Online mentoring is designed to START A CONVERSATION and encourage someone to take the next step in his or her faith adventure.

This Faith Adventure is done through The Mentor Center, which creates a safe and secure environment where people with questions are matched with Christians who can answer them with the hope of Christ.

Discover new life through a relationship with Jesus Christ.  You can start a conversation and talk to one of our mentors.

Experience the Holy Spirit & learn to share your faith with people who need to discover Jesus by becoming a mentor.

Inspire others to become a hero learn how they too can share their faith by starting your own mentoring community where you can help others discover Jesus and learn how to share their faith.

Discover more Power to Change Faith Adventure opportunities in your areas of interest.

Our Power To Change Faith Adventure Model hasn’t changed in underlying principle, but we have a newer graphic form for it and a definition of a Faith Adventure. We are increasingly organizing all of our ministry activities around the concept of Faith Adventure.

A related way of describing the same concept is the more traditional language used within our organization of “win, build, send.”

A Faith Adventure involves three kinds of people doing three different things at the same time (or as part of the same process).

The three kinds of people are:

1.    People who are not Christians discovering a new life through relationship with Jesus Christ.
2.    Christians who are experiencing the power of the Holy Spirit as they learn to share their faith with people who need to discover Jesus.
3.    Engaged Christians who become heroes by inspiring others to learn to share their faith.

A Faith Adventure occurs when these three kinds of people are all involved in at the same time, or, we say, as part of the same process. It’s another way to talk about a spiritual multiplication cycle.

Download a PDF of the Faith Adventure Model

Achieving Beauty Inside Out
Beauty is more than what’s on the outside. How good you look and feel stems from your inner health and vitality. Dr Liz Applegate, PhD, explains six health tips which will help you feel good on the inside by taking care of your body properly, as well as reduce the signs of aging, how to get the most from your workouts, and other ways to help get you feeling good from the inside out. Read more

Take action: Anorexia, bulimia, and food addiction are problems which many people face. But you shouldn’t have to face your struggles with food alone. Why not try our Overcoming the Fear of Food online interactive life lesson?

You said it: This week, BETH commented on our article Quotes on Success, saying “great encouragement from your site, would like to know much more.” Read the article and add your own thoughts: Read more

Article: The Truth about Restaurant Calories
Is eating at a restaurant really any better than grabbing a fast food burger & fries? Get the facts on healthy eating outside your home! Read more

Feature: Start a Faith Adventure
When asked to describe yourself do you reach for your job title? Do you think of your successes, your failures, your dreams, your past? All of these are parts of who you are, but you are more than what you do, what you own, or where you live. Read more

Coming up next week: One of the topics of our upcoming online chats is “Giving Thanks When It’s Difficult” Join us in the chat room October 11th 2009 @ 12:15pm EST for this chat or see also our full chat calendar for other upcoming topics.

When you introduce a friend to Jesus, that’s a faith adventure

God created us for a life of bold adventure! We all crave discovery, growth and significance but we have a decision to make.  Will we accept God’s invitation to go places where we must trust in Him? Or will we settle for a life of something less? God assures us that if we take the risk, the journey will have great rewards.

At Power to Change, we want to see everyone living out a faith adventure – a dynamic journey where people discover a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, experience the life-transforming power of the Holy Spirit and inspire others to do the same.

This can be the day that changes everything. We have hundreds of opportunities for you to take an faith adventure.   You can bring a Family Life conference to your church, get your Bible study group involved as online mentors or organize your employees to support a well drilling project.  There are no limits to where this can go.  We’d love to come with you.

A full list of inspiring faith adventures is coming. Until then, you can use this form to request more information about faith adventures and check out the online mentoring faith adventure.

You can change your world by creating communities that become powerful movements which attract volunteers. Learn how you can mobilize volunteers.

With the Holy Spirit directing your life, you will experience a deeper relationship with God and you will grow in your ability to trust Him.

What does it mean to grow in your relationship with Jesus?

Growing in your relationship with Jesus means to know Him better, to love and obey Him more.

“And this is the way to have eternal life-to know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, the one you sent to earth” (John 17:3).

“Jesus replied: ‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment.’” (Matthew 22:37-38)

Your growing love for God will lead you to obey His commandments.

[Jesus speaking] “Those who obey my commandments are the ones who love me. And because they love me, my Father will love them, and I will love them. And I will reveal myself to each one of them.” (John 14:21)

Just as it’s natural for a child to grow in a loving relationship with a parent, it is also natural for you to grow in your love relationship with God.

How can you grow in your relationship with Jesus?

Communication is vital to any relationship. Four aspects of communication will help you develop your relationship with Jesus.

• God communicates with us through the Bible, revealing His character and His will.

“All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It straightens us out and teaches us to do what is right. It is God’s way of preparing us in every way, fully equipped for every good thing God wants us to do.” (2 Timothy 3:16-17)

• We communicate with God through prayer, sharing our thoughts, our needs and our desire to do his will.These verses tell us we can pray about everything. When we pray according to God’s will, he hears us and answers us. Thanking God is also part of praying.

“Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. If you do this, you will experience God’s peace, which is far more wonderful than the human mind can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:6-7)

“And we can be confident that he will listen to us whenever we ask him for anything in line with his will. And if we know he is listening when we make our requests, we can be sure that he will give us what we ask for.” (1 John 5:14-15)

“No matter what happens, always be thankful, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.” (1 Thessalonians 5:18)

“And you will always give thanks for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (Ephesians 5:20)

• We communicate with Christians through fellowship, encouraging and building up one another.It is important to spend time with other Christians to encourage each other to love and do good. The Greek word for fellowship, koinonia, means “sharing in common.” We need to share our Christian experience with others who love God, and likewise allow them to share with us. God appoints the church as a place for us to meet other Christians and learn about God. Bible studies and other meetings are also helpful.

“Think of ways to encourage one another to outbursts of love and good deeds. And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage and warn each other, especially now that the day of his coming back again is drawing near.” (Hebrews 10:24-25)

• We communicate with others who don’t know God personally by sharing about our relationship with Jesus.

“There is salvation in no one else! There is no other name in all of heaven for people to call on to save them.” (Acts 4:12)

Suggestions for further growth

Set aside a time and place for daily personal Bible study and prayer. A good book to begin with is the New Testament Book of John (included in the next section). As you read, underline verses you find particularly meaningful. Pray and ask God to show you who He is and how you can respond to Him.

Study other passages, such as the ones in this lesson. Also read Psalms 1, 34, 103 and 145; Matthew 7:7-11; Luke 9:23-26; John 15:1-7; 1 Corinthians 12:12-27; 2 Corinthians 5:17-21; and Colossians 1:9-12.

This is the beginning of your Christian life and there is much more to discover than what’s covered in these four lessons. Take the initiative today to find a church in your neighbourhood, and make plans to attend regularly. For additional Christian materials, check out your local Christian bookstore (try looking under “books” in the Yellow Pages).

Summary

As you rely on the Holy Spirit for power, read the Bible, pray, spend time with other believers and tell people about Jesus, God will produce His character in you and you will mature spiritually.

We face choices every day. As we make these choices, how do we see life from God’s perspective and live in a way that pleases Him?

The Holy Spirit is the power source for the Christian life.

Just as our relationship with God depends totally on what God has done through Jesus Christ, so the power to live the Christian life also comes totally from God. To live the Christian life as God intends, we must continually draw upon God’s power, through the Holy Spirit. But who or what is the Holy Spirit, and what does He do?

• He is God

“No one can know what anyone else is really thinking except that person alone, and no one can know God’s thoughts except God’s own Spirit. And God has actually given us his Spirit (not the world’s spirit) so we can know the wonderful things God has freely given us.” (1 Corinthians 2:11,12)

• He came to dwell in you

“But you are not controlled by your sinful nature. You are controlled by the Spirit if you have the Spirit of God living in you (and remember that those who do not have the Spirit of Christ living in them are not Christians at all.” (Romans 8:9)

• He came to convict the world of sin and justice

“And when he comes, he will convince the world of its sin, and of God’s righteousness, and of the coming judgment.” (John 16:8)

• He came to teach you the truth

“When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth.” (John 16:13)

• He came to glorify Christ

[Jesus speaking] “He will bring me glory by revealing to you whatever he receives from me.” (John 16:14)

• He confirms your relationship with God

“For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God. So you should not be like cowering, fearful slaves. You should behave instead like God’s very own children, adopted into his family–calling him ‘Father, dear Father.’ For his Holy Spirit speaks to us deep in our heart and tells us that we are God’s children.” (Romans 8:14-16)

• He is the source of Christ-like qualities in your life

“But when the Holy Spirit controls our lives, he will produce this kind of fruit in us: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.” (Galatians 5:22-23a)

[Jesus speaking] “Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful apart from me. Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing.” (John 15:4-5)

[Jesus speaking] “But when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, you will receive power and will tell people about me everywhere–in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” (Acts 1:8)

Not all Christians experience the Holy Spirit’s power

Although the Holy Spirit lives within all Christians, not all Christians are directed and empowered by him. The Bible tells us there are three kinds of people–natural, spiritual and carnal-representing different responses to God (see 1 Corinthians 2:12 – 3:3).

• The natural person
  The natural person has not trusted Christ and the Holy Spirit does not dwell in him or her. Christ is not part of the person’s life. The natural person directs his or her own life.

• The spiritual person
  The spiritual person has accepted Jesus as Lord and Saviour, and trusts in the Holy Spirit to live the Christian life. Christ is not only in this person’s life, but also directs it.

• The carnal person
  The carnal person has also accepted Jesus as Saviour, but trusts in his or her own efforts to live the Christian life. This person remains in control of his or her life and acts like the natural person. Christ is in the carnal person’s life, but does not direct it.

Which of these best represents your life?

You can be filled with the Holy Spirit. In Ephesians 5:18, God commanded us: “Don’t be drunk with wine, because that will ruin your life. Instead let the Holy Spirit fill and control you.”

As we allow the Holy Spirit to fill and control us, He will produce godly character in us and enable us to tell others about Christ.

But how do we let the Holy Spirit fill and control us?

1. First, confess all known sin.
   “If I had not confessed the sin in my heart, my Lord would not have listened.” (Psalm 66:18)
2. Second, yield every area of your life to Christ.
   “Do not let sin control the way you live; do not give into its lustful desires. Do not let any part of your body become a tool of wickedness, to be used for sinning. Instead, give yourselves completely to God since you have been given new life. And use your whole body as a tool to do what is right for the glory of God.” (Romans 6:12,13)
3. Third, trust the Holy Spirit to fill you.
   This is possible only by faith-trusting God to shape your life as you yield control to Him. All you have to do is ask. God has promised to answer your requests which are in accordance with what He wants for you. “And we can be confident that he will listen to us whenever we ask him for anything in line with his will. And if we know he is listening when we make our requests, we can be sure that he will give us what we ask for.” (1 John 5:14,15)

Since it is God’s will to fill you with his Spirit, you can trust Him to do so when you ask. Here is a suggested prayer:

“Dear Father, I know I have been directing my own life and, as a result, I have sinned against you. I thank you for forgiving my sins through Christ’s death on the cross. I now invite Christ to take His place on the throne of my life. Fill me with your Holy Spirit. As an expression of faith, I now thank you for taking control of my life and for filling me with the Holy Spirit.”

Does this prayer express the desire of your heart? If so, pray it right now and be filled with the Holy Spirit.

You can be continually empowered by the Holy Spirit

If you find you have retaken control of your life through sin, try “spiritual breathing.” You need to exhale the impure by confessing your sin, and inhale the pure by yielding control to Jesus and asking God, in faith, to fill you with His Spirit.

• Exhaling
  “But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us and to cleanse us from every wrong” (1 John 1:9). Also read Hebrews 10:1-25.
  Remember, confession involves:
  • Agreeing with God that you have sinned
  • Thanking him for having already forgiven you
  • Trusting him to change your wrong attitudes and actions

• Inhaling
  • Surrender control of your life to Christ
  • Trust him to direct and empower you

Suggestions for further growth

Continue to spend 15 minutes alone each day with God in Bible reading and prayer.

Summary

The Holy Spirit is the power source for living out the Christian life. You need to continually confess your sins and trust God to control your life, asking Him to fill you with the Holy Spirit.

Next: Lesson 4 – How can we know God better?

It was a small thing-a driver cut you off, a classmate insulted you, your spouse forgot to pick you up-but suddenly you’re swearing and yelling. Or perhaps you find yourself tempted by other actions and attitudes, like gossip or bitterness, that take your focus off God.

These sorts of attitudes and actions are called “sin.” The word “sin” carries the idea of falling short of a target or missing the mark. When we do what we want instead of what God wants, we sin. When old habits and attitudes creep up, don’t get discouraged. You’re still God’s child. Sin, however, disrupts our closeness to God, our communication with Him. It keeps us from experiencing His love.

And we all sin, even as Christians. That’s why we all need God’s forgiveness each day.

1. The basis for God’s love and forgiveness

“Christ also suffered when he died for our sins once for all time. He never sinned, but he died for sinners that he might bring us safely home to God. He suffered physical death, but he was raised to life in the Spirit.” (1 Peter 3:18)

When Jesus died for us, He made it possible for us to have a relationship with God. His death also allows us to claim God’s forgiveness daily.

“You were dead because of your sins and because your sinful nature was not yet cut away. Then God made you alive with Christ. He forgave all our sins. He cancelled the record that contained the charges against us. He took it and destroyed it by nailing it to Christ’s cross.” (Colossians 2:13-14)

When this passage was written, a “record” was an itemized list of crimes for which a prisoner had been convicted. It was nailed to the prison door. Once the sentence was served or the debt paid, the prisoner could use the cancelled record as proof he could never be tried for those crimes again.

Similarly, when we trust in Jesus’ payment for our sins, we can never be tried for them again. We have a full pardon from God.

“He has not punished us for all our sins, nor does he deal with us as we deserve. For his unfailing love toward those who fear him is as great as the height of the heavens above the earth. He has removed our rebellious acts as far away from us as the east is from the west.” (Psalm 103:10-12)

2. Experiencing God’s love and forgiveness daily

Although you are totally forgiven, you still need to deal with your sins day-to-day to keep a close relationship with God. You need to confess your sin.

Confession-agreeing with God about sin

“But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us and to cleanse us from every wrong.” (1 John 1:9)

When God brings to mind some sin in your life, confess it. Confession means

• Agreeing with God that you have sinned
• Thanking God for having already forgiven you
• Trusting God to change your wrong attitudes and actions

Instead of feeling guilty, turn away from your sin and back to God. This repentance allows you to experience God’s love and forgiveness. It restores you to a close relationship with Him.

Putting it into practice

Right now, or tonight before you go to bed:

• Ask God to reveal any sin in your life.
• List these sins on a piece of paper. Be completely honest: this is just between you and God.
• After completing your list, write over it the promise of 1 John 1:9.
• Thank God for providing forgiveness through Jesus’ death on the cross.
• Tear up the list and throw it away.

Experiencing the results

“Finally, I confessed my sins to you and stopped trying to hide them. I said to myself, ‘I will confess my rebellion to the Lord.’ And you forgave me! All my guilt is gone.” (Psalm 32:5)

What if you still feel guilty after you have confessed your sins? Count on God’s Word, the Bible-it says you’re forgiven. Don’t rely on your feelings. If you don’t confess sin, however, there’s a good reason for feeling guilty.

Suggestions for further growth

Try to spend 15 minutes or so each day, alone, getting to know God better through Bible reading and prayer. Here are some suggestions:

1. If you don’t already have a Bible, see if you can get one (see Lesson 1). Meanwhile, start reading the Gospel of John.
2. Read Jesus’ story of the young runaway who wasted his inheritance (Luke 15:11-32). What does this story illustrate about our relationship with God?
3. Read Galatians 5:16-23. Notice how allowing God to work in your life makes a difference. As you become aware of an area of your life that displeases God, deal with it according to 1 John 1:9. You will then enjoy a renewed closeness with Him.

Summary

By continually confessing your sins to God and trusting in His forgiveness, you can experience His love and grow closer to Him daily.

Next: Lesson 3 – Power for living a dynamic Christian life

Live by faith

Walking in the Spirit means living a life of faith. God created us with a capacity for experiencing a broad range of feelings. Thank God you have them. But you cannot depend on them to validate your walk with the Lord Jesus. Valid emotions are simply the byproduct, the result, of faith and obedience. While feelings have their place in out lives, God did not intend for them to be emphasized above out faith in his Word. To seek an emotional experience repudiates the command to walk by faith and is, in fact, an insult to God. Let emotions find their proper place in your relationship with Christ.

John 14:21 indicates that the most valid way to have an emotional experience is to be obedient to Christ. One of the greatest acts of obedience is to share Christ with others in the power of the Holy Spirit. Since He came to seek and to save the lost and has commissioned you to witness for Him, nothing could please the Savior more. If you want a valid, vital, exciting awareness of Christ in your experience, begin to share Christ with others as a way of life.

To walk in the Spirit, you must live according to God’s promise, trusting in the integrity of God Himself. Faith must have an object, and the object of your faith is God, made known through His Word. God has proven himself to be worthy of your trust. There are thousands of promises for you contained in God’s word, and no Christian has ever found any one of them to be untrue. When God says something, you can stake your life on it – you can know that He will not fail you.

In Romans 8:28 Paul writes, “We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” Do you believe this promise of God’s Word? If so, you logically acknowledge the reasonableness of the command of God in 1 Thessalonians 5:18: “Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”

Have you learned to say, “Thank You, Lord,” when your heart is broken because of the loss of a loved one? Do you thank God when tout body is wracked with pain? When you receive a letter terminating a love relationship? When you have financial reverses? When you fail an exam? When you are unemployed? Do you thank God when you are discriminated against personally, religiously, or racially?

You may say that only a fool would give thanks to God under such circumstances. Ho, not if you know “that in al things God works for the good of those who love him.” If God has commanded you to give thanks, there is a reason for it. This is one of the most exciting lessons I have ever learned – the lesson of saying “Thank You” even when things go wrong.

Before I made this discovery I used to lose my patience when things went contrary to my wishes. Closed doors would often be forced open, if necessary. If they did not open before me, I tried to break them down, I was often tense inside an impatient with other. Then I discovered what a fool I was. Tragically we injure our brothers with our impatience, our criticism, out thoughtlessness. When Christians act this way, the entire Body of Christians suffers.

But God has given you a better plan.. You can relax. You can say “Thank You” when the whole world is crumbling around you because your God is sovereign and omnipotent. He holds the world in His hands, and you can trust Him, He loves you. And He promises to fight for you.

He has commanded you to cast all of your cares upon him because He cares for you. He personally visited this world and took your sins upon Himself, and He is waiting to bless and use you. But he will not bless and use you if you are worried and unbelieving. he will not bless and use you if you complain and criticize and find fault.

Some time ago, a young woman came to our headquarters for one of our training conferences. After one of my messages, she came for counsel. Through her tears she shared how her dearest friend had been killed in an accident. They were coming home from their engagement party, and an oncoming automobile crossed the center line, forcing her off the road into a telephone pole.

The tragedy was compounded by the guilt she felt because she had been driving the car. Her heart was broken.

“What shall I do?” she pleaded.

Months had passed and she had gone to psychiatrists, psychologists, ministers and many other seeking counsel. She said, “If you can’t help me, I fear for my sanity.”

I asked her if she were a Christian, and after some discussion she said, “Yes.”

We read Romans 8:28 and I asked her, “So you believe that all things work for good?”

She said, “Yes, I believe that.”

We turned to 1 Thessalonians 5:18. She read it aloud: “Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”

I said to her, “Have you thanked God since the loss of your loved one?” She was shocked and could hardly believe she heard me correctly. Looking at me in disbelief, she said, “How can I thank God when I have experienced such a tragic loss?”

“You do not trust God, do you?” I asked.

“Yes, I trust God,” she insisted.

“Then why not show Him that you do?” I asked, “I know it will be difficult and may seem ridiculous at first, but will you pray and tell God that you trust Him and give thanks in everything even though your heart is breaking?”

As we knelt together, she prayed through her tears, “God I don’t understand why my dearest friend was killed, but I know I can trust You; and I do say , ‘Thank You.’”

When she said, “Thank You,” she was saying to God, “I will trust You.” The Bible says that without faith you cannot please God, and the best way to demonstrate faith is to say, “Thank You.” You may think that you hate God because you have lost a loved one, your inheritance, your money, your business or your health. You may ask, “Why did God do this to me?” But God says, “Give thanks in all circumstances.”

That young lady came to my office early the next morning literally bubbling with joy. She said, “Last might I slept without medication for the first time since the accident. And this morning when I awakened, my heart was filled with praise and thanksgiving to God. I just cannot understand it, but I know that it has something to do with what you taught me about saying ‘Thank You’ to God.”

I could share hundreds of similar stories about Christians whose lives have been transformed by learning the simple lesson of saying “Thank You” in all things.

Some years ago we had a desperate need for more than a half million dollars toward the purchase of Arrowhead Springs, the Campus Crusade for Christ International Headquarters. The future of out worldwide ministry was at stake. Because of a technicality, our financial position had taken a terrible turn for the worse, and there appeared to be no hope. The whole ministry was in danger of being destroyed and my own reputation would be shattered.

When a word came to me from a friend that the money which we had been promised was no longer available, I fell to my knees and said, “Lord, what am I to do?” I opened my Bible to look for help and assurance. And I was reminded that all things work together for good to those who love God, that without faith, it is impossible to please Him, and that the just shall live by faith. I read the command from God to give thanks in everything.

So I thanked God in spite of what had happened. I thanked Him through my tears. I thanked Him that in His wisdom and love, He know better than I what should be done and that out of this chaos and uncertainty would come a miraculous solution to our problem.

There on my knees, while I was giving thanks in spite of the disappointment I was feeling, God began to give me the genuine assurance that a miracle was really going to happen. Within ten days God provided an incredible solution to our problem – a true miracle. he demonstrated again that, when we trust Him, He is faithful and worthy of our trust.

The greatest privilege of life is to learn to trust God, learn how to walk by faith. I am still learning and am confident that one day I shall be able to trust God for infinitely greater things than those for which I am now able to trust Him. What a great opportunity is ours to walk with the King of kings every moment of every day of our lives, from the time that we awaken in the morning until we go to bed at night.

For many years it has been my practice to begin my day the night before by reading God’s Word, meditating upon the attributes and trustworthiness of our wonderful Lord before I go to sleep at night. Then throughout the nightwatches, when my subconscious mind takes over, I continue thinking about Christ. When I awaken in the morning, my first thoughts are of Him.

I usually awaken with a psalm of praise on my lips and with an attitude of thanksgiving: “Oh, Lord, I thank You that I belong to You. I thank You that You live within me, and I thank You that You have forgiven my sins. I thank You that I am Your child.

“Now, as I begin this day, and as I continue throughout the day, I invite You to walk around in my body, love with my heart, speak with my lips and think with my mind. I thank You that You promised to do greater things through me than You did when You were hereon the earth. By faith, I acknowledge Your greatness, Your power, your authority in my life, and I invite you to do anything You wish in and through me today.” Although the words of my daily prayer may differ, my commitment remains the same.

I try to begin each day on my knees as a formal act of acknowledging his lordship. I seek to begin the day walking in the fullness of His power. What an adventure awaits those who trust the Lord!

In summary, may I remind you that if you desire to walk moment by moment, day by day, in the fullness and power of God’s Spirit, you must:

1. Be sure that you are filled with the Spirit, by faith – on the basis of God’s command to be filled and by claiming His promise that, if you ask according to His will, He will hear and answer.
2. Be prepared for spiritual conflict with the world, the flesh and the devil.
3. Know your resources as a child of God. Your strength must come from the Lord. You must abide in Him.
4. Live by faith, drawing daily upon the strength of out Lord, upon his wisdom, upon His power and His lobe, giving thanks in all circumstances.

Why should a Christian desire to walk in the fullness and control of the Holy Spirit moment by moment as a way of life? There are several important reasons: to please and honor the Lord, who delights to have fellowship with His children; to enjoy a fuller, richer, more exciting life with our Savior and with other; and to be more fruitful in your witness for your Savior.

Sharing Christ with others as an expression of gratitude and as an act of obedience to the Lord is the natural result of walking in the fullness of the Holy Spirit.

Since every Christian is commanded to be a witness for out Lord, not to be involved and committed is to disobey Him and would indicate that the Christian is not walking in the control of the Holy Spirit.

As you walk in the Spirit and faithfully apply the revolutionary concept of Spiritual Breathing, you too can become a member of the great multitude of fruitful disciples whom God is raising up around the world to work, to plan, to pray and to witness for Christ – to help fulfill the Great Commission of our Lord in this generation.

Self-study guide

1. How do the accounts of the following people demonstrate their walk in the Spirit?
   a. Paul – Acts 18:4-11 (See Philippians 4)
   b. Peter – Acts 3:1-26 (See Acts 4:13)
   c. Stephen – Acts 6:8-15 (See Acts 7:51-60)
2. What does it mean to you to cast your cares upon the Lord? How can you do this?
3. What does the example of the vine and branches in John 15:1-8 mean to you in your Christian life?
4. How would you describe the effects of spiritual fitness as expressed in “spiritual Breathing.” (See Romans 14:23, 1 John 1:9, 1 Corinthians 10:13; Ephesians 5:18; 1 John 5:14,15)
5. What promise does God make to you in 1 John 2:1-6?
6. List any areas of your life in which “self” is on the throne. List the areas in which Jesus is not on the Throne. What practical steps will you take this week to give Jesus Christ control of those areas where “self” is on the throne?
7. What armor used to defend yourself against the world, the flesh and the devil does Ephesians 6:11-18 describe?
8. What do these verses teach about the role of prayer in the life of the believer?
   a. Hebrews 4:15,16
   b. James 5:16
   c. 1 Samuel 12:23
   d. James 1:5
9. How can you experience the “abundant Christian life”? Does “abundant” mean that your life will be free from struggles an hardships? Explain.
10. What do these verses promise you as you trust God?
    a. Job 12:9,10
    b. Psalm 16:1
    c. Ecclesiastes 2:24-26
    d. Isaiah 40: 10,11
    e. Isaiah 41:10
11. What place do feelings have in a life of faith? What will result if you seek feelings over and above walking by faith?
12. What do these verses say about thanksgiving? What would result n your life if you failed to “give thanks in all circumstances?”
    a. 1 Thessalonians 5:18
    b. Philippians 4:11
    c. Psalm 95:2
    d. Philippians 4:6
13. How does Romans 8:28 have practical meaning in your life? What are some of the consequences of not applying this verse?
14. What does John 14:21 tell you about how to have an obedient walk with Christ?

Group discussion questions

1. Share a recent personal example of how you have applied Spiritual Breathing in your life. How has this helped your walk with God?
2. What is the advantage of teaching your children the concept of Spiritual Breathing at an early age? How can you implement this practice in your own family? How will breathing spiritually change your own family atmosphere? (If applicable).
3. In your group, share an example of an area in your life where you are likely to depend on feelings rather than faith in God’s Word.
4. The Bible says temptation comes to the Christian form the world, the flesh and the devil. Discuss how these sources particularly reveal themselves in today’s culture.
5. Relate an instance in your life in which you were especially aware that God supplied your needs. How did you give Him thanks?
6. Think of some practical way s to develop the habit of praising God. How is developing praise as a habit beneficial to your Christian walk?

Know your resources as a Child of God

If you want to walk in the fullness and power of the Holy Spirit, you need to know your spiritual heritage. You need to know how to draw upon the inexhaustible resources of God’s love, wisdom, power, forgiveness and abundant grace.

It is impossible to walk vigorously and dynamically in the Spirit without spending time, unhurried time, in fellowship with our Lord in His Word – in prayer and in personal study. You must listen attentively to Him for His directions for your daily activities and witness for Christ.

After many years of working with thousands of Christians, I am convinced that one cannot enjoy the full and abundant life, which is your heritage in Christ, apart from the proper balance between Bible study, prayer and sharing Christ with others out of the overflow of an obedient, Spirit-filled life. God calls you not only to experience this great adventure with Christ for yourself, but also to share this good news with others.

A word of caution is in order at this point. You become spiritual and experience God’s power as a way of life as a result of faith and faith alone. The Bible clearly teaches that “the just shall live by faith,” and “Without faith it is impossible to please God.” The practice of spiritual discipline and activities is the result of faith. Bible study, prayer, witnessing and obedience are vitally important, but they should be regarded as the result – the overflow – of the life of faith, not as the means of faith, though faith grows as you see the faithfulness of God through an understanding of his Word.

Paul says, “I want to remind you that your strength must come from the Lord’s mighty power within you.” Jesus Christ, the visible expression of God in whom dwells all of the fullness of the Godhead bodily – to whom all authority in heaven and earth has been given – lives in all of us who have become His children through faith in Christ. You do not have any strength in yourself. You must rely totally upon the mighty resurrection strength of our Lord through His Holy Spirit.

As a young man in college and later in business, I used to be very self-sufficient and proud of what I could accomplish on my own. I believed that a man could do just about anything he wanted to do on his own if he was willing to pay the price of hard work and sacrifice, and I experienced some degree of success. Then, when I became a Christian, I was introduced to a whole new philosophy of life that was diametrically opposed to my previous philosophy. A life of trusting in God’s power replaced by life of trying in my own power.

Now I realize how totally incapable I am of living the Christian life – how weak I am in my own strength and yet how strong I am in Christ. As Paul said, “I can do everything through him (Christ) who gives me strength.”

In John 15:4,5, the Lord stresses the importance of drawing your strength from him:

Take care to live in me, and let me live in you. For a branch can’t produce fruit when severed from the vine. Nor can you be fruitful apart form me.

Yes, I am the Vine; you are the branches. Whoever lives in me and I in him shall produce a large crop of fruit. For apart from me, you can’t do a thing.

In your own strength you are helpless, spiritually impotent and fruitless; you are like a branch cut off from the vine if you try to live your own life, even as a Christian. But if you abide in Christ, and His Word abides in you, it is His life-giving power that is expressed through you and enables you to live and witness for Him.

Jesus explained the importance of a fruitful witness in John 15:8 “This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.”

I have never led anyone to Christ and I never shall, though I have had the privilege of praying with thousands who have received Christ as a result of my witness. The new birth is the work of the Holy Spirit. Therefore, I cannot boast over much fruit or be discouraged with little fruit. The responsibility for fruit belongs to the Holy Spirit, who works in and through me, producing fruit and changing the lives of individuals. My role is to trust God and obey Him. The words of a great old hymn, Trust and Obey, express this well:

When we walk with the Lord, in the light of his Word,
What a glory he sheds on our way.
When we do His good will, he abides with us still,
And with all who will trust and obey.

All that God expects of you is your availability, your trust and your obedience. Success in witnessing is simply sharing Christ in the power of the holy Spirit and laving the results to God. Paul writes:

I pray that you will begin to understand how incredibly great his power is to help those who believe him. it is that same mighty power that raised Christ from the dead and seated him in the place of honor at God’s right hand in heaven, far, far, above any other king or ruler of dictator or leader.

Yes, his honor is far more glorious than that of anyone else either in this world or in the world to come. And God has put all things under his feet and made him the supreme Head of the church – which is his body, filled with himself, the Author and Giver of everything everywhere.

The Lord Jesus commissioned the disciples to go into all the world and preach the gospel, with the promise that he would always be with them. Jesus didn’t say to them, “Go into all the world, and good luck.” He said, “Be sure of this – that I am with you always, even to the end of the world.”

Our living Savior, the One whom you serve, is the omnipotent God! He is the One whom the Bible says:

…is the exact likeness of the unseen God. He existed before God made anything at all, and, in fact, Christ Himself is the Creator who made everything in heaven and earth, the things we can see and the things we can’t; the spirit world and its kings and kingdoms, its rulers and authorities; all were made by Christ for his own use and glory…For God wanted all of himself to be in his Son…In him lie hidden all the mighty untapped treasures of wisdom and knowledge…Don’t let others spoil your faith and joy with their philosophies, their wrong and shallow answers built on men’s thoughts and ideas, instead of on what Christ has said.

For in Christ there is all of God in a human body; so you have everything when you have Christ, and your are filled with God through your union with Christ. He is the highest Ruler, with authority over every other power.

If you have Christ, you have everything you need, for, as Paul writes to the church in Colosse, you are complete in Him. Do you need love? Our Lord Jesus Christ is the incarnation of love. Do you need joy? He is joy. Do you need peace? Christ is peace. Do you need patience? Christ is patience. Do you need wisdom? Christ is wisdom.

Do you need material possessions so that you can better serve Christ? They are available in Him. He owns the cattle on a thousand hills, and I would remind you of His promise to supply the needs of all who trust Him. Christianity is Christ, and you are complete in Him. HE will provide all you need.

A careful study of the Book of Romans, especially the first eight chapters, can have a revolutionary impact on the life of any sincere seeker after truth. Romans 6 especially reminds us of four truths:

1. We are no longer under sin’s control

Your old evil desires were nailed to the cross with him; that part of you that loves to sin was crushed and fatally wounded, so that your sin-loving body is no longer under sin’s control, no longer needs to be a slave to sin; for when you are deadened to sin you are freed from its allure and its power over you.

2. We are alive to God

So look upon your old sin nature as dead and unresponsive to sin, and instead be alive to God.

3. We must give ourselves completely to God

Do not let any part of your bodies become tools of wickedness to be used for sinning; but give yourselves completely to God – every part of you – for you are back from death, and you want to be tools in the hands of God to be used for his good purposes.

4. We must obey God

Don’t you realize that you can choose your own master? You can choose sin (with death) or else obedience (with acquittal). The one to whom you offer yourself – he will take you and be your master, and you will be his slave.

One day my wife Vonette and I were wading down a shallow stream in Yosemite Park with our two sons. Because the rocks were slippery, I was holding our five-year-old, Brad, by the hand to keep him from slipping. Suddenly Brad did slip on one of the rocks, and his feet went out form under him. He would have had a serious fall and could have been injured had I not held him firmly until he regained his balance. As we continued out walk, Brad looked up into my face with a radiant expression of gratitude and said “Daddy, I’m sure glad you saved me from falling.”

In the flash of a moment, it was as though God had spoken to me, and I looked up to Him and said, “Father, I am so glad that You have kept me from falling!” Oh, this Christian life is wonderful. It is exciting! It is filled with adventure for those who obey God and let Him control their lives – who walk with him moment by moment, day by day, allowing Him to “hold their hands.”

This personal, intimate walk with Christ, our Savior and our friend, is Christianity – not the fleshly striving, strain, labor and self-disciplining which is usually characteristic of the average, misinformed Christian. If you desire to walk in the Spirit, be sure to know your resources as a child of God so that you can say with the apostle Paul, “I can do everything through him (Christ) who gives me strength.”

Next: Live by Faith

Be prepared for conflict

The Bible explains that there are three forces – the world, the flesh and the devil – which constantly wage war against the believer. Let’s look briefly at each of these forces.

1. The world

I don’t know anyone who loves this world who has ever been used of God in any significant way. There’s nothing wrong with money and other material success. However, you must wear the cloak of materialism loosely. You must set your affection on Christ and His kingdom, not on the material things of this world. 1 John 2:15-17 warns:

Stop loving this evil world and all that it offers you, for when you love these things you show that you so not really love God; for all these worldly things, these evil desires – the craze for sex, the ambition to buy everything that appeals to you, and the pride that comes from wealth and importance – these are not from God. They are from this evil world itself. And this world is fading away, and these evil, forbidden things will go with it, but whoever keeps ding the will of God will live forever.

2. The flesh

God’s Word teaches that the spiritual Christian should be prepared for battles with the flesh. You will have conflict in your life so long as you live. There will never be a time in this life when you are free from temptation. Galatians 5:17 says:

We naturally love to do evil things that are just the opposite from the things that the Holy Spirit tells us to do; and the good things we want to do when the Spirit has his way with us are just the opposite of our natural desires. These two forces within us are constantly fighting each other to win control over us, and our wishes are never free from their pressures.

All people, no matter how spiritually mature in Christ, experience temptation and have a tendency toward sin. There is a difference, however, between temptation and sin. Temptation is the initial impression to do something contrary to God’s will. Such impressions come to all men and women, even as they did to our Lord, and are not sin in themselves. Temptation becomes sin when you meditate on the impression and develop a lustful desire which is often followed by the actual act of disobedience.

Yet this conflict is largely resolved when you, by an act of your will, surrender yourself to the control of the Holy Spirit and face these temptations in His power. Galatians 5:16 says:

Live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature.

How do you do this? For practical daily living you simply recognize your weakness whenever you are tempted and ask the Lord to take care of the problem for you. When I am tempted, I often remind the Lord that I belong to Him and need His help. I ask him to cleanse my mind and thoughts with his blood and control and empower me with the Holy Spirit so I will not yield to any temptation.

3. The devil

Satan is a real foe – let there be no mistake about it – and we need to be prepared for conflict with him – alert to his cunning and subtle ways, as well as his obvious attempts to defeat and destroy us. 1 Peter 5:8,9 says:

Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of suffering.

A young minister shared with me one day, “I am afraid of Satan.”

I said, “Your should be afraid of Satan, if you insist on controlling your own life. But if you are willing to let Christ control your life, you have nothing to fear because the Bible says, ‘Greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world.’

“Satan was defeated 2,000 years ago,” I explained, “when Christ in fulfillment of prophecy died on the cross for our sins. Though Satan has great power to influence man, he has only that power which God has granted to him. That is why, in the face of great persecution, the disciples could pray to God in His sovereignty and power, ‘They won’t stop at anything that you in your wise power will let them do’.

My minister friend happened to live in a city with one of the largest zoos in the world. I said, “what do you do with lions in your city?”

He replied, “We put them in a cage.”

I said, “That’s exactly what God has done to Satan. Visit the cage in the zoo and watch a lion pacing impatiently back and forth. He cannot hurt you. Even if you go up close to the cage, he still cannot hurt you if your are careful. But get in the cage, and the lion will devour you. You have nothing to fear as long as you stay out of that cage.

“Similarly, you have nothing to fear from Satan as long as you depend upon Christ and not on your own strength. Remember, Satan has no power except that which God in His wisdom allows him to have.”

The apostle Paul warns us, “Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand sage against the strategies and tricks of Satan. For we are not fighting against people made of flesh and blood, but against persons without bodies – the evil rulers of the unseen world, those mighty satanic beings and great evil princes of darkness who rule this world; and against huge numbers of wicked spirits in the spirit world.”

Although Satan and the forces of darkness are dangerous foes, and you must be alert to the way Satan works, you need have no fear of him – if your life is surrendered to the Lordship of Christ, if you continue to walk in faith and obedience in the power of the Holy Spirit. Even though Satan is an expert at deceiving and inducing Christians to disobey God, you need not fear him. Remember, the Scripture says, “Greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world.” But if you continue to be a worldly Christian, you had better be ready for some real problems in your personal life, your family and your church. There is no more dangerous and vulnerable place a Christian can be than to live outside God’s perfect will as a worldly or carnal Christian.

Next: Know Your Resources as a Child of God