WALKING IN THE SPIRIT

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.”

What moves you? I don’t mean in the physical sense. We know how that’s done. You eat right. get plenty of rest, take your meds if you have them, and get some exercise. That keeps you reasonably fit so you can keep putting one foot in front of the other.

I want to know what moves you, in the spiritual sense. What causes you to make the decisions you make, pray the prayers you pray, and do the things you do? If you are a believer, you have invited what the theologians refer to as the indwelling of God’s Spirit to take over that job for you.

This term “in-dwelling” is used to describe how the Holy Spirit takes up residence in you at the moment of salvation, when you accept and promise to trust Jesus Christ as your Savior. This indwelling of the Holy Spirit is a promise from God that He will neither leave you nor forsake you (David’s prayer in Psalm 27). It’s also a promise that God will complete the good work He started in you. This means as you go through the process of sactification (The setting apart of youself from all things that do not please God) you seek to not only be baptised in but to be filled with the Spirit as on the day of Pentecost. Acts 2:4 “And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.”

God did start something, you know. He activated His plan for your life as a believer when He filled you with His Spirit. So let me ask you. Are you walking in the Spirit? You can’t possibly answer that question unless you are able to recognize first, WHO is the Holy Spirit; second, the WORK of the Holy Spirit; and third, the POWER SOURCE of the Holy Spirit. Buckle up. It’s going to be a bumpy ride!

WALKING IN THE SPIRIT

Who is the Holy Spirit?

Notice that I didn’t say WHAT is the Holy Spirit. That’s because the Spirit is God’s presence. And God is not a WHAT. He is definitely a WHO! (Hebrews 1:1) “God, WHO at sundry times and in diverse places spake in times past unto the fathers by the prophets” (1 Samuel 10:19) “God, WHO himself saved you out of all your adversities and your tribulations…” (2 Samuel 22:32). “WHO is God, save the LORD! And WHO is a Rock, save our LORD!” . Yes, the Holy Spirit is a WHO, for he is the third part of the Trinity which is God.

Jesus brought great comfort to the suffering Jews and Gentiles while He walked the earth and taught our brothers and sisters in antiquity about God and His ways. But Jesus knew He was soon to leave, for earth was not His home. So Jesus promised a Comforter to abide with us forever John 14:16 “And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;” In verse 17 Jesus defined him as “the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth Him not, neither knoweth Him: But YOU know Him; for he dwelleth with you and shall be in you.”

This was some profound teaching by Christ. Imagine how strange that must have sounded to the Jews. God is going to live in US? Their Priests and Rabbis taught that no one had contact with God but them; that God resided in the inner sanctum of the Temple…the Holy of Holies, and only the High Priest could enter in, once a year. But here was Jesus, telling them something radically different. Jesus said John 14:23, “If a man love me, he will keep my words, and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him!” Not in the Temple, but in THEM…and in US!

Who is this Spirit? Jesus said He is the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father sent in Jesus name…(John 14:26a).

Who is the Holy Spirit?

What is the Work of the Holy Spirit?

The Holy Spirit begins His work in the life of a believer, to guide them in their thoughts, feelings, and actions. He makes you go right when Satan says go left. He keeps your mind in perfect peace. He keeps your focus on what really matters. That’s His job. The Holy Spirit’s job is to speak to us and constantly recall God’s principles to our memory. Jesus said in John 14:26, that “He shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.”

But the Holy Spirit does far more than that. He doesn’t just help us to recall scripture when we are in crisis mode, or whisper God’s promises to our heart when we grieve. He doesn’t just do things FOR us; He also works THROUGH us, according to John 16: to “reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment” .

· The Holy Spirit rebukes the sin of the world because they don’t beleive in Jesus.

· Of righteousness because Jesus returned to His Father but righteousnees is still availible but the World refuses to accept it.

· And of judgement because the prince of this world will be judged…Satan (John 16:9-11)

That’s a lot of work for the Holy Spirit to accomplish, and He does it through us! As I survey the plight of the world…your world, my world, the whole of humanity…I wonder why the Spirit has to shout so loud to get us to listen and learn all that God would have us to know, and to do. We have a long way to go before we perfect our hearing and obeying.

The Holy Spirit in you is an outward witness to your inward conversion. He is a byproduct or consequence of genuine salvation. And according to Paul, if you as a Beleiver are filled with the Spirit, your walk should be different than it was before you confessed Christ as your Lord.

Are you walking in the Spirit? If you’re walking and it’s not working, the problem is not the Spirit’s lack of presence in your life; it’s just that you need to listen better. It takes practice to pay attention…to discipline yourself to the principles of your new faith.

What is the Work of the Holy Spirit?

Now we know for certain WHO is the Holy Spirit, and WHAT is His function, but that should peak our curiosity with a final question:

Who is the Holy Spirit’s power source?

There can be only one Source…It is God through His Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord.

Our old power source was sin. And all the laws man devised could not keep us from sin. But CHRIST can according to Romans 8:13 “For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh. That’s the only reason “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.”

The Spirit is CHRIST…in US! He is the Holy Spirit’s source of power. His Spirit motivates us in times of urgency. His Spirit checks us in times of temptation. His Spirit controls us in times of passion. His Spirit persuades us in times of hesitancy. His spirit equips us in times of battle. His Spirit cautions us in times of ease. And The Spirit even overshadows us in times of failure.

The Spirit knows when your hands become weary, your burdens become heavy, your eyes become dim, your steps become feeble, and your faith is tested. But when we learn to hear and heed the Spirit’s call, He can turn our valleys into victories… Our burdens into blessings, Our tears into triumphs, Our gloom into glory, Our weakness into strength, Our barrenness into fruitfulness, Our heartaches into Hallelujahs, Our sorrows into joys, And our miseries into miracles.

There is no power the Spirit cannot conquer. There is no situation the Spirit cannot control. There is no door the Spirit cannot open. There is no need the Spirit cannot meet.

Who is the Holy Spirit’s power source?

There can be only one Source…It is God through His Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord.

1 Corinthians 3:16 “Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?”

You won’t have to enter into any fiery furnace alone. You won’t have to slay any giants alone. You won’t have to march around your walls that have to come down, alone. You won’t have to face your enemies alone. If you are walking in the Spirit, and you give His Spirit the reigns…just let the Spirit take it from here. He will be the secret of your joy. He will be the wisdom of our words, the reason for our confidence, and the power of our witness…if you are walking in the Spirit!

Zechariah 4:6  Then he answered and spake unto me, saying, This is the word of the LORD unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the LORD of hosts.