There once was a man in a state medium security prison who wanted freedom. He came with a fool-proof plan to break out of prison. He was working in the laundry room and had the idea to hide himself in the laundry cart under the clothes as they were taken out of the prison in a truck. After a while someone pushed the laundry carts into a truck and drove for a while. Eventually the truck came to a stop and was parked. When the prisoner no longer heard anyone around he climbed out of the laundry cart and look up at the sign on the wall that read “Maximum Security Prison.”
Do you ever struggle to gain freedom from besetting sins? Sins that you thought you should have conquered long ago? Maybe you recently did something that you knew was wrong but couldn’t seem to resist the temptation. Maybe you have fasted about it and prayed about it but you end up falling into it.
I think if we’re honest we can all say that we struggle with sin in our lives and wonder how we can consistently live a life that pleases God. I realize that in this life we can never completely eradicate our sin nature but we can put it in subjection.
Last week I began this teaching on, “Walking In The Spirit”. There were three aspects to the teaching:
a. Call To Walk and we looked various scriptures in the New Testament were we are exalted to Walk in:
i. the Spirit
ii. the Truth
iii. Wisdom
iv. the Light
v. Faith
b. Continuous Nature Of Our Walk. It is NOW. We are expected to walk every day, every hour, every minute and every second.
c. Benefit Of The Walk:
i. We will not fulfill the lust of the flesh. Free from committing Sin.
ii. We are not under the Law. Free from Legalism.
(Legalism is adding other requirements to faith for salvation or fellowship with God. Such as Keeping The Sabbath, God Does Not Accept Contemporary Music, Women Should Not Wear Trousers, Only KJV Is The Bible…)
iii. We Were Born Again In The Spirit.
iv. We Enjoy God’s Abundant Life.
v. Freedom Form Condemnation.
vi. The Law is Fulfilled In Our Spirit Through Christ.
vii. We Please God.
viii. Our Worship Is Acceptable To God.
This morning we want to answer the questions, “How Do I Walk In The Spirit?” If it is the only thing I need to do to enjoy a fulfilling, victorious life. How can I do it? I discovered from my study, the answer does not come very simply but I trust the Lord will give us a clear answer of what this means. People have different view to what walking in the Spirit is
a. Some have implied that it being led or walking in step with your spirit. I think they are right.
b. Some have indicated that it is being led or controlled by the Holy Spirit. And they have used such progressive illustrations
i. Like Soldiers marching in step with a regimental sergeant or
ii. A train pulling a set of carriages or
iii. A swimmer swimming in a River
And I think they are right also
How could they both be right?
It is matter of viewing the same subject matter from two different angles. Let me explain myself.
We probably recognize that we are made of three parts, body, soul and spirit.
a. The Body is that aspect of our personality that enables us to relate to the physical/material world. Most people define their identity or who they are based on this perspective:
They describe themselves with such phrases as:
i. I am black or white.
ii. I am tall or short.
iii. I am fat or thin.
iv. I am ugly / beautiful or handsome.
But this is not really you this is a part of you.
b. The Soul is the part of our personality that connects or relates both to the material world through the body and to the spiritual world through our spirit. It consist of your intellect/mind (which is your thought process unit), your will (which is your decision making unit) and your emotions (is your expressive unit).
People who view themselves from this perspective describe themselves with such phrases as:
i. I am sensitive person.
ii. I am stupid or intelligent person.
iii. I am dumb / bright person.
iv. I am sad / happy person.
v. I am a fearful person.
vi. I am a forgetful person.
Again this is a part of you
c. The Spirit is the most tricky part of you. It is the part of you that enables you to relate to the Spirit world especially to God. It is the life of God in you. It is the image of God in you. Without the spirit, your body and soul will be dead. It is the aspects that differentiates us from the animals.
When we are born again it is in our spirit man we are born again. Not in the soul or body.
Illustration: Some of you have seen this small radios that can only operate in two bandwidths or range of frequencies, AM and FM.
If set to AM you can only get certain stations that you will not get on FM and if you tune it to FM you can only get certain stations you will not get on AM.
Our spirit is something like that. Some of us, our spirit is AM and others are set to FM.
AM meaning Adamic Man => Such people cannot relate or feel or know the presence of God intimately. Your spirit is in agreement with your soul and body. No Conflict.
FM means Forgiven Man => Such people can tune to God and your spirit is always in tune with the Spirit of God. And it is not in agreement with your body and the flesh (which is the principle of sin walking through your body and mind). This creates conflict.
Your Spirit has been transformed. So whether you walk by your spirit or by the Holy Spirit you will be walking in the Spirit because they are both in agreement.
The Holy Spirit is present to identify us, to help our spirit by empowering it, guiding it, revealing to it the will of God. Simply the Holy Spirit is there to train our spirit.
Romans 8:16: The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children.
2 Cor 1:22: set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.
Eph 1:13: And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit,
So, “How can we walk in the Spirit?”
We need to change our mindset.
For a Christian it is a matter of our thought life. Satan’s temptations / attacks are upon our thought life. Paul said the mind set on the flesh is death. The mind set on the Spirit is life and peace. Everything revolves around where we set our minds.
There is a saying that if Satan can control our thought life he can control all our life. Prov. 23:7
Rom. 8:5: 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. 6The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace;
Colossians 3:1-3: 1Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. 2Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. 3For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.
Romans 12:2: 2Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.
Phil. 4:6-9: 6Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. 8Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. 9Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.
2 Corinthians 10:3-5: 3For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. 4The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. 5We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.
You might say, “I know all these scriptures but how do I apply it?”
One word: “Training”. To overcome we must train our minds to think correctly. By Reading the word, Believing the word, meditating on the word and applying the word.
Hebrews 5:14: But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.
What is good for you is to walk in the spirit.
People don’t get up and begin to walk when they are born. It is a process. Sometimes you will fall but keep at it. Persistency is the key.
How do I train my mind? The Word of God. This is the key to walking in the spirit.
How do I know what is good? The Word of God.
Psalm 119:105: Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.
John 6:63: The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life.
Deut. 30:11-15: Now what I am commanding you today is not too difficult for you or beyond your reach. 12 It is not up in heaven, so that you have to ask, "Who will ascend into heaven to get it and proclaim it to us so we may obey it?" 13 Nor is it beyond the sea, so that you have to ask, "Who will cross the sea to get it and proclaim it to us so we may obey it?" 14 No, the word is very near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart so you may obey it. 15 See, I set before you today life and prosperity, death and destruction.
1 John 3:9: Whoever has been born of God does not sin, for His seed remains in him; and he cannot sin, because he has been born of God.
The Idea is that you cannot continue to live in sin because the seed is in you. The seed is the word.
1 Peter 1:23: For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God.
2 Cor. 5:11-17, Gal. 6:7-8.
I think we need to look next at, “How Does The Flesh Deceive me?”
