The Spirit led walk leads to Kingdom living. This can only be accomplished by submitting our will (along with all of its fleshly desires, pursuits, and longings), to the Lord.
Kingdom living principles are opposite of those found in the world (or the Babylonian system). Kingdom principles ask one to give and then receive, give up your life in order to find it, love and bless your enemies instead of getting even, forgive those who have offended you, let God avenge you and bring justice instead of avenging yourself, etc). This is where we find life. Not just life, but abundant life, if we are willing to give up the world's (Babylonian) system.
Then, by faith, which is propelled by love, one learns to walk by the Spirit rather than the flesh according to Romans 8:1.
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
This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.
17For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.
18But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law.
19Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,
20Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies,
21Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.
22But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
23Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.
24And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.
25If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.
26Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another.
Galatians 5:16-26
As seen by reading Galatians 5:16-26, the flesh produces fruit that leads to damnation. Those that continue to practice the lusts of the flesh "shall not inherit the kingdom of God". One cannot simply be a Christian by mental assent. As our Lord commanded:
23] Then he said to them all: "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. --Luke 9:23
To be led by the Spirit is to deny self. In Galatians 5:24 one gains insight into what Jesus meant when asking us to "take up his cross daily and follow me." It is the flesh that must be crucified in order to enter in to the place of the Spirit led life.
The Holy Spirit, when given permission, will flow using a gentle, peaceful energy to guide. Our Lord never pressures, goads, manipulates, or roughly pulls or pushes to accomplish His goals. He leads beside still waters (Psalms 24). Jesus said, "My yoke is easy," (Matthew 11:30), never demanding or burdensome like religion which is produced by the flesh. The services that He requires are easily rendered.
When feeling pressured, it is best to back off, and put off any decision or act until there is a peace. Condemnation is a tool of Satan. He wields this tool to destroy the God given image and confidence found when walking "after the Spirit rather than the flesh". Because Romans 8 informs that there is "now no condemnation to him who walks after the Spirit. . ."
If we are living, moving, and have our being in Him (Acts 17:28), the enemy cannot condemn. He may try, but when in the Spirit, one can refuse to accept those accusations and condemnations sent by the evil one. However, when one slips over into the flesh this is not the case. Satan will bring charges through the law. He will act as judge, jury, and hangman. Only by walking in the Holy Spirit can the law be overcome. Galatians 5:23 explains that against the Fruit of the Spirit there is no law.
It is very simple and easy to rectify this error of judgment if one should slip over into the flesh (which we all do). Simply repent, ask God's forgiveness, and get back into the Spirit led walk, where one no longer has to answer to Satan's oppressive accusations. It is as simple as that! The longer one stays in the flesh and allows Satan to brutally condemn, the harder it is to get back into the Spirit. This is because the flesh wants to dominate, and Satan wants to rule the flesh. However, it is Christ who gently leads by the Holy Spirit.
Aristotle said, "Wicked men obey out of fear: Good men out of of love." It could be said that evil men obey out of rebellion -- because they have to, or are made to, obey against their will.
Next time: "The Place"
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
The Power of Forgiveness--by Jo Cromwell
The most important thing a Christian can understand is the power of forgiveness. In Jesus' time, it was easier for his followers to believe in the power of healing than in the power of forgiveness. To the early followers of Christ, and especially the Pharisees, forgiveness belonged to God alone. In fact, the Pharisees thought that Jesus was stepping on hallowed ground (to the point of being sacrilegious or blasphemous) when he taught on the power of forgiveness.
I say the power of forgiveness, because forgiveness is a power that frees not only the person being forgiven, but also the person doing the forgiving.
During Jesus' appearance to the disciples after the Resurrection, Jesus commissioned them and gave them the power-of-attorney to carry forth his work on the Earth.
John 20:22-23
22: And when He had said this, He breathed on them and saith unto them, receive ye the Holy Ghost:
23: Whosoever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whosoever sins you retain, they are retained. King James
The Holy Ghost gave the receivers the power to carry forth the work Jesus started. Then, Jesus gives the power to remit sins. This is a form of losing or binding (Matthew 18:18). It is interesting that Jesus first gives the power of the Holy Ghost, and then He instructs on the remittance of sins.
To remit means to send or cast away from. In forgiving, we cast away the sin or sins of the person we are forgiving. That offence is no longer attached to the offender, and we no longer hold them responsible for their offence. In doing so, we give up judgement of that person which, in turn, allows God to judge in mercy and righteousness. God's justice can prevail when we are standing in forgiveness and remitting sins. As long as we are standing in unforgiveness, we continue to judge (in God's place) and pronounce guilt upon that person.
According to Matthew 6: 14-15, unforgiveness binds God's forgiveness toward us. This is not where we want to be!
14: For if you forgive people their trespasses [their reckless and willful sins, leaving them, letting them go, and giving up resentment], your Heavenly Father will also forgive you.
15: But if you do not forgive others their trespasses [their reckless and willful sins leaving them, letting them go, and giving up resentment], neither will your Father forgive you your trespasses. Amplified
Example Prayer: Father, I forgive ____(name)_____________ for _____(trespass)______________, I remit their sin(s) away from them. I no longer judge and find them guilty, but ask you to judge them in my place -- in mercy and righteousness. Thank you. Amen.
By forgiving and remitting the sin or offence, you have loosed yourself and the person(s) you are forgiving. You will see God's justice after you forgive.
I say the power of forgiveness, because forgiveness is a power that frees not only the person being forgiven, but also the person doing the forgiving.
During Jesus' appearance to the disciples after the Resurrection, Jesus commissioned them and gave them the power-of-attorney to carry forth his work on the Earth.
John 20:22-23
22: And when He had said this, He breathed on them and saith unto them, receive ye the Holy Ghost:
23: Whosoever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whosoever sins you retain, they are retained. King James
The Holy Ghost gave the receivers the power to carry forth the work Jesus started. Then, Jesus gives the power to remit sins. This is a form of losing or binding (Matthew 18:18). It is interesting that Jesus first gives the power of the Holy Ghost, and then He instructs on the remittance of sins.
To remit means to send or cast away from. In forgiving, we cast away the sin or sins of the person we are forgiving. That offence is no longer attached to the offender, and we no longer hold them responsible for their offence. In doing so, we give up judgement of that person which, in turn, allows God to judge in mercy and righteousness. God's justice can prevail when we are standing in forgiveness and remitting sins. As long as we are standing in unforgiveness, we continue to judge (in God's place) and pronounce guilt upon that person.
According to Matthew 6: 14-15, unforgiveness binds God's forgiveness toward us. This is not where we want to be!
14: For if you forgive people their trespasses [their reckless and willful sins, leaving them, letting them go, and giving up resentment], your Heavenly Father will also forgive you.
15: But if you do not forgive others their trespasses [their reckless and willful sins leaving them, letting them go, and giving up resentment], neither will your Father forgive you your trespasses. Amplified
Example Prayer: Father, I forgive ____(name)_____________ for _____(trespass)______________, I remit their sin(s) away from them. I no longer judge and find them guilty, but ask you to judge them in my place -- in mercy and righteousness. Thank you. Amen.
By forgiving and remitting the sin or offence, you have loosed yourself and the person(s) you are forgiving. You will see God's justice after you forgive.
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
It is Really Finished!
John 17:3 And this is eternal life: [it means] to know (to perceive, recognize, become acquainted with, and understand) You, the true and real God, and [likewise] to know Him, Jesus, [as the] Christ (the anointed One, the Messiah), Whom You have sent. Amplified
Eternal life begins in the here and now--right here on Earth! We are not saved and then begin eternal life after we have died and gone to heaven. This is not a future event. Eternal life is to know God,"the true and real God." The part about "true and real God" infers there are other gods but only one true and real God. It also infers that we may know about God or even have conceptions about God that are not true and real. It is through coming to know God, becoming acquainted with, and understanding God that we see him as the "true and real God."
The scripture then tells us that we must also know Jesus. Jesus is the Door that we must walk through to begin the eternal life journey and to begin our relationship with God. Everything else follows. The opposite to the eternal life option is eternal death.
This proves that Kingdom living (eternal life) starts in the here and now, and not after we die and go to heaven. Kingdom living is only made possible through the power and enabling of the Holy Spirit. It is like the Holy Spirit provides a kind of filter that allows us to know and perceive God, and his ways, through an uncorrupted lens that we could not otherwise see from the standpoint of this fallen world.
As we begin our crucified walk in the Spirit, we are led "into all Truth". Our eyes begin to open to an unlimited, and powerful potential that continues to unfold as we follow after the Spirit's plan and desire to bring us into a place Holiness.
Could this place be the "place" or the abode that Jesus tells us about in John 14? Just wondering. . .
Eternal life begins in the here and now--right here on Earth! We are not saved and then begin eternal life after we have died and gone to heaven. This is not a future event. Eternal life is to know God,"the true and real God." The part about "true and real God" infers there are other gods but only one true and real God. It also infers that we may know about God or even have conceptions about God that are not true and real. It is through coming to know God, becoming acquainted with, and understanding God that we see him as the "true and real God."
The scripture then tells us that we must also know Jesus. Jesus is the Door that we must walk through to begin the eternal life journey and to begin our relationship with God. Everything else follows. The opposite to the eternal life option is eternal death.
This proves that Kingdom living (eternal life) starts in the here and now, and not after we die and go to heaven. Kingdom living is only made possible through the power and enabling of the Holy Spirit. It is like the Holy Spirit provides a kind of filter that allows us to know and perceive God, and his ways, through an uncorrupted lens that we could not otherwise see from the standpoint of this fallen world.
As we begin our crucified walk in the Spirit, we are led "into all Truth". Our eyes begin to open to an unlimited, and powerful potential that continues to unfold as we follow after the Spirit's plan and desire to bring us into a place Holiness.
Could this place be the "place" or the abode that Jesus tells us about in John 14? Just wondering. . .
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