Walking In The Spirit

Most of the ministry Pastor Felix and I deal with people that have life controlling issues.  These life controlling issues can be anything that deals with any aspect of Substance, Behavioral or Relational; drugs and alcohol addiction, sexual addictions, eating disorders, depression, co-dependency, etc.

Tomorrow night we are starting our new Insight Groups.  During these sessions we help and encourage people to reveal, confront, deal and heal from life controlling issues so that they can live victorious lives.  I’m convinced that in order for us to overcome our issues, if we are not saved born-again believers then our first action is to confess and repent that Jesus is Savior and Lord of our lives.  If we are already a born-again believer we have got to understand the true meaning of being a “new creature”.

Friends, the Bible tells us clearly that we are to dwell in the secret place of the most High.  That secret place is Jesus!  We must abide in Jesus.  So check this, when you receive Jesus into your life as Savior and Lord you become instantly a new creature in Christ old things pass away and all things become new.  So we are laying down the “old creature”.

So why do we struggle in our daily lives against life-controlling issues?  Well, we start reverting back to our “old carnal nature”; we allow Satan a foothold when we do this.  At some point, in some facet of our daily walk we have stopped abiding in the secret place of the Most High.  Listen friends, Satan can only steal, kill and destroy the part of you that is outside the abiding in Christ.  In Ephesians 4:27 we read about not allowing Satan to have any ground, it says anger gives a foothold to the devil. So where does anger come from; self.  We give Satan ground by dwelling in ourselves whether it be by anger, unforgiveness, jealousy, envy, strife,pride,  gossip, covetousness or hatred, if you allow it to continue then you are giving ground to Satan.  To be free you must break this stronghold by crucifying the flesh. We must realize that nothing is protected outside of abiding in Christ, this walking in the Spirit, not your jobs, not your husbands, not your children, not your money – nothings is protected.

We have a choice to make every hour of every day.  Are we going to crucify our flesh, our “old nature” and walk in the Spirit by abiding in Christ or are we going to make the CHOICE to step outside of our protection, our secret place and give in to the lusts of our own fleshly desires.

During the course of our sessions we begin to see people start waxing and waning, sometimes eventually quitting altogether. So why are these groups so hard for us to stay in?  It is painful; it is unpleasant at times to deny ourselves of our self.  It is not our birth given fleshly nature to deny itself, only in Christ can we truly accomplish this.  So when we start allowing the Holy Spirit to deal with us it can get ugly for us and sometimes the urges become so strong that we make the CHOICE to revert back to them.

Notice, I keep saying we are making those choices.  Why?  Because it is our choice whether or not we are going to walk in the Spirit or walk in the Natural.  God tells us in his word to resist the devil and he will flee James 4:7.  So in order to do that it takes action on our part.  You may be tempted by Satan every minute of every day but it is your choice either to resist him or give in to him.  Once we are saved, we have God living inside of us in the form of the Holy Spirit, if we allow Him; He will direct our path, and guide our steps.  Satan cannot gain an inch unless . . . unless, what? We allow Him.

Bottom line, Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lusts of the flesh, Galatians 5:16.  Jesus us tells us to pick up our cross and follow Him, our cross is the cross of our flesh – our natural lustful worldly desires.  We are born again believers.  We are born again into the righteousness of Christ Jesus; therefore, if I abide in Christ and He abides in me I will live victorious.

You may ask, as we have been asked, why are so many Christians “falling”?  They are falling because at some point they stop abiding in Jesus.  They stopped walking in the Spirit; they gave Satan a foothold and in doing so Satan is able to destroy and kill.  We need to pray for our fallen brothers and sisters in Christ.  We need to pray for their choices.  They do not need “delivered” they need to crucify their flesh.  Jesus delivered them on the Cross of Calvary.

Today, this hour, this minute, make the CHOICE to abide in Christ and crucify the flesh because Satan cannot touch what is in Christ.

Praise Him!