Walking in the Spirit (Part 1)
Foreword to this study.
For the past several months God has been stirring in my heart the desire to address the spiritual problem that I believe can clearly be observed in the modern church. Both men and women struggle to overcome sinful habits and lifestyles that prevent them from serving God. It is very rare indeed to find anyone who knows how to live life as an overcomer and walk in the Spirit. Walking in the Spirit should be the part of every Christian’s life; however, most have no concept of what this really means. The problem is compounded when counterfeit infillings are presented as the standard and people look at emotions and excitement as the meaning behind the Spirit. You can have spirited worship without ever being filled by the Spirit. A pep rally is not how we are filled by the Spirit.
The Bible commands us to be filled with the Spirit and then provides the evidence that the spirit you have is the Holy Spirit. If you are filled with the Spirit, the fruit of the Spirit will begin to grow in your life: peace, love (agape), joy, patience, gentleness, kindness, goodness, faithfulness and self-control. Do you see these developing in your life? If not, you are not filled with the Spirit. Even if you are convinced that you are baptized in the Spirit, if you do not see the fruit of the Spirit, you are not filled with the Spirit. You cannot be filled with the Spirit and then live contrary to the Spirit.
If you have been a part of this ministry for long you probably remember my discussion about a friend of mine being arrested and is now in prison for going to meet an under age girl for sex. Along with his arrest at least 3 other men were arrested who were either ministers or professing Christians. This began my quest for answers. Why is holiness so hard to find in the church? Why aren’t men and women beginning to be changed toward godliness but instead are drifting back toward the lusts of the world? I personally know people who claim to be slain in the Spirit each Sunday but are dominated by sin in their lives. It is for this reason that I feel led by God to begin a study to serve as a help to those who truly wish to be filled with the Spirit. The spiritual infilling that comes from God removes us from the focus and puts our focus on the will of God and our purpose of being shaped into the image of Christ.
One thing that I believe each Christian must realize is that no man can reveal the things of the Spirit to you. I can teach you spiritual principles and share the scriptures that have shaped my life and continue to shape my life, but only God can give you understanding and only God can reveal Himself to you. I can share with you the biblical principles that teach us how to be filled with the Spirit, but I cannot teach you what God has set aside for Himself. I will reiterate this often because it is something we all must understand. No teacher, preacher, book or any other thing can change your life. Only the Spirit can change our lives as we obey and submit to Him. I can share how God has filled me with His Spirit and the scriptures that teach these things, but the Bible says that the word does not profit you unless it is mixed with faith (Hebrews 4:2). If you believe, you will seek, obey and apply the principles of scriptures to your life. If you do not have faith, the principles you hear will soon fall by the wayside and be of no profit to you.
The Bible teaches that God reveals His will to us by building precept upon precept. As you obey and God proves your faith, He will continue to reveal Himself more and more. Even if God makes a dramatic change in your life as He did mine, you must still follow these principles or else you will begin to slip. You quench the Spirit when you act in the flesh, but you are filled with the Spirit when you yield to the word of God and live by faith. Through months of prayer and study I believe the word of God reveals to us how every Christian can be filled with the Holy Spirit. Each person can have a faith that is real, experience God in powerful ways and see the Spirit producing fruit in their lives. You do not have to be stagnate in your faith. Whether you are an emotional shouter or someone who quietly worships in the silence of their heart, you can be filled with the Spirit. The filling is not revealed in outward expressions but the changing power of God in our lives.
Do you have an explosive temper? The fruit of the Spirit produces gentleness.
Do you have anxiety? The fruit of the Spirit produces peace.
Do you have habits or addictions that control you? The fruit of the Spirit produces self-control.
The church does not realize the power of God that has been given to us through His Spirit. God is able to transform and show His power through anyone who will surrender to His Spirit. In this study I will examine what I believe lays the precept upon precept so that each Christian can follow these things and truly experience the things God has promised to us. This study is not theoretical. I personally have experienced these things in my life. Even though I was raised in church and accepted Christ as a youth, ten years ago my life was in shambles and my marriage was filled with distrust and bitterness. Thirteen years ago I left the church because I found no meaning in the weekly religion or help for my problems. I now know that the church could not provide the answers because so few Christians know the answers that are found in the word of God. Today I have experienced God and continue to experience Him in my daily walk. I am continuously amazed at what God reveals through His word and it is my desire that other Christians truly find what it means to walk with God as they walk in the Spirit.
Humility
I believe that the Bible clearly teaches that humility is the key to beginning the Christian walk. Pride blinds the eyes of its possessor. Unfortunately we all struggle with pride and if we look to ourselves, we will never find freedom from the sin that binds us. The average church member often feels righteous because they have never been a thief, murderer, adulterer and haven’t done anything that they can point to as wickedness in their life; however, pride is a sin of abomination. Proverbs 6:16-19 describes the things God hates the most. Pride is the first thing on the list. Who doesn’t struggle with pride? In truth, the one struggling with sin in their life and sees their need for God is closer to finding grace than a man or woman who trusts in their own uprightness.
In Luke 18, Jesus told the story about a religious leader and a tax collector that went into the temple to pray. The Pharisee was the height of righteousness in the Jewish culture. They knew the commandments of the law and their entire lives centered around religion. A tax collector in the Jewish culture was the vilest man alive. They were viewed with so much contempt because they were first supporting the Roman government that oppressed the nation and challenged its God given right to be free. On top of this, the tax collector was given the right to embezzle from the people. They received wages from the Roman government but they also had a lot of room to raise anyone’s tax debt in order to pad their own pockets. If the Romans gave them a taxable amount, they could raise that amount in order to increase their own profit. Anything they collected above the required wages was theirs to keep. Tax collectors were thieves backed by the Roman military.
Jesus compared the icon of religious perfection to the most despicable emblem of corruption. The Pharisee was thanking God that he was religious, holy, his ability to keep the law and even going beyond what was required by fasting three times a week. The thief knew he was vile and had nothing righteous to say about himself. His only prayer was, “Lord, be merciful to me, a sinner”. Jesus said that the tax collector (or publican) left the temple justified but the Pharisee did not.
The same principle is true in your life. If you are proud God resists you, but if you humble yourself, God gives you grace (James 4:6, 1 Peter 5:5). Benjamin Franklin once said that humility was such a difficult virtue to attain that if I should ever attain to it, I would be proud of myself. Unfortunately this is true. Your battle with pride will be a life long struggle. Everyone recognizes that open sins are evil, but no one recognizes the wickedness caused by pride. Pride robs God of glory and puts our ego in His place. Through pride, you are blinded to the hand of God and take credit for what God has enabled you to do or given you as a blessing. You must overcome pride in order to receive God’s grace; however, you do not overcome pride by fighting against it but by pursuing humility.
Humility is like holiness in that you must pursue it all your life. Rather than grasping it, you grow into it and continue to grow into it as you mature spiritually. The first principle you must understand is that you are not righteous and cannot be righteous by your own efforts. Pride is based on ‘I’. The very first sin was pride. Satan fell when pride was found in his heart. Look at Satan’s declaration found in Isaiah 14:13-15
13 For you have said in your heart: 'I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will also sit on the mount of the congregation On the farthest sides of the north; 14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the Most High.' 15 Yet you shall be brought down to Sheol, To the lowest depths of the Pit.
Five times in this passage Satan used the word ‘I’. ‘I’ is the focus of pride. This is why the world religions are so appealing. Every religion focuses on ‘I’ for righteousness and salvation except biblical Christianity. Even Christians can get off course by shifting their focus away from God and to themselves. Legalism is the product of pride. Legalism is trying to make yourself righteous by personal effort. Whenever your dependence is on you, pride is at the door. Whenever you are focused on you in order to become righteous or more holy, you are walking in pride and not in the Spirit. This is true regardless of how religious you appear to others or what works you do.
Humility is based on acknowledging dependence on God alone for all physical and spiritual things and recognizing that God gives grace based on His sovereign will and not our worthiness. Do not try to figure out why God has shown you grace or revealed spiritual insights to you. One principle to live by is found in Deuteronomy 29:
29 "The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but those things which are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law.
God has not revealed to us why He chooses to show mercy to one and allow another to struggle. Even though I believe the Bible clearly teaches that God offers grace to all, it is also true that for some He reveals more than to others. Consider the apostle Paul. He hated the church and did everything he could to stamp out Christianity and punish anyone who claimed the name of Jesus. In fact, the Bible says that he had so much rage against the Christian that he received authority to even go to foreign cities and drag them back to Jerusalem to be put to death. Paul even testifies that he made it his mission to force them to blaspheme God before being put to death (Acts 26). In spite of his absolute hatred for Christ and Christianity, God saw fit to miraculously intervene, reveal Himself to Paul and set him apart for God’s service. Why does God choose to intervene in one life and not another? The Bible answers this question in Romans 9:15-16
15 For He says to Moses, "I will have mercy on whomever I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whomever I will have compassion." 16 So then it is not of him who wills, nor of him who runs, but of God who shows mercy.
The Bible also warns us not to be high minded but to fear, for if God has cast away Israel because of unbelief, we also will not continue if we are moved away from our faith. It is very important to understand that God, in His sovereign will, has called you in His mercy. Those who are lifted up with pride or become high minded will begin to follow their own sense of wisdom rather than looking expectantly to God. Look at Romans 12:16
Be of the same mind toward one another. Do not set your mind on high things, but associate with the humble. Do not be wise in your own opinion.
If you allow yourself to become high minded, you will begin to shift away from faith and toward error. The scriptures constantly reiterate this point, do not be wise in your own eyes (Proverbs 3:7), a fool relies on his own wisdom (Proverbs 12:15), woe to those who are wise in their own eyes and upright in their own sight (Isaiah 5:21). The Bible even says that there is more hope in a fool than there is for someone who thinks that they are wise by their own understanding (Proverbs 26:12). The reason for this is that you cannot see beyond your own immediate circumstance. I can’t understand all things nor can I see what happens in the spiritual world or the long term consequences for my actions. I can only understand what I see at this time in my immediate circumstances – and even that is extremely limited. God created all things, formed me in my mother’s womb and works all things together to accomplish His will and fulfill my life. I can’t see how things work together or why things happen. Consider Isaiah 55:7-9
7 Let the wicked forsake his way, And the unrighteous man his thoughts; Let him return to the LORD, And He will have mercy on him; And to our God, For He will abundantly pardon. 8 " For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways," says the LORD. 9 "For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts.
God purposefully does not reveal all the picture to you and He purposefully orchestrates events in your life that will not make sense so that you have to humble yourself and trust Him or decide that you know better and reject God’s will. Those who humble themselves will see the end of the Lord but those who are proud and rely on their own understanding will never see the end result and stand amazed at the wisdom of God.
The humble man or woman will not look to their own righteousness or wisdom, but will look expectantly to God. As I look to and expectantly seek the Lord, He reveals Himself to me. Even my looking to God is an act of God for the Bible clearly teaches that no one seeks the Lord or His ways, but rather that there is none who understands and none who seek God (Psalm 14:3, Romans 3:12). It is the Lord who draws us and stirs our hearts to seek. We are merely responding or resisting the call of the Lord. Consider these passages:
John 6:43-45 43 Jesus therefore answered and said to them, "Do not murmur among yourselves. 44 "No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day. 45 "It is written in the prophets, 'And they shall all be taught by God.' Therefore everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to Me.
Proverbs 1:22-23 22 "How long, you simple ones, will you love simplicity? For scorners delight in their scorning, And fools hate knowledge. 23 Turn at my rebuke; Surely I will pour out my spirit on you; I will make my words known to you.
Do you see that there is no room for pride? Even your act of seeking is the hand of the Lord working in your heart to draw you to Him. Every thing righteous in our lives is the hand of God working within us to produce righteousness. The only time I can take credit for anything in my life is when I interfere with God or resist His work. Throughout the Bible this theme is reiterated again and again in both the Old and New Testaments. God issues His call and then reveals His works to those who answer. Your knowledge and understanding does not come from your degree, training or from any source other than God. According to Jesus, if you humble yourself and respond to God’s drawing, you will be taught by God. If you are taught from any other source, you are getting second hand information. It is impossible for you to understand without setting your heart to seek the Lord. You can gain knowledge and a limited understanding, but the deeper things of God can only be received by seeking God with all your heart. I will get into this in greater detail as this study goes on. The important point I want you to grasp at this point is the absolute necessity of humility. It is not your knowledge, your wisdom, your works or your righteousness. The Lord alone gives knowledge and understanding and He gives it freely to those who humble themselves before Him. Look at Psalm 25:8-15
8 Good and upright is the LORD; Therefore He teaches sinners in the way. 9 The humble He guides in justice, And the humble He teaches His way. 10 All the paths of the LORD are mercy and truth, To such as keep His covenant and His testimonies. 11 For Your name's sake, O LORD, Pardon my iniquity, for it is great. 12 Who is the man that fears the LORD? Him shall He teach in the way He chooses. 13 He himself shall dwell in prosperity, And his descendants shall inherit the earth. 14 The secret of the LORD is with those who fear Him, And He will show them His covenant. 15 My eyes are ever toward the LORD, For He shall pluck my feet out of the net.
The Lord guides the humble; the Lord teaches His ways to the humble. Once you humble yourself before the Lord, you are given a pardon for sins, receive mercy, truth and all the promises of God. Those whose eyes are on ‘I’ receive nothing from the Lord. If you have earned your salvation, your salvation is worthless and you are still in your sins. If you are a learned man (even in biblical things), do not trust in your knowledge. God brings to nothing the wisdom of the wise (1 Corinthians 1:19) but instead reveals His way to those who humble themselves as children looking expectantly to their Father in heaven (Matthew 11:25). Never depend on your righteousness, holiness or even your own humility, but instead seek these things from the Lord. Look at Zephaniah 2:3
Seek the LORD, all you meek of the earth, Who have upheld His justice. Seek righteousness, seek humility. It may be that you will be hidden In the day of the LORD's anger.
Notice that the Bible does not state that you must make yourself humble, but to seek humility. In order to humble yourself before Him you must seek the Lord who creates in us a humble heart. True humility comes from the Lord. True knowledge, wisdom and understanding comes from the Lord (Proverbs 2:6). We are not holy by ourselves, but are partakers of His holiness (Hebrews 12:10). We are not righteous but are covered by the righteousness of God through the cross of Jesus Christ (2 Corinthians 5:21, Isaiah 61:10). Where is boasting? Where is self-righteousness? This is why the Bible tells us, “He that boasts, let him boast in the Lord” (Psalm 34:2, Galatians 6:14, 1 Corinthians 1:21). There is no room for self-boasting for what have we done to merit God’s unmerited favor? What have we done to make ourselves clean, give ourselves understanding, acquire wisdom or even have a desire to seek without the Lord first drawing us? The Bible asks the question, “Why do you boasts for what you have received as though you had not received it”? (1 Corinthians 4:7)
According to the scripture, there is a false humility. False humility is self-focused. There are those who have a pretense of humility in order to appear submissive even when they are lifted up with pride. There is a false humility where you debase yourself in an attempt to create your own humility. You will often see people make self-degrading comments or do and say things that give the appearance of a lack of self-confidence. You can be a person with zero self-confidence and still be consumed with pride. You can have great self-confidence and be humble. This is especially true as you grow spiritually. The more confident you are in God’s will for your life and in your relationship with Him, the more self-confident you will become. This is true because you know that if you are doing what God has called, you know for certainty that you are doing what is right and you are acting on God’s authority. The more confident you grow in Christ, the more confident you will become as a person.
True humility is acknowledging that all things are of God. True humility is knowing for certain that you are righteous because God has made you righteous. The humble knows that God is the source of wisdom, knowledge, understanding and every good thing in their life. Pride is the result of looking at yourself, but humility is the result of looking expectantly to and depending on God and His perfect will. Pride comes when you think that you have done something to merit God’s favor. Pride is looking at the work of God in your life and saying, “look what I have done” or thinking that you must have done something to deserve what God has given you. The humble knows that God produces all good things in our lives. Humility causes me to even recognize that I am dependent on God for humility. I am dependent on God to draw me and I am dependent on God to give me a heart to respond to that drawing. Once I begin to fall into the trap of thinking that I have done something or merited something, I fall into the warning that “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”
God has stated that He does not work in the life of the proud. When lifted up with pride, you may be able to achieve things, do good deeds, even build numerical growth in your church; however, good deeds are not of God, good works are of God. Good works is what God does through you and how He rewards the labor of your hands. Good works are spiritual and can only be done by the Spirit. Don’t fall into the trap of thinking that everything that sparkles is gold. Even the murderous gangster Al Capone fed the poor. The fruit of the Spirit is the evidence that God is working in your life and making disciples of all people is the evidence that God is working in your ministry. A disciple is someone who is learning to obey everything that God has commanded. This begins with humility and must be focused on the work of God. Finally, look at 1 Peter 5:5-7
5 Likewise you younger people, submit yourselves to your elders. Yes, all of you be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility, for "God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble." 6 Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, 7 casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.
It is God that lifts up, exalts and works within us. This happens with the humble because God is their focus. The proud are building their own kingdom. Set your heart to seek humility.
Eddie Snipes
Exchanged Life Outreach
http://www.exchangedlife.com
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