Walking in the Spirit

Walk in the Spirit and not in the flesh, what does that really mean?

This is a question which troubled me for many years, and I could never really get my head around it. We are instructed to behave in a certain manner, but it was hard to tell the difference between walking in the flesh (own effort) as opposed to walking in the Spirit. In my early Christian Walk, no one could give me a straight answer, I really was troubled by the difference. The Word (Bible) is clear on us having to do “stuff” In fact Paul articulates his efforts but makes a point of teaching us correctly so that pride remains at bay; “But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me.” (1Corinthians 15:10)  

 

It’s clear to see tension in somebody’s life after they are saved, them working at something, they are the ones doing it but there is a hidden miracle at work, the grace of God. This truth can be totally overlooked if not understood. My own efforts as opposed to God giving me the strength to achieve a result. This topic should be on the top of all teacher's lists when it comes to foundational biblical teachings for new believers. Even though I had to bump my head so many times as a young Christian because of this unanswered question allowing my flesh to run riot at times I thank God that He has always been in my corner. Despite my wayward behaviour, I have finally now understood the answer to this question.

This is probably the most important aspect of a believer’s life to have knuckled down. Traps have been set to get us to walk in the flesh (anything that causes us to revert to our default natures).

However, we can learn to walk in the Spirit daily when we listen to the voice of our Lord. Here is part of the process: “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” (Romans 12:1-2) 

The world’s way is full of death, even though it screams life. Deception of the highest order and just a friendly reminder that the way people are lead astray is through deception; “And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone.” (Revelation 19:20) – Deception is when someone believes something to be true when in fact it is a lie. But it is often itching ears that support pleasures of all kinds looking for justification to accommodate our sinful lusts. It is an extremely powerful tool that the devil uses to get people to come his way.

Let’s look at Paul’s instruction; “But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.” (Galatians 5:16) – This is a statement, and it is concise with a matter-of-fact tone. – If we are walking in the Spirit we will not fall in the flesh. That leaves me with a deduction that I cannot skirt, when I sin, I am walking in the flesh! This is a very interesting reality. How do I then remain in the Spirit to avoid hankering after my carnal desires? Brother John Piper has helped me with this and some reformed theologians like to use Acronyms here is his - “APTAT”

 

·        A = AMITT YOU CAN DO NOTHING

·        P = PRAY FOR SUPERNATURAL HELP

·        T = TRUST A SPECIFIC PROMISE ABOUT YOUR SITUATION

·        A = ACT, USE YOUR WILL, MOVE

·        T =THANK GOD

 It’s all about praying for help and then expecting God to help, this is faith. If we learn to program or as the text puts it, “but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind”. We need the grace of God in our lives, we must initiate “Aptat” to achieve it. This means our own efforts outside of the grace of God no longer apply and we will be quick to thank God for his help. Do it the other way around and we will then have the potential to boast in our own efforts.

 This is what Packer had to say about the same topic…

1.    Observe what can be done

2.   Pray for help

3.   Go to work and expect it to happen

4.   Thank God for the help

 Here is a link from that podcast

https://open.spotify.com/episode/70Zg4KSDVCxn0ma8ug10h5?si=42211fda0b7e433e

 

Signing off

 Tyrone

 

 

Holiness

In this day and age and with so many voices screaming for attention it would be good to turn the dial and neutralize the static. Where should we begin? How about our thoughts. After all, when we strip it all down, it’s all about us, isn’t it? Me, myself and I! As harsh as that may sound, most of the time it’s our reality. At the end of the day our lives are constantly adjudicated whilst we judge others and excuse ourselves, hoping that we will appear better than others to our fellow judiciaries. This mindset is what certainly drives our hearts and minds, we are consumed by the need to be accepted. And as I’ve told you in the past and emphasis this point. “Let God be true and every man a liar”. Why is this so important for us to grasp? If I strip away all the expository peaching (the correct way to unpack the interpretation of scripture - line upon line and word for word in context) which explains this truth in depth we are left with a simple phenomenon, God is holy and we are not. We have been corrupted by sin and he knows no sin. In other words we have been influence by sin. The Apostle Paul makes a brilliant point; “For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am of the flesh, sold under sin. For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate.” (Romans 7:14-15) – If we examine your own hearts and ask ourselves; how often have we known to do good but somehow found justification to stay our hand? Or found ourselves acting out leaving regret… God has none of that influencing him, those types of pressure have no impact on him. It would be something like you trying to fill a bottle with the lid locked in place, impossible! Now see the lid as a covering over the virus of sin. Break the cover and it is no longer airtight. Allowing sin in, break the seal once and sin is then able to influence our daily decisions. Now to see whether we have been effected by sin ask yourself this question, have you ever told a lie? If the answer is yes that is proof that you are a sinner and have been infected by the virus of sin. No different to any other virus, once you have it, you have it. So what do we do when we get sick, we see a doctor, right! God has never been influenced by sin nor can HE ever be. Satan on the other hand is the father of lies and proof that he too has been influenced by sin. “You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father's desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies.” (John 8:44) – Therefore we must conclude that sin is the breach of holiness. Therefore God is holy and we are not! This is why we can say with assurance “let God be true and every man a liar”. I trust you now understand the difference.

How do we now break the shackles of sin over our lives? On our own it is an impossible task, why? Because we have been effected by the sin virus. In fact we have all been born as sinners and all because of one man’s sin, Adam! Than is another topic for another day. Remember to ask yourselves have you ever broken one of God’s laws, the answer for all is obviously we have and are guilty as charged.

We need a doctor of sorts to help us with our predicament and because God is love he has come to our aid. There are very few if any who hasn’t heard of the Lord Jesus’ exploits, how he lived as a man under the yoke of sin and yet without every succumbing to the traps of sin. He alone achieved this. Quite a mind blowing achievement when we consider how easily we are sway by the power of sin. HE DID IT! And then he died to free us from the sentence that sin has over us all, death and then the judgement. The only way to escape the judgment of God is to be found NOT GUILTY! So, how is that possible, is it even possible? IT SURE IS! Kapow, enter the Lord Jesus… “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16) – It’s now up to us as individuals to make a decision, will we look for the love of God in our lives so that we will not be found guilty on Judgment Day? Will we believe on the finished work of the cross and call upon the name of Jesus to save us from our dilemma? That is an individual’s choice, but here is what we need to do… “For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”” (Romans 10:13) – finally, God’s love sent his only begotten son to died and pay the price for sin, to squash its power and the need for believes to be judged as sinners.

How? Jesus was judged for sin and he was only able to achieve this because he never sinned. He was not a sinner like us. All of our looming judgement was place on him, if you understand the law a person cannot be tried for the same breech twice, which is known as double jeopardy. Therefore, we need his covering, look at the text of John 3:16 and how it has been worded, there is a condition attached to the love of God, we must believe on Him and what He achieve in full, his death, burial and his resurrection in order to find eternal life. “That whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” Do not except to be saved and covered by the love of God if you are not willing to embrace the full story, it’s as simple as that. Reject the love of God and you will face HIS judgment and end up in the Lake of Fire with the devil and his angels; “and the devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur where the beast and the false prophet were, and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.” (Revelation 20:10) - Do you see how the masses have been swayed by so many differing voices and why we have so many differing religions and philosophies, it simple! Through DECEPTION!

 

I trust you now have enough informed information to make a wise choice, however the choice remains yours.   

But know this, we will all stand before the judgment seat of Christ, no one will escape that day.

 

Signing out

 

Tyrone 

Eyes to See...

 

Reflections must play a pivotal role in our lives if we are to have any hope when it comes to finding true repentance. And yet I also realize that without the Holy Spirit’s intervention in our lives this too would remain distant. There would be no need to reflect but to rather accuse others whilst excusing ourselves. “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?” (Jeremiah 17:9)­­­_­­

This is a great tragedy, but before we can truly dissect who we are, it is pivotal that we build upon this truth; “Let God be true and everyone else a liar.” – “By no means! Let God be true though every one were a liar, as it is written, “That you may be justified in your words, and prevail when you are judged.”  (Romans 3:4)      

Before you read on, decide where you stand, you are either willing to place the intellect of man and their persuasive arguments in highest regard or have you decided to stand on the Word of God, the Bible as your final authority? As for me and my household, even whilst some may be flirting with death and the influence of those under the spell of the evil one, I will serve the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob to the best of my capability. SO! This is where I have landed, when my mind begins to rationalize above the confirmation of scripture I conclude that I am wrong and God is right, period! Even if I don’t understand. Never wrestle with a truth from the Bible at the expense of the world’s voices. Always go to the Bible for answers. The remedy for being centred isn’t Yoga, but rather allowing yourselves to be read by the Bible. Let me emphasis my point; when we read the Bible it actually reads us. It’s a phenomenal stroke of genius that God has afford mankind, such a privilege. We read about someone else and we know the reference is not only on them but on us, it is a yardstick to keep us in check. Our God has given us a book that maps out how to get to Him, a detailed trove of treasure. Wow! How good is our God?                                                                                                

It is easy to say something but something else altogether to live it. Hypocrisy dominates the world’s population. We are back to the state of our hearts, we excuse ourselves but are very quick to accuse others.

 

Therefore always remember to put the will of God our Father above any voice or fad that you may encounter, if not you are only even asking for a world of hurt. And sadly sometimes it’s the only thing some of us ever respond too.

 

Signing off

 

Tyrone     

 

Distractions

 

Life is filled with so many distractions; although we partly know how to walk in the Spirit and understand that this is what keeps our eyes fixed on the ultimate goal; to be like Jesus… there will always be something that looks to justifiably distract. Psychologists looking to uncover past sins as our problem. But like most half-truths, it only gives us enough truth to embellish lies as a way of life. A cleverly design trap from the underworld. No doubt one of the reasons the Lord Jesus felt it necessary to halt any doubt around mystical theology, “Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” John 14:6  

When it comes to walking in the light, there can only ever be one way and one truth which unlocks the door to the right side of eternity. He is a person, the Lord Jesus Christ. It not a necklace with a cross or a wooden statue that hold any power, although it may be symbolic it’s the person of the Lord Jesus Christ who wields all the power. It’s through Him alone that we are ushered into the Fathers presents. The One who has the final say on all things, the creator of the heavens and earth, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Any other opposing message is a trap of darkness! These other snares enmesh our carnalities into believing lies as a justifiable way to live, communications that allow our selfish wills to get away with murder, when in fact we have been duped. I surmise this is why faith plays such an important part in the Christians life, God has so willed it. It leaves us trusting in another and not ourselves. An undeniable position of carnal (natural) weakness. Every Christians that truly puts their hand to the plough will learn to walk by faith, for they will soon tire if they continuously kick against the pricks or put another way, repeatedly swim against the current. The Bible is the final authority when it comes to literature and God has so ordained it. 

The Bible is full of instructions, it is truth, full of light and we need to heed the full council of the scriptures. It reveals the character of God. Impossible to achieve if we take our direction from any other source, as it leaves us with worldly ideas, resulting, in us walking in the flesh, there is no darkness in the Spirit of God, just as there is no light in the underworld! Our problem; we often see our tainted efforts and the works we do as good! A classic phrase; “I deserve so much more” or “I deserved to be loved”. Really!

Let’s break this down… Why do we deserve to be loved is a question we must find an answer too and we need to ask ourselves the right questions in order to unlock certainty.

·         Do we honour our heavenly Father as our eyes open from the slumbers of sleep and cry out “hallowed be thy name”?

·       Do we truly make a practice of seeking out his will each and every day of our lives?

·       Do we look to him in faith to sustain our bodies with the nourishment that it needs to survive? Or have we got that covered?

·       Do we unpack our actions and our thoughts as we contemplate our sin on a daily basis and then confess it to our Father seeking forgiveness for our waywardness? And once we have concluded that excises are we quick to forgive those you have offended us?

·        Finally are we motivated to walk in the Spirit seeking out the will of God each and every day of our existences as the priority to our lives and without exception as we put others before us?

 

If our conscience is clear on all of the about then we may be in a position to want to sit at our Fathers feet making a claim of “I deserve!” But then we will quickly be shown the scarred hands and feet of our glorious Saviour, The One who died in our place and for our Sin. He is clear of all of the above, he lived a life without sin and therefore the only person who can claim “I deserve to be loved”. Bless his name now and forever more, Amen and Amen!

 

Signing off

 

Tyrone

 

Ps what do we really deserve? We love because he first loved us...

A Reminder...

 

Do not be conformed but transformed in the way we process information through our minds, with the aim of being converted into the image of Christ and it all begins with our understanding on faith, which is a affluence on the things we hope for. So long as that hinges on the ultimate will of our heavenly Father, no matter what is thrown at us we will find grace to overcome, its only when we get in the way of our transformation that we have extra heartache. Which earthly father doesn’t want to give good gift to their children, how much more then will our heavenly Father look out for His children. Once the lesson is learnt a blessing follows. Sadly the same lesson can take a lifetime for some.   

 

The secret is aligning our perceptions and our understanding on the will of God for our lives. This journey lasts a lifetime. How often do we pray and yet we do not receive? Why is that? Because we ask amiss. Our minds get in the way of our Fathers will for our lives. This is how we need to process information, trust God for our lives, even when everything around us screams “RUN!” Abraham the Father of faith is a perfect example, he was willing to sacrifice Isaac the son of promise, because he believed God. I wonder what was going through his mind once he had tied up his son and placed him on the altar, try and allow you mind to comprehend, there he stood knife in hand and ready to strike. Was there doubt in his mind? The writer of Hebrews doesn’t give us any, absolute commitment in faith towards His God.  “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen.” (Hebrews 11:1)

 

It’s easy to trust when we have enough money on hand to buy a loaf of bread but something altogether when our pockets are empty. I know, for most, this experience would remain a distant thought and not a reality, so I say, find something that’s specific to your situation and apply yourself in faith through your mind’s eye and then see that chink in your life as an opportunity to glorify our heavenly Father. Its easy to run with the though, why me? This in itself goes far deeper than the surface, of this I am convinced. Nevertheless, it would be good to at least land on this conclusion; why not me! We often end up reaping what we have sowed, however God is gracious and when we have learnt the lesson he will bring reprieve. And even if it doesn't come, will we stand firm on the finished work of the cross? Its at these times in our lives that we need to tap into the hope that we as Christians have. Unbelieve thrives in uncertainty.   

The world looks to highjack us with a "victim" type mentality. And Satan feeds the lust of our flesh, that which cries out within our minds, an itch that needs scratching, nothing more than us looking to quench our sinful activities. An action of reflex... Then we have the lust of our eyes, when we see something that we want and are so driven by that thought that we will do whatever it takes to possess it. And finally the pride of life, “how dare someone wrong me, who do they think they are?” and revenge kicks in. These are the attributes our beloved brothers John and Paul warns us to be on the lookout for when it comes to the worlds influence. “Do not be conformed” is Paul's warning, “put off" that way of thinking and replace it with Abraham’s way of thinking, in faith, trusting our God through the trial and not buckling under the pressure. Theory is a wonderful gift from God to us, but does it really count if we understand a truth but lack applying its effect into our lives. As I look into the review mirror, my life has been filled with hypocrisy, not understanding a truth and then applying myself to it in error. Only because I wanted to indulge in a sinful habit and excuse my behaviour as acceptable. I used grace as a license to sin for a time. Its obvious to conclude such a thought when we obviously walk in rebellion to the call of God upon our lives. It is easier to repent from such a position. But what of our standing when we believe we are more or less towing the line? If we are honest and call on the grace of God to strip us bare and understand our own minds, its these areas, the little foxes that spoils the vines that we must not ignore. And this is how it sometimes plays out; understanding a truth but lacking the commitment to it. Let us not make this mistake, when we “put off” the ways of the world, we must “put on” the way of our heavenly Father. When temptation arises, how do I handle the trial? Do I grit my teeth and bare it for a while and then say enough and yield? It’s only once we come through the trial without yielding that we succeed. Theory is never enough to glorify God, we must be practical in application. So how do I succeed? When the temptation arises, I purposefully run to the cross. In that exact trial I stop what I am doing and open the bible and begin to read. This is how we “put off” and “put on”. We shift our focus from the temptation onto the finished work of the cross, we take our eyes off our struggle and remember what it cost the Lord to die in our place. This is transformation as opposed to conformation of the world’s way of thinking.

 “To the only wise God be glory forevermore through Jesus Christ! Amen.”

 

Signing off

 

Tyrone