Walk In The Spirit - Part 8

If we as believers are going to walk in the spirit we are going to have to be intentional in our spiritual disciplines.  In our last 2 messages in this series we have been discussing Biblical ways in which we can increase our spiritual awareness.  We live in a world that is constantly pulling us toward the natural in thought and toward the desires of our flesh.  But, in the midst of this Paul by the Holy Spirit stated in Galatians that we are to "walk in the spirit."

Gal 5:16 I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. NKJV

Gal 5:25 If (since) we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. NKJV

Gal 5:25 Since this is the kind of life we have chosen, the life of the Spirit, let us make sure that we do not just hold it as an idea in our heads or a sentiment in our hearts, but work out its implications in every detail of our lives.  (from THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language © 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson. All rights reserved.)

Walk (4043 peripateo) – This word in the Greek means to live, it means to regulate one’s life, or to conduct oneself.  This word encompasses the whole round of the activities of the believers life. 

• Believers are to regulate and conduct themselves exclusively from their spirits.  This is walking in the spirit.   

In part 7 and part 8 in our series we have been driving home the point of developing spiritual awareness and we have looked at several things that will assist us in this process from the Scriptures.  Here is the review.

1. Draw near to God.

Scripture:  James 4:8 Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. NKJV

Other Translations:  

James 4:8 Come close to God, and God will come close to you. Wash your hands,              you sinners; purify your hearts, for your loyalty is divided between God and the                  world.  

What do we see?

Draw Near (1448 eggizo) – This word in the Greek means to make near, to be near.  It means to approach or to join one thing to another.    

Double Minded (1374 dipsuchos) – This word in the Greek means to vacillate in opinion and purpose.  It means to be divided in interest mainly between God and the world.  It means to be two souled.  This is a believer who has received Christ but has not committed their mind to the Lord, they allow it to be pulled in two different directions and they end up living in sin.
    

• The cleansing of our natural lives is within our power to decide from the will.  Our spirits are clean by Christ Spirit, but our minds and bodies are in our control. 
• Cleansing of the mind involves going from double mindedness to single mindedness, Biblical thinking, and no worldly thinking.  
• The believers in James’ congregation had drawn away from the Lord through carnality.  Sin had overcome their lives, and they had become hypocrites. 
• In order for us to draw near to God we are going to have to move away from something else, we will have to leave one to pursue another. 
• James by the Holy Spirit is calling these sinning Christians to repentance.  He is sharing with them a key to walking in the spirit.  When we draw near to God He reveals our double mindedness and our dirty hands.

Drawing near to God through removing unholiness from our lives will increase our sensitivity or awareness of the spirit.  Unholiness is always a byproduct of carnality in the believers life and carnality in the believers life comes from having a carnal mind or being double minded.

“Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded………..”

Scripture:  Eph 5:11 And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them. NKJV

All sin leads away from God.  It will always lead a person into darkness and away from light. God does not reject us when we sin, He calls us to Himself in mercy for the purpose of repentance, but if we persist in sin we will finally end up rejecting God and He will make permanent what we choose.  This is why God is so vehemently against sin!

• Drawing near to God positions us in a way where we are able to receive His correction and direction.  (Hebrews 12:5, 6).  This gives us the ability to “walk in the spirit.

Scripture:  Acts 14:21 And when they had preached the gospel to that city and made many disciples, they returned to Lystra, Iconium, and Antioch, 22 strengthening the souls of the disciples, exhorting them to continue in the faith, and saying, "We must through many tribulations enter the kingdom of God." 23 So when they had appointed elders in every church, and prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord in whom they had believed. NKJV

• Fasting and prayer are great tools in this life that will facilitate a greater level of spiritual awareness.  Practicing these disciplines of the faith will help us “walk in the spirit.” 
• As a believer, when was the last time you set aside time to fast and pray concerning a situation in your life.
• I need to say this about fasting, there is a lot of teaching on different fasts in the Scriptures, most of which is from the Old Testament.  While I do not disagree with these necessarily I will say there is no hard and fast rules on fasting concerning when you do it or how long or what you fast.  The main point of fasting is to quiet your flesh and mind.  Fastings does nothing to God is positions us to receive from Him, we position ourselves to be more spiritually aware. 

Scripture:  Ps 29:1 Give unto the Lord, O you mighty ones, Give unto the Lord glory and strength.  2 Give unto the Lord the glory due to His name; Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness.

Worship (7812 shachah) -  This word means to bow down; to prostrate, it means to show reverence or to stoop.

Ex 34:8 – And Moses made haste, and bowed his head toward the earth, and worshipped. NKJV  
 

• Bowing down is the act of lowering yourself and exalting God.  This is an act that enslaves the body and mind to righteousness.  We position ourselves to hear from God by acknowledging that He is greater than our physical and mental ability and we need His help. 
• Worship helps quiet the mind and body concerning external circumstances in order to hear from the Holy Spirit.

3 The voice of the Lord is over the waters; The God of glory thunders; The Lord is over many waters.
4 The voice of the Lord is powerful; The voice of the Lord is full of majesty.
5 The voice of the Lord breaks the cedars, Yes, the Lord splinters the cedars of Lebanon.
6 He makes them also skip like a calf, Lebanon and Sirion like a young wild ox. 
7 The voice of the Lord divides the flames of fire. 
8 The voice of the Lord shakes the wilderness; The Lord shakes the Wilderness of Kadesh. 
9 The voice of the Lord makes the deer give birth, And strips the forests bare; And in His temple everyone says, "Glory!" 
10 The Lord sat enthroned at the Flood, And the Lord sits as King forever. 
11 The Lord will give strength to His people; The Lord will bless His people with peace. NKJV

• What a powerful list of results from worshipping God!  Worshipping God in the spirit has an effect in the earth, in the church and in our individual lives.

Let’s look at a New Testament example of this in the book of Acts.

Scripture:  Acts 16:25 But at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them. 26 Suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened, and everyone's chains were loosed. 27 And the keeper of the prison, awaking from sleep and seeing the prison doors open, supposing the prisoners had fled, drew his sword and was about to kill himself. 28 But Paul called with a loud voice, saying, "Do yourself no harm, for we are all here." 29 Then he called for a light, ran in, and fell down trembling before Paul and Silas. 30 And he brought them out and said, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?" 31 So they said, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household." 32 Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house. 33 And he took them the same hour of the night and washed their stripes. And immediately he and all his family were baptized. 34 Now when he had brought them into his house, he set food before them; and he rejoiced, having believed in God with all his household. NKJV

• Paul and Silas were in an unjustly difficult place and instead of complaining and feeling sorry for themselves they chose to pray and worship the Lord; they chose to keep themselves in a place of spiritual awareness.  From this the Lord shook that old jail and released Paul and Silas.  It is just like what we read in Psalms 29 the voice of the Lord can move any natural obstacle. 
• Let’s review the results that Paul and Silas received by walking in the spirit in this situation.
• They were freed from prison.
• They prevented a suicide.
• They led the jailer and all that were in his house to the Lord and they were baptized. 
• They received medical attention and food from the jailer.