Walk In The Spirit - Part 9

Introduction:  There are several ways that we can develop a strong spirit.  In this message we are going to look at the first of 4 Scriptural ways to develop a strong spiritual awareness.  Remember as Teilhard de Chardin,  The French Priest said,  “We’re not just human beings having a temporary spiritual experience. But we’re spiritual beings having a temporary human experience.”  As Gal 5:25 says, "If (since) we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit."  Walking in the spirit means that we are regulating every part of our lives from the Spirit of God.  This means being strong in the spirit is vital to our success.  So, let’s look at how we can have a strong spirit.  

Let's look to our first key in developing a strong spirit.
 

1. Feed on the Word of God.

Scripture:  Josh 1:8 This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. NKJV

Meditate (1897 hagah [daw-gaw] – This word means to mutter and to imagine or we might say to think and to talk.  So, meditation in the Word of God is the process of thinking about the Word and speaking the Word of God.

In the natural if we do not eat on a regular basis we will become physically weak.  The same is true spiritually, if we do not feed our spirits through meditating on the Word of God then we will become spiritually weak.

Being spiritually weak is worse than being physically weak because the spirit affects the soul and body more than the other way around.  Here are several verses that use the picture of food and Scripture in relationship to our spirits.

1 Peter 2:2 as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby, 3 if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is gracious. NKJV

• Feeding on the Word of God causes spiritual growth, it causes spiritual strength. 

1 Cor 3:2 I fed you with milk and not with solid food; for until now you were not able to receive it, and even now you are still not able; NKJV

• Here we see that the Corinthians did not feed on the milk of the Word of God like they were supposed to and so they were not mature enough to handle the solid food of the Word of God. 
• There is a thought here that is important, spiritual growth is not automatic with the passing of time.  If we do not live in obedience to the milk of the Word then we will not move on to the solid food of the Word of God.  The Corinthians stopped their own spiritual growth.

Heb 5:13 For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe. 14 But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil. NKJV

• Meditating or feeding on the Word of God causes our spirits to be strong.  It increases our spiritual awareness; it causes us to be prosperous and have good success. 
• Kenneth E. Hagin said this, “The most deeply spiritual men and women I know are those who give time to meditation in the Word of God.”  We will not develop spiritual awareness or strength without meditation in the Word of God.  Brother Hagin went on to say, “I grew more spiritually by learning to meditate in the Word of God than I ever did praying and fasting.”  (How You Can Be Led By The Spirit Of God – Kenneth E. Hagin - Pages 122 – 124)
• So, to paraphrase this truth from Joshua 1:8 in New Testament language, we would say, “The Word of God – particularly the New Testament – shall not depart out of our mouth.  But we are to meditate therein day and night, that we may observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then we will make our way prosperous, and we will have good success.  If you ever want to do anything great in life, if you ever want to amount to anything in life, take time to meditate in the Word of God.  Start with at least 10 to 15 minutes a day and then increase from there. 
• Another translation of this verse reads this way in the last half, “you shall be able to deal wisely in the affairs of life.”  Meditation of the Word will lead you to deal wisely in the affairs of life, if that doesn’t sound like walking in the spirit I don’t know what does.