life; 3) turning my life and will over to the care of God. It is easy to see how the influences of the Oxford Group impacted Bill W.’s development of A.A.