Living in the Spirit
Living in the Spirit
''The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure . . . '' Jeremiah 17: 9.In all his dealings with mankind, people would inevitably rebel against God, and through Jeremiah and many of the other prophets. God identified the root cause of this as the heart of man - his nature of sin. But God also gave a special promise that would remedy the problem forever:
''I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees . . . '' Ezekiel 36,:26-27.
''I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high'' Luke 24:49.When the Holy Spirit was outpoured on the Church, He fulfilled every detail of the Father's promise in Ezekiel 36. The Spirit's infinite power was given to the believer so that he could live a life pleasing to God. This the Spirit does by:
1. Setting Us Free from Sin's Power
"Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death'' Romans 8:1-2.2. Making Us Clean in God's Sight
'' . . . He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Saviour, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life' ' Titus 3: 5-7 (see also 2 Corinthians 5:21; 2 Thessaloniahns 2:13).3. Giving Us Instant Access to the Father
''For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit" Ephesians 2:18 (see also Hebrews 4:16).4. Empowering Us
"I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being . . . that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God . . . who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us'' Ephesians 3:16,19-20 (see also 1:19-20; Colossians 1:10-11; 2 Timothy 1:7).Now, with the Holy Spirit living inside, the believer has ALL power - out of the treasure house of God's vast "riches'' - to live the way God wants him to live (2 Corinthians 4:7). But there is also something required of the believer to do: We are encouraged to APPROPRIATE what the Holy Spirit has given us.
''You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God IN TRUE RIGHTEOUSNESS AND HOLINESS" Ephesians 4:22-24 (see also Romans 12:2).
''So l say, live by the Spirit and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature . . . '' Galatians 5:16-17.We have been given the Holy Spirit, but He is only released to do His work in our lives as we allow Him to. We are not only to "receive the Holy Spirit" (John 20:22), but are to ''walk in the Spirit'' (Galatians 5:25, KJV) - to live under His canopy and allow Him to have full infoluence over our daily lives. This ''walk" in the Spirit is also described as:
1. Walking in the Light
''If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth. But if we walk in the light as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from every sin'' 1 John 1 :6-7 (see also Ephesians 5:8-10).2. Walking in Love
''Therefore be imitators of God . . . And walk in love . . . as Christ loved us and gave Himself up for us . . . " Ephesians 5: 1-2 (Amp).3. Walking in Faith
"For we walk by faith . . . not by sight or appearance'' 2 Corinthians 5:7 (Amp).
''Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. The mind of the sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace" Romans 8:5-6 (read also verses 7-8; Galatians 6:8).The Holy Spirit works in the believer by prompting and encouraging him toward the kind of life He wants him to live (1 Thessalonians 2:12; 4:1-8). If we respond, the Holy Spirit is released to do a work of change in our lives, so that we grow to be more like Him (2 Corinthians 3:18). If, however, a person deliberately chooses to resist the Spirit's promptings, he can, in successive stages, end up:
''For the grace of God . . . teaches us to say 'No' to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives . . . to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good'' Titus 2:11-12,14.
" . . . able to keep you from falling and to present you before his glorious presence with out fault and with great joy . . . '' Jude 24.
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Unless otherwise stated, all scriptures quoted in these studies are from the New International Version of the Bible, & copy; New York International Bible Society, used by permission. Other versions referred to are: KJV (King James Version), NKJB (New King James Bible), TLB (The Living Bible), Amp (The Amplified Bible) and The Message. All versions used by permission.
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