The Things of the Spirit: Performance

According to

Romans 8:5 NKJV

5 For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit.

We cannot set our mind of “things of the flesh” and also be in the Spirit.

2 things of the flesh that we overlook:

YOUR performance.

Making God’s grace like ours.

(if it’s like *ours* then it’s a thing of the flesh)

Let’s start with #1:

By DEFINITION, YOUR performance, is a thing of the flesh!

If you focus on how great YOU’VE done, or if you focus on how YOU failed, your focused on what YOU did, not on the Spirit! The Spirit is all God, none of us at all. That’s why Romans 8 says, if BY THE SPIRIT we put to death the deeds of the body, we will live.

SO, first of all, don’t be prideful about doing good!

- If you do, that’s the flesh!

- If you do good, give glory to God.

- It’s HIS Holy Spirit, and HIS power that empowered you to do good in the first place.

the BIGGER problem with our performance though, is focusing on our failures.

Our focus on walking with God, is supposed to be on what happens when we DON’T fail. When we ARE walking with God.

What are the different aspects of a walk with God?

Promises

Fruits

the flesh & spirit are contrary!

Gifts

1 Corinthians 12:7 (NKJV)

7 But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all:

Peace

Romans 8:6 (NKJV)

6 For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.

Power

Galatians 5:16 (NKJV)

16 I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.

Authority

Romans 8:4 (NKJV)

4 that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.

Absence of Condemnation

Romans 8:1 (NKJV)

1 There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.

Answered Prayer

John 15:7 (NKJV)

7 If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you.

Pleasing God

Romans 8:8 (NKJV)

8 So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God.

Revelation from the Word

1 Corinthians 2:14 (NKJV)

14 But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.

Failing sometimes

The ENTIRE grace vs. truth thing, is about failures! The entire “you preach too hard” thing is about failures.

the modern crisis infecting the church is about failures. false prophets and teachers are about failures. last days “doctrines on of demons” and perverted views about grace, are all about failure! all witnessing, all hesitancy to get saved, all church missing. People choose what to highlight, based on failure!

That ONE TINY little aspect of walking with God that happens SOMETIMES.

The ONLY THING up there, that’s the flesh, is the last one! That last piece, failure, is a thing of the flesh!

“Failure” implies you were trying not to.

Why were you trying not to?

THAT’S the thing God cares about. Was it to look good?

We need to REPENT, of focusing on our failures!

So how should we feel about our failures?

we should learn from them!

we can’t let them keep us from God!

We can’t choose churches, preachers, teachings, or Bible passages based on our failures. All of those things should be chosen based on the idea we ARE living for God!

Never repent for the same event twice. Never. Doing so, implies God holds grudges. (same category is okay)

MOVE ON! You CAN’T focus on them!

catalog it, gain a lesson from it, and put it away.

Focus on JESUS instead

You should CAST THEM ASIDE!