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Live By And Walk In The Spirit

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“If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in [be guided by] the Spirit.”
– Galatians 5:25

There is so much said in such a short verse of Scripture.  “If we live in the Spirit” is a hypothetical statement used by Paul to encourage believers who have received Jesus to walk in accordance to His Spirit.  It is an intended redundant statement since as believers we have been raised to new life by the Spirit of God, even as our Lord was raised and emerged from the tomb by the power of the Holy Spirit.  Its intended purpose is for all believers to respond, “Yes, let us walk in the Spirit!”, yet there are many who feel an absence of the experience to this new life in the Spirit.  For many the conviction that comes from forces greater than ourselves seems missing.

Shouldn’t the experience of the Spirit of God joining with ours be something notable?  Shouldn’t it go beyond the feeling that maybe we’re only just stirring ourselves up because we want so much to believe?  The early church of Acts seems filled with examples of those who experienced something unique that stirred them to a greater participation and faith in Christ.

yet there are many who feel an absence of the experience to this new life in the Spirit

Our answer is, Yes, it is something notable and it does stir us up to greater faith!  But our observation is that Acts also contains examples of those who did not seem to experience anything new, but instead continued on as they were before.  Simon the sorcerer is recorded as believing, then he offered money to get the gift of laying on hands so others can receive the Spirit.  Peter quickly rebuked him for turning the gift of God into merchandise.  Ananias and Sapphira sold their possessions along with many others but kept back part of the proceeds for themselves.  That greed led to lying about it which then led to their falling dead when faced with what they had done.

Those two examples were of believers who apparently received Christ, but continued to walk in their worldly ways and thinking in accordance to their worldly reasoning.  Did they receive the Spirit when they believed?  Yes, because the promise of God’s Spirit is for all who call on the name of Jesus – however –  as notable and stirring as that impartation is, for many there are things still more notable and stirring to them than that Gift from God.

“For we also received the good news, just as they did; but the message they heard was of no value to them, since they did not share the faith of those who comprehended it.”
– Hebrews 4:2

Our faith is a reasoned choice and often tied into our worldly ways of reasoning.  We rely on our experiences to determine what methods and outcomes we can expect in any given situation.  To give you some examples to consider, who among us would have thought to look in a fish’s mouth for the temple tax?  Or who would have reasoned that to feed a multitude with very little food we just simply multiply that food?  Or to get to the other side of a stormy lake with no boat, who of us would have considered walking across it?  Our worldly ways of logic would never have considered those options.

“For who has known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ.”
– 1 Corinthians 2:16

When the Spirit of God raises us to new life what happens is our spirit is blended with His – and we become one Spirit.  The unity is so close and complete that one could not tell where he or she ends and God begins.  Before we were raised to new life, the spirit that was in us as normal human beings is what stirred us to our actions and responses.  It was the motivator and content used by our reasoning.  Now we are one with God’s Spirit and the motivator and content has changed dramatically – but the reasoning still tends to remain the same.  So we have the mind of Christ to think His thoughts – and our minds to think ours.  And more often than not we rule out the promptings of Christ’s thoughts because they don’t seem logical to our minds.

We rely on our experiences to determine what methods and outcomes we can expect in any given situation

Being raised to new life in the Spirit means we have to die first.  We need to die so we can no longer hold to the values and passions of our worldly experiences.  When anyone dies all their attachments, affections, passions, guilt, ambitions, and possessions no longer have influence on them or attachment to them.  When we die in Christ it is the same.  All that we have held as important in our lives gives way to the importance we now place on our new life in Jesus.

But didn’t Jesus die in our place on the cross?  Yes, but not so we would not have to die, but so that we could choose to die – with Him.  And dying with Him means being raised to eternal life with Him also.  We do not – and cannot – bypass the cross.  Our act of faith in baptism or public confession is our declaration that we follow Jesus to the cross and die with Him.

“For surely you know that when we were baptized into union with Christ Jesus, we were baptized into union with his death. By our baptism, then, we were buried with him and shared his death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from death by the glorious power of the Father, so also we might live a new life.”
– Romans 6:3-4

[NOTE: There are many differing approaches to baptism from sprinkling to full water immersion to a no water public confession.  The position we hold on this is that the method is not a point of debate.  Our Father regards the hearts and when we come to Jesus and His cross in our response to declare and share in His death, whether sprinkled or immersed or neither, or in a church or a river or a bathtub, our answer is accepted before our Father.  And we emerge in newness of life – a new creation!]

We do not – and cannot – bypass the cross.

Whatever the method of your baptism or public confession we encourage you to settle that in the truth that you have died with Christ and are accepted by the Father.  The life you now live is in union with the risen Christ!  And now “If we live in the Spirit” is answered.  We do indeed live by the Spirit, as does everyone who turns to Jesus Christ.

So, are we then guided by the Spirit?

“Those who love their father or mother more than me are not fit to be my disciples; those who love their son or daughter more than me are not fit to be my disciples. Those who do not take up their cross and follow in my steps are not fit to be my disciples. Those who try to gain their own life will lose it; but those who lose their life for my sake will gain it.”
– Matthew 10:37-39

The phrase “not fit to be my disciples” means unable to be students, or unable to be taught and guided.  Those who are still governed by their worldly reasoning cannot be guided by the Spirit of God.  Consider receiving advice from someone you hardly know, and from someone you respect highly – who would you listen to?  The one you respect highly, of course.  And if the Spirit is guiding you, and your own reasoning is guiding you, if you have any attachments or affections that exceed your love for Christ then you will not listen to God’s Spirit … you would be unable to be taught or guided by Him.

Those who are still governed by their worldly reasoning cannot be guided by the Spirit of God.

“Jesus tells us not to seek after the things of this world, but the rent is due and He doesn’t seem to be taking care of it!  And we need groceries, too!!  I’ll need to get more hours at work, then, or a second job!!!“  Sound familiar?  That’s our worldly reasoning looking into our wallet for God’s answers and provision.  “Trust my Father” is Christ’s reasoning.  Our reasoning has us anxiously borrowing, seeking, asking, focusing on our need and our reasoned solution.  Christ’s reasoning has us convinced God has our need in mind and our solution at hand so we can move forward in the day without distraction, focused on what He wishes to accomplish through us by the guidance of His Spirit.

“I really should be calling for additional work because we need the money! … But I really feel like I should call old Mrs. Smith to see how she’s doing.  Yet she’ll keep me on the phone for hours!!“  You have your worldly reasoning that has your best interests at heart, and you have the mind of Christ that says trust God and do good because your needs are met and the best interests of others is what’s at heart.

“Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.”
– Romans 12:2

Practice trusting God at every opportunity.  Start developing new experiences that will form the new basis of your reasoning.  Settle it in the truth that God is a good Father who is deeply interested in you and your needs, and is willing and capable to meet and exceed those needs so that you are free to respond to His thoughts and guidance.

“Taste and see that the LORD is good. How happy is the man who takes refuge in Him!”
– Psalm 34:8

Experience the Father and your new life in Him by trusting Him.  You will never be disappointed!  Filter every thought and reasoning through trust in Him and let it become your practiced response, and you will find yourself walking in and guided by the Spirit.  And encourage others because you’re not the only one learning this 🙂

* A closing thought:  It’s not all about you.  If it were all about you then you’d be in Heaven now.  No, you’re still here in this life because it’s about others.  Trust Him and find yourself extremely useful to His purposes for those others.

The Fundamental Things We Believe

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It seems useful to provide a statement of the things we believe so that readers can decide for themselves if our postings are worthy of their attention.  Truth is our foremost pursuit and we are pleased to receive any correction and any confirmation of our doctrinal and faith position.

1. We believe that the Bible contains God’s Word to us, that it was written by holy men of God who were inspired by God’s Spirit in the writing.  We believe that it is suitable for all doctrine, instruction, and correction.  And we believe that it is spiritually discerned by God’s Spirit in the heart of every believer of Jesus Christ.

2. We believe that God is Spirit and that no person has seen Him at any time.  We believe He is that Holy Spirit who shaped the worlds and created all things that were created through His own creative omnipotence and faithfulness to His creative, directive Word.

3. We believe that God has expressed Himself to mankind through His holy men the prophets, through His heavenly angels, and finally through His only begotten Son, Jesus.

4. We believe that Jesus Christ was sent by God to enter this world as a man, the Word having laid aside His divine attributes in order to be fully man, and lived His life in union with the Spirit of God Who enabled His sinless and miraculous existence among sinful mankind.

5. We believe that God gave man authority and dominion over the earth, and that the gifts and calling of God are without repentance.  As such, when mankind fell into sin only a man could redeem us from sin.  The price of sin is death and so Jesus Christ, fully man, paid that price on the cross for all people.

6. We believe that God chose Israel as bearers of His name to the world, and that they were entrusted with His commands and declarations, and with the authority to write and declare Scripture.  With fulfillment of the law declared as the means to salvation, Israel then rejected that by crucifying as a sinner the sinless Jesus of Nazareth.  All persons were effectively declared sinners through the entrusted nation of Israel because no one could surpass the sinless holiness of Jesus.

7. We believe that all mankind being declared sinners proved God to be just in permitting death as the wages of sin, and then further proved Him to be merciful through His grace in raising Jesus from death to eternal life.  God chose to save us!

8. We believe that in Jesus we die with Him through the cross and our sins are now paid in full, and we believe that in Jesus we are raised to newness of life in union with the Spirit of God and our lives are now at and in His service – empowered by His Spirit to sinless and miraculous existence.

9. We believe that all authority is given to Jesus Who is the eternal King and faithful High Priest over and for all mankind, and that trust in Him is the active and ongoing declaration of our faith.  We believe because He is!

10. We believe that we are exactly what God the Father and Jesus the Lord say we are: beloved, redeemed, accepted, holy, righteous and we live our lives in submission to His care and direction – free of condemnation and filled with trust at being in the caring and directive hands of our Creator and Saviour.

A Greater Weight Of Glory

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“All this is for your sake; and as God’s grace reaches more and more people, they will offer to the glory of God more prayers of thanksgiving. For this reason we never become discouraged. Even though our physical being is gradually decaying, yet our spiritual being is renewed day after day. And this small and temporary trouble we suffer will bring us a tremendous and eternal glory, much greater than the trouble. For we fix our attention, not on things that are seen, but on things that are unseen. What can be seen lasts only for a time, but what cannot be seen lasts forever.”
– 2 Corinthians 4:15-18

The difficulties we may suffer serve a purpose in the Lord.  They are often the consequences of grace increasing its reach to the lost, for which the adversary is strongly and at times violently opposed.  And they serve to increase the development of Jesus in us.

Now you might think that suffering is a bad thing that needs to be removed immediately.  We agree.  Suffering was never a creation of God our Father; it was a consequence of a fallen world and a tool of darkness.  Christ came to destroy the works of the enemy.  However, as God carries out His divine will it sometimes requires that we endure suffering.

“Be alert and of sober mind. 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 the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings. And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.”
– 1 Peter 5:8-10

When suffering presents itself we know it is the work of the devil trying to break people down in body, mind and soul.  We know that he is on this attack against every believer across the world.  And we know it is only temporary because God restores each of us in His time.  Suffering is never without a purpose.

When you find yourself in difficult times, even agonizing circumstances, and it seems to go on without end be certain it is not God causing you that grief.  He’s not mad at you!  You are His child and He loves you and treasures you.  Certainly in His great power He could step in and end your grief immediately – so why doesn’t He?  Because while you are suffering your circumstances are aiding another or others in the receiving of God’s grace.  He hasn’t abandoned you.  He’s asking you to hang on!  This suffering won’t last!  You are working with Him in the salvation of other souls.

and as God’s grace reaches more and more people, they will offer to the glory of God more prayers of thanksgiving. For this reason we never become discouraged

And you yourself are receiving a greater weight of glory as the suffering serves to produce Christ in you even more than He was.  You become even more like our Saviour!  Trust our Father.  He knows the greater and the greatest good – for you and for every one of us.

Suffering is never without a purpose.

Does this mean we can reach a point where suffering ceases?  No.  Not in this life.  The devil is enraged.  Think of any experience you’ve had with an enraged person.  They’re almost insane in their fury, without stable logic and unable to be reasoned with.  He is violently attacking anyone and everyone.  However, for believers we do reach a point in our maturity when we see him for who he is, and we learn to resist him in the faith.  We know who we are in the Father and we grow in peace and certainty in our minds and souls.  We reach a point where the devil has no more influence on our thoughts, and no power over our persons.  

In each life he will often turn to deceiving others to be instruments of his attacks.  We do not resist them, but instead turn the other cheek.  In doing that the tools of the devil are rendered useless because they’re not being put to use.  The people themselves are not the enemy – just deceived by the enemy.  It is a war while we are still here in this life, and we are here because others are being saved through God’s preparations and actions involving each of us.

“But I say to you, love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you, so that you will become children of your Father in heaven, because he makes his sun rise on both evil and good people, and he lets rain fall on the righteous and the unrighteous.”
– Matthew 5:44-45

Do you see how valuable you are when you are seemingly defeated?  Do you see how powerful you are at your lowest?

“Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ’s sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong.”
– 2 Corinthians 12:10

We encourage you to read and re-read this post – and settle your hearts and minds in the truth.  Suffering exists, and happens.  We try to avoid it with wisdom, and we try to end it when that is in our power, but we never blame God for it.  Instead we rejoice (or at least a little smile) that our Father is at work when we suffer.  We are partners with Jesus in saving souls, we are becoming even more like Him, and we are not abandoned – ever!

“…And remember, I am with you each and every day until the end of the age.”
– Matthew 28:20b

There Is Now No Condemnation

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“There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.”
– Romans 8:1

Forgiving others can be difficult at times, but it’s something every Christian seeks to do.  We are told by our Lord to forgive, and it is important for that reason, so we make deliberate efforts not to harbour ill will against those who cause us injury or grief.  But despite the struggle to fulfill this command we often fail to forgive a person crucial to our walk of faith.

We often fail to forgive ourselves.

“I wish I had never…!”  “If only I could change that!”  “How can you possibly forgive me?!”  Sound familiar?  We have a tendency as fleshly, worldly thinking persons to glorify our failures as greater than those of others.  We exaggerate them to the point that we are continually groaning and chastising ourselves for our failure – always punishing ourselves and condemning ourselves.  If left unchallenged we can judge ourselves as always a failure, and therefore giving us the excuse we need to fail again and again.  Also sound familiar?

Here is what Jesus specifically asked God the Father about you and me:

“My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me.”
– John 17:20-21

Did the Father say no?  Of course not.  So we are one with Jesus, and that means…

“For in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith.”
– Galatians 3:26

You are a son, or daughter, of God!  How?  Through faith – you’ve settled the issue in the truth.  You have decided your value is determined by God, not you, and you practice that daily.  But maybe you don’t feel like you’re His – that’s okay.  We all experience those feelings, but all those feelings are is an indicator that you have experienced a lie.  You’ve reacted to the suggestion that you are a failure and do not belong to Christ.  Say thank you to the feeling for letting you know, tell the lie to begone, and practice the truth that you are a child of God – always!

“And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
– Matthew 28:20

“For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
– Romans 8:38-39

How do you practice the truth?  Refuse to act like a failure.  Instead act like someone who is accepted and loved by God because that was His unswerving choice.  He knows you inside and out, including your shortcomings and failings, and He still does not change His choice.  Instead He deliberately continues to work in you – without blaming or condemnation.  Act loved – because you are.

A Double Minded Man

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“If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it shall be given to him. But let him ask in faith, doubting nothing, for he that doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. For let not that man suppose that he shall receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.”
– James 1:5-8

“Maybe God will!  … But maybe He won’t!”  Is this what a double-minded person sounds like?

That’s certainly how many of us came to understand it, but the truth is, that is not the inner conversation of a double-minded person.  Why?  Because it is really just the confused debating of a single mind.  It is the mind of one, single individual who is arguing both sides.

Our natural mind experiences questioning doubts and concerns daily, and not just concerning the things of Jesus.  We will concern about a job interview, or work project, supper that evening, and any number of things we can be anxious over.  It’s the natural state of the natural mind separated from God – anxious for everything, but still only one mind.

A double-minded person requires two minds: their own … and Christ’s.

“As the scripture says, ‘Who knows the mind of the Lord? Who is able to give him advice?’ We, however, have the mind of Christ.”
– 1Corinthians 2:16

We were all born with our own mind – all the heights, lows, and confusions that come with it.  This is the mind we have learned from our experiences in this world, and the one we tend to hold to because it’s familiar.  Then when we received Jesus we also received His mind.  Two minds.  But that doesn’t make us double-minded.  When we are led by Jesus’ Spirit we are one with Him.  We see things His way and we think like Him.  It’s when we are in conflict with Him that we are double-minded.

At this point it would prove useful to clarify what being in conflict means.  We have all held our doubts whether Jesus told us to do something or not, or we ask for something and wonder if He’s really okay with it.  Those are just guesses on our part, not conflict – the musings of our old experiences with a worldly mind.  We are not penalized by God for those!  He works within us to help us resolve those anxious ways of thinking.  Conflict, however, is not a guess.  It’s a choice – most often motivated by our emotions – and it is contrary to what we know our Lord has said.  But again, praise God, we are not penalized for those, either!  Read on …

“Anyone who belongs to Christ is a new person. The past is forgotten, and everything is new.”
– 2 Corinthians 5:17

Jesus knew what He accomplished on the cross – our righteousness through faith, and peace with God.

“And the scripture came true that said, ‘Abraham believed God, and because of his faith God accepted him as righteous.’ And so Abraham was called God’s friend.”
– James 2:23

So Christ’s thoughts about our righteousness and peace are part of our minds – we know them because they are part of us – but many of us have other thoughts, too:  “I’m terrible, I’m a sinner, I’m so awful!”  And when we believe ourselves over Jesus we become double-minded.  We are no longer thinking like Jesus, so there is no way we can be at the times and places He has prepared for us to receive because those times and places are also in accordance to His thoughts.  It could not occur to us to be anywhere He has in mind because we are following our own opinion.  We can’t receive from Him!  He doesn’t penalize us – we penalize ourselves.

For let not that man suppose that he shall receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.

Consider a time when any of us may have asked Jesus for something, and we have decided His answer is yes.  So where would Jesus place His answer so that we can receive?  It would be some place a righteous person at peace with God would consider.  But it would never occur to anyone who judges themselves guilty and disapproved of by God.  It’s not that God didn’t answer – it’s that the double-minded person is not thinking like Jesus.

Without His mind we are limited to our worldly reasoning, and too often we are limited by our worldly reasoning even knowing His mind.  When Jesus fed the multitude the worldly reasoning was focused on how little fish and bread there was.  The worldly mind would not have considered catching a fish and looking in its mouth for the tax money.  Crossing the waters required a boat – walking across was never an option. 

Now in all fairness, would those thoughts actually occur to any of us?  Probably not, but what they illustrate is that our Lord is not limited in meeting a need.  When we see an empty wallet, it doesn’t mean the answer is no or not yet.  It just means the answer isn’t there.  The undisputed truth is that Jesus can!  And if you are persuaded of your righteousness and peace with God you can believe that Jesus will.

And you will find yourself at the point of place and time that He has prepared for your answer.  Instead of debating and analyzing and worrying, you choose to settle in the truth:  Jesus can, and He will.  And you go on about your days confident in that.  You stop worrying about the answer and instead just find yourself at the place and time He has prepared.

The undisputed truth is that Jesus can!  And if you are persuaded of your righteousness and peace with God you can believe that Jesus will.

That is what a righteous person at peace with God thinks: “Jesus can, and He will.”

“And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists (He can) and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him (He will).”
– Hebrews 11:6 (brackets ours)

If you think something you need might not happen, how do you behave?  You worry, argue, isolate, fixate and spend much time on yourself and your need.  Not the behaviours of a righteous person and certainly not at peace with God.  But if you are persuaded something you need will happen, how do you behave?  Certainly what you WON’T be doing is wasting time focusing on yourself 🙂 … and if you’re not focusing on yourself then you are likely putting your energies into others.

Settle this in the truth then: you are righteous because Christ obtained that for you, and God delights in you because you are His child.

Jesus can, and He will.