WALKING IN THE SPIRIT
(First part)
Memory verse (Gal5: 25) “ If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit ”
From the day we are born again, we start a new journey of living the spiritual life. Someone said that all truth is parallel, i.e. just as when someone is born in the flesh he starts a journey of life. From when the baby is born, the baby begins to learn how to suck, and do things in a new way he didn’t do while in the womb. The baby after a month begins to use his eyes to see, the ears begin to hear. As the baby grow, after 6 months or more begin to sit, go on to crawl, goes further to learn how stand on his legs and later to walk and run. This child grows from sucking mama’s breast, to eating liquid food, then to semi solid foods and later to solid food. Growth takes place in all areas of the person life from bones, brain, understanding, talking, muscles etc. Then the child begins to go school to learn, he/she grows further into youthfulness and finally to maturity where he/she begins to work, reproduce etc.
The spiritual development of every believer is similar. Walking in the Sprit is a process we learn, we go through. It needs practice. It needs learning. It takes time to master different steps and processes. All of us start as spiritual babies from the day we receive Jesus as our personal savior and Lord. That’s where the journey starts. We begin to be sensitive to the voice of God, the touch of God, the feelings of God, the word of God. When you do the things you used to do before, like lying, drinking, walking with certain people… you lose peace, you feel uncomfortable. You go to places you used to go before and you feel bad. You watch certain movies you used to and you don’t feel okay. But when you go to church you feel good, when they preach God’s word you get joy and those words stick in your heart and mind. When you read the Bible, the word get into your heart and begin to touch your life, Christian songs begin to make great meaning and minister to your soul. The process of spiritual development and growth should continue until we become experienced in walking in the Spirit. There is a spiritual world, just as there’s this physical world we were born into. The Spiritual world is not mystical it’s real. “ While we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal ” (2Cor4: 18).
Tomorrow’s subject, “ Walking in the world”
(Second part)
Memory verse (1John2: 15-16) “ Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him ”.
When parents get children, they have good dreams for them. They want them to be good children, they want to give them good education, they want to show them love, and they have an image of the kind of good future for them and they are determined to do whatever it takes to make them reach that goal. Some parents are fortunate their children live up to their dreams but some are unfortunate their children fail to see what their parents dream for them but become wayward, get deceived and follow wrong ways and later their end become bad.
Our heavenly Father has a good plan and destiny for every one of His born again child (Jer29: 11). God has a good dream for your life, it’s already complete and he wants to lead us step by step until he brings us to that future full of peace, joy, blessings, life, prosperity, eternal life etc. Some children of God follow God’s ways and he leads them into the plan he has for them, but some are deceived by Satan who comes to steal, kill and destroy their lives (Jn10: 10). Satan deceives them by the lust of the things of the world. They devote all their effort pursuing the things of the world. Satan steals their time for the word of God, prayer, and fellowship. Many children of God are consumed up by making more and more money, getting cars, houses, run for more degrees, run for influential positions. These things are not evil in themselves but if it’s the devil, the spirit of this world driving you, then your end won’t be good. Remember Satan wanted Jesus also to trade his spiritual inheritance for the worldly things (Mtt4: 8-9), again, the devil took Him up on an exceedingly high mountain, and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. And he said to Him, All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me. Don’t allow Satan to steal your birthright like he did to Esau. Jesus could not allow Satan to steal away his inheritance. Resist the devil and he’ll flee from you. Stand your ground and refuse the devil to steal your prayer life, your spiritual inheritance by lying to you. Seek God’s kingdom first and all these things God will add them to you.
Tomorrow’s subject “ Walking in the flesh ”
(Third part)
Memory verse (Rom8: 8-9) “ So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God. But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you ”.
There are some children of God who are deceived by Satan to walk according to their fleshly desires. Walking by fleshly desires leads to spiritual death, because the desires of the flesh are sinful (Gal5: 19). And they don’t please God. (Rom8: 6 –7). The scripture says the desires of the flesh are the direct opposite of the desires of the spirit (Gal5: 16).
It was the lust of the flesh that caused Esau to lose his birthright. His flesh wanted food badly. It was the lust of the flesh that caused Samson to lose the Spirit of God and ministry. The desires of the flesh, eating, drinking, smoking, sex etc if not put to death have potential to destroy your life, family and future. But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death (Jam 1:14-15).
You don’t need to allow your flesh to control you, Jesus destroyed sin in his body on the tree and he wants to give us the same victory through the empowering of the Holy Spirit in our lives.
(Rom8: 13), “ For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live ”. One of the benefits of being baptized in the Holy Spirit is to put to death the lusts of the flesh (Rom8: 13). If you’ve been walking in the flesh and you have a desire to follow the Lord, just begin to ask the Lord fill you with the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit will empower your spirit and he’ll be able to stand and resist the temptations of Satan he brings through the flesh. The Holy Spirit will also destroy the desires of those sinful things in your body. Once the desires are destroyed, Satan’s temptations become powerless and we can walk in victory over the flesh. May your body becomes God’s temple in Jesus name. Sin has no dominion over your life.
Tomorrow’s Subject: “ Being filled with the Holy Spirit ”
(Fourth part)
Memory verse (Eph 5: 18-21) “ And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord, giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another in the fear of God ”.
There’s a whole world of difference when our lives are filled with the Holy Spirit. God’s plan of redemption is after washing us by the Blood of His Son Jesus Christ, He would fill us with the Holy Spirit (Acts1: 5). The first gift Jesus sent to his disciples after his ascension was the Holy Spirit, and this still his plan that every new born again son of God would receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit (Acts2: 38). Our world changes when God’s Spirit and his power makes an entrance into our lives. He changes the way we speak and what we speak. Those who used to be cursing and murmuring begin to speak to each other in psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Our heart that used to be filled with sorrows and heaviness are filled with melodies to our God. Those who used to be criticizing people and God for anything begin to thank God for all things. Our pride is washed away and we begin to submit to each other. Life change when the Holy Spirit makes his abode in our lives.
There’s no life to live on this earth like a life full of God’s Spirit. It’s a life full of joy, peace, hope, power, passion, faith, singing etc. The list is endless. The Holy Spirit in us gives us power over the flesh, over the temptations of this world, the Holy Spirit teaches us all things, the Holy Spirit shows us the things to come good or bad, the Holy Spirit guides us in the way of truth, the Holy Spirit shows us the things God has freely given to us, He gives us wisdom and understanding about all issues of life, He teaches us how to pray, He helps to discover God’s purpose for lives and how to follow it, He reveals Christ to us.
Jesus promised that when goes to heaven and He’s glorified, He’ll cause this river of the Holy Spirit to flow in and through our lives. My brother and sister, it’s time to begin drinking and swimming in this river of life.
Tomorrow’s subject, “ Strengthening your inner man”
(Fifth part)
Memory verse (1Cor14: 4) “ He who speaks in a tongue edifies himself, but he who prophesies edifies the church ”.
God has provided a way for our personal spiritual edification. The book of Jude calls it to build up on our most Holy faith (Jude1: 20): “ But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit ”. Praying in the Holy Spirit helps to build up your spirit man. Praying in the Spirit is praying the prayers the Holy Spirit pours in your spirit. We pray with understanding and with our spirits, for if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my understanding is unfruitful. What is the conclusion then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will also pray with the understanding. I will sing with the spirit, and I will also sing with the understanding (1Cor14: 14-15). Praying in tongues or in the spirit edifies, strengthens, and builds up your spirit. John wrote and said I write to you young men because you are strong and you have overcome the evil one (1Jn 2:14). We need to use this gift God has given us and build up our spirits. When our spirits are strengthened, then we can be able to overcome the evil one, the lies of the devil, overcome temptations, and overcome the world. I would like to encourage you, if you have not been using this gift to start using it today. Pray more and more in tongues daily.
About 4 years ago, God was planning to bring a great turn around in my ministry. He was about to send me from the nation of Rwanda to Burundi. God knew this would take greater faith than I had then. So, to prepare me, God instructed me to pray in tongues for a whole month. God did not tell why he was leading to pray that way. He wanted to build up my spirit, to strengthen my spirit, my faith. After some time the Lord began to give me visions for the new direction of ministry, which am fulfilling now in Burundi.
Keep building up your spirit, faith daily by praying in tongues. Your spirit will become sober, strong, and victories will begin to flow in your life. Revelations will flood your life. As we pray mysteries to God, God answers us by revelations, visions. This is the way to discover God’s plans for your life. This releases greater spiritual understanding in your life. These are days of great exploits rise up and begin to fly in Jesus name.
Tomorrow’s Subject: “ Following the Holy Spirit”
(Sixth part)
Memory verse (Gal5: 18) “ But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law ”.
When we are baptized in the Holy Spirit and we keep up the habit of building up our spirits, then it becomes easy to follow the leading of the Holy Spirit in our lives. The scripture says that after Jesus had been filled with the Holy Spirit, the Holy Spirit led him into the wilderness (LK 4:1-19). You know what fills you that controls your life. When a person is drunk, he can do anything because of the alcohol. When people are full of food, it controls them and makes them sleepy. When people full of anger, lust, hunger etc they will do anything, because of what fills them. The same is true with the Holy Spirit. Jesus said, the spirit of the Lord is upon me and he has anointed me to preach the gospel…… From the day the Holy Spirit came upon Jesus, he never returned to his father, (Joseph’s) house, he followed the Holy Spirit until he finished his mission on earth.
The Apostles in the upper room were filled with fear, but when the day of Pentecost came, they were filled with the Holy Spirit and the story changed. They were full of the boldness, faith, anointing and they went everywhere preaching the gospel, healing the sick, raising the dead. Surely they changed their generation. It’s time to follow the leadership of the Holy Spirit in our lives, families, ministries and businesses. God send the Holy Spirit, to guide you, to comfort you, to help you, to empower you, to help you live a victorious life in this wicked world. As you follow the Holy Spirit, he will show you God’s plan for your life. He will help you to live the life God created you to live and to fulfill your purpose in life. He will show you right people to follow; he will show you traps of the enemy and help you overcome them.
As you follow him, he will help you as a husband to become the best husband you can be to your wife, he will help you to be the best minister you can be, he will help you to be the best father you can be to your children. Things will turn around when the Holy Spirit takes charge to lead your life in this world. He is a good leader. He is a good master. He knows your destination and he knows the way there. And he makes the way very comfortable for you. Thank you Father for the precious gift of the Holy Spirit.
Nice weekend and see you next Monday
