A.W. Tozer wrote “Our attachment to the Person of Christ must exclude all that is contrary to Christ. ”When we receive Jesus by faith a change has taken place. Old things ARE done away with and we begin to see a change in our heart and lifestyle because of being under the control of the Holy Spirit. Our desire should be to live our lives by the power of the Holy Spirit. Galatians 5:1 It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery. Life in the Spirit is a life of true freedom that is a set-apart life. Set apart for Jesus.
Paul continued in Galatians 5 to tell us that when we walk by the Spirit the flesh will not win. It is at this point we realize that we have an enemy who is now active and trying to keep us from growing in this faith. Our enemy is a spiritual enemy and we must fight that enemy with spiritual weapons. Paul writes this in Ephesians 6:10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. 11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.
I had you read 2 Corinthians 5:18-19 and here are those verses. 2 Corinthians 5:18 Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation, 19 namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their wrongdoings against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation. When we have this change in our life it also changes how we look at our newfound faith. This faith is not to be kept from others, but it is to be shared with all who will listen so they can receive it also.
We have received this grace from God and the forgiveness of our sins and the reality of a new life is real, but we also have a burden for those who are lost in our families, our workplace, and our church. We begin to see people in a different way and God puts a desire in our heart to share this Good News with everyone we can. The Holy Spirit stirs a fire in each of us and the Word of God begins to come alive and show us the way to live. Here is where we need someone who has been a believer for a while to come alongside us and teach us God's Word and show us God's ways. Without this interaction with another believer, many fall back into living a life without a passion for the Lord and soon fall away completely because they have not grown in their faith walk. This is where the importance of the church fellowship and the body of Christ becomes a compliment to our faith. Our spiritual growth deepens and we begin to see life in a much more spiritual way. This is called "growing in the Lord" or sanctification. We have a deep desire to know God more and this is when we grow in our faith in leaps and bounds. We should want to grow closer to God and this relationship becomes very real and intimate and scripture says we consider God our "daddy" or Abba Father. Peter said it this way in 1 Peter 2:2 Like newborn babies, long for the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow in respect to salvation, 3 if you have tasted the kindness of the Lord.
We will grow if we trust God's Word and the wisdom we learn from it. Don't just take other's opinions about what God's Word says. Read and study it for yourself and you will be amazed at how much God will show you His mysteries. Paul wrote these words to his "son in the faith" in 2 Timothy 2:15 Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a worker who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth. This diligence comes from the Lord and the power to keep growing comes through the Holy Spirit. The result will be a person of prayer, a person of great faith, a person who loves as God loves, and a person who knows God. This person will grow into a spiritually sound follower of Jesus and as Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 2: 15 But the one who is spiritual discerns all things, yet he himself is discerned by no one. 16 For who has known the mind of the Lord, that he will instruct Him? But we have the mind of Christ. When we live the life of a Spirit-filled believer everything about life and Jesus comes into focus and there is great power and direction for you. This is Life in the Spirit and a huge part of The Process of Faith.
Tomorrow I will explain why we must share the message of the Gospel and how it will change our world.
Vesselogical Out,
David Warren