Living in the Spirit is living
a transparent life. It is a life of obedience to the
LORD God, and it is the very life of Jesus Christ
Himself given to us by the Holy Spirit.
Has God found in you a person
who is willing to obey Him completely? Can He trust
you with the pearl of greatest price?
If I am going to live in the
Spirit I must say no to self. There are plenty of
would be followers of Christ who would follow Him
halfway, but not all the way. The other half of the
problem is self. Am I willing to die to self?
The normal Christian life is
one that is willing to follow the Holy Spirit in
complete obedience, without reservation, and disown
self. It means to commit yourself literally,
utterly, completely in unreserved obedience to Him.
Obedience to the Holy Spirit
means freedom. There is great freedom in the
spiritual life that comes as we yield ourselves to
the Holy Spirit. The reason it is so freeing is that
it is cut loose from subtle selfishness.
“If you love Me; you will obey
Me,” Jesus said. When we obey Him we are walking in
perfect freedom. “It was for freedom that Christ set
us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be
subject again to a yoke of slavery” (Galatians 5:1).
A little later the apostle Paul writes, “If you are
led by the Spirit, you are not under the Law” (v.
18).
“The requirement of the Law” is
fulfilled in the believers, “who do not walk
according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit”
(Rom. 8:4).
The idea of “walking” is
literally “to walk about,” meaning the habitual way
a person conducts his life.
The apostle Paul speaks of this
continual habitual action again in Galatians 5:16
when he says to “walk by the Spirit, and you will
not carry out the desire of the flesh.”
Who is habitually ordering my
life? Do I seek complete obedience to my will, my
desires, my ambitions, my goals, and my glory? When
I am obeying my Lord I am enjoying perfect liberty
because He is in control.
George Matheson said, “Make me
captive, Lord, and then I shall be free.” When we
are free in Christ we are bound to everything to
which He is bound, i.e., righteousness, holiness,
love, etc.
“Where the Spirit of the Lord
is, there is liberty” (2 Corinthians 3:17). When I
am living in the Spirit I am living in freedom. Only
then are we free to live the Christian life.
The result of this freedom to
live in the Spirit is the “fruit of the Spirit”
(Gal. 5:22-23). The Holy Spirit reproduces the
likeness of Christ in us. Here is a cluster of eight
characteristics of Jesus Christ.
When we live in the Spirit we
have an abundance of grace for daily living (2 Cor.
12:9). When we are living or “walking in the Spirit”
we are living a Spirit-controlled life. We are
constantly, moment by moment, filled with the
Spirit.
Living in the Spirit is a life
constantly, consciously, and definitely subjected to
the Spirit. It is a life that has a consuming desire
for the Holy Spirit to be in control over our every
thought, word, and deed. When we live in the Spirit
we live a life that is unceasingly controlled by the
Holy Spirit.
We cannot live the normal
Christian life unless the Holy Spirit is in constant
control.
If I am not living in the
Spirit, I am living under the control of my carnal
flesh, which is opposed, to everything God is for.
The Holy Spirit is a divine
Person who controls another person. As we yield
ourselves to Him He uses us to accomplish God’s will
in our lives and ministries. He produces His fruit
in us. Are we allowing Him to be in constant control
of our lives? Are we cooperating with Him in all
things?
We have been given freedom to
walk in the life of the Spirit. Let’s exercise that
freedom.
Selah!
Message by Wil Pounds (c) 2006
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Unless otherwise noted "Scripture quotations taken from the NASB."
"Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE" © Copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation Used by permission." (www.Lockman.org)Scripture quoted by permission. Quotations designated (NET) are from the NET Bible copyright ©1996-2006 by Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. http://www.bible.org/. All rights reserved.
Wil is a graduate of William Carey University, B. A.; New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, Th. M.; and Azusa Pacific University, M. A. He has pastored in Panama, Ecuador and the U. S, and served for over 20 years as missionary in Ecuador and Honduras. He had a daily expository Bible teaching ministry head in over 100 countries from 1972-2005. He continues to seek opportunities to be personally involved in world missions. Wil and his wife Ann have three grown daughters. He currently serves as a Baptist pastor and teaches seminary extension courses in Ecuador.
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