“There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death” (Romans 8:1, NKJV).
I’m sure you would agree that walking is an extremely important and necessary part of life. In our latest visit to see my mother-in-law in New York, I realized how important it was to be able to walk freely without pain. Not being well physically, she could only walk slowly with a walker, groaning with each step. Getting up and down stairs was nearly impossible to one who has such bad arthritis. She is limited in what she can do or where she can go. We took her all around town so she could get out, but everywhere we went, it took five times as long as it would a healthy person. Her every step was agonizing.
Those who are healthy never realize how easy it is to get around and go places. We never anticipate every step as my mother-in-law does. We ever so casually run here and there without carefully watching our steps. But perhaps she has an important lesson to teach us.
To God, our steps are very important. Just as a new mother trains her toddler how to take his very first steps, God takes extreme care in training us how to walk. He trains us to walk according to His Spirit rather than the flesh. He teaches us how to daily live victoriously according to the Spirit. He wants us to be careful of our every step just as my mother-in-law is. As humans, we all have three parts. We are a spirit, we have a soul that is our personality consisting of mind, emotions, and will, and we live in a body that has five senses (1 Thessalonians 5:23).
What can we learn about our spirit life and walking in the Spirit?
Carefully read the following because it is so important for your daily walk. Understanding and applying this could change your life radically!
What We Became at the New Birth
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new” (2 Corinthians 5:17, NKJV).
*When we became a Christian, we became a new creation - The Bible says in 2 Corinthians 5:17 that all things became new. This means that we received a new legal position, a new nature, and we became the righteousness of God. When we were born-again we received Jesus’ righteousness. Now most of us don’t live this out because if we did, our lives would radically change!
*When we were born-again, our spirit was joined to the Holy Spirit - We can now relate to God who is spirit and have supernatural life. We can now communicate with God, and the Holy Spirit teaches and brings revelation to us. Our true life or spirit man is hidden in Christ. It’s the hidden person of the heart (1 Peter 3:4, Colossians 3:3). Most Christians don’t know and rarely think about who they are in their spirit.
How to walk as a New Person in Christ
“Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. Put on your new nature, created to be like God - truly righteous and holy” (Ephesians 4:23-24, New Living Translation).
If you carry a water pot with a gallon of water on top of your head, it becomes very heavy. But if you swim underwater with many gallons of water on your head, it is not nearly so hard to carry. Why? The environment makes the difference. An air environment makes it hard to carry a load, but water is far easier. In a similar way, when we learn to walk according to the Spirit, everything becomes much easier than when we are walking in the flesh.
There are several things we must learn to do in order to walk as a new person in Christ. We must:
*Put on the new man created in righteousness - We must put off the old man and our former conduct (Ephesians 4:22-24, Colossians 3:10).
*Walk with a renewed mind - Though our spirit was instantly made new, our mind is progressively renewed through the Word of God. We must understand what the Word of God says about our new nature and partake of this divine nature (2 Peter 1:4). We must take heed and have no part with darkness but, instead, be full of light (Luke 11:35-36). This means that we must choose righteousness in every step that we take.
*See our self as alive to God in Christ (Romans 6:11) - We are indwelt, empowered, enjoyed, and commissioned by God! Even though those sinful desires remain in our body and in our memory, we now have power to challenge the impulse of sin within us. We have the indwelling Spirit to help us. Our spiritually dead person no longer exists. Our old man was crucified at the cross! (Romans 6:6).
*Renew our mind through God’s Word - We are transformed by changing our thinking and renewing our mind (Romans 12:2). We pursue truth that enables us to agree with what the Word says, and we resist darkness. We are set free by knowing the truth (John 8:32). We are renewed in the spirit of our mind (Ephesians 4:23, Colossians 3:10).
*Confess the Word as we walk through daily life - We must faith confess the Word back to God. We carry our heart before God by confessing the truth back to Him and His indwelling Holy Spirit. With our mouth we confess truth (Romans 10:8-10). It’s not about confessing the negative lies inside about how we feel, but we confess the truth of what God says.
*Confess what we believe about who we are in Christ without wavering - We write a check from the wealth of our spiritual bank account within us rather than living as a homeless banker. We overcome by the word of our testimony (Revelation 12:10-11). Our mind will follow our confession of faith. It may take time but it will happen if we do not give up. We must hold fast to our confession (Hebrews 10:23, 4:14-16, 1 Timothy 6:12, 2 Corinthians 4:13).
As we practice ever so diligently our minute-by-minute walk according to the spirit, we experience tremendous spiritual growth. We no longer live according to the flesh (Romans 8:5). Our life shifts from our natural experiences in our physical appetites, senses, and emotions to our spirit man. We are aware that we have been made righteous in Christ. We begin to live more and more according to the Spirit.
We are confident that we are enjoyed by God.
We are aware and dialogue with the indwelling Holy Spirit daily.
We have thankful hearts for everything, especially for the fruit of the Spirit.
We use our authority to stand against the works of darkness in our life.
We live out our God-given purpose and divine assignment commissioned by God.
None of us have learned to live or walk fully according to the Spirit. Some of us are like my mother-in-law, barely able to walk from one place to another. Unable to comprehend or believe our position in Christ, we wobble without victory through life slowly and painfully with a walker or on crutches. We are all somewhere on the journey like the little toddler learning to walk. But there is so much more for each one of us. Our father takes us by His mighty hand and empowers us, bringing us higher and further with each passing day as we learn to walk according to His glorious Spirit.
God is looking for men and women who live according to the Spirit. He is looking for those who will pray Spirit-empowered prayers. They may not be rich and famous from a human standpoint, but they are the ones who will do a mighty work for Him. There is no greater need in our day as believers who know how to walk according to the Spirit, those who know they are empowered by God to do a supernatural task. God’s spirit men and women will be the ones who are used to change the world. They are the ones who will bring the Kingdom of God to earth.
Perhaps you are one who is carefully watching your spiritual walk, those every day little steps that seem so trivial in the larger scheme of things. Perhaps you are one who one who is saying “no” to the flesh and “yes” to the Spirit in the most difficult of circumstances. You may be praying on the backside of some far-off desert, but your life and prayers are extremely important. You are one who can be used mightily by the Spirit in these days where the anointing and power of God are so crucial to a world that seems to have lost its way.
Your life in the Spirit makes a huge difference. Your Spirit-empowered prayers are critical to our soon coming King. Don’t ever forget that. It’s time for all of us to carefully live and walk according to the Spirit moment-by-moment and day-by-day. There was a unique race in the Greek Olympics where the winner was not the runner who finished first. It was the runner who finished with his torch still lit. I want to run the race with the flame of my torch still lit, don’t you? Learning to walk according to the Spirit enables us to do this.
“Lord, thank You that I am a new creation in Christ and that when I accepted You in my life, all things became new (2 Corinthians 5:17). Thank You that I am the righteousness of God in Christ. Teach me to walk in Your Spirit. Renew my thoughts and attitudes (Romans 8:5). I want to learn to put off the old man of the flesh and put on the new man created in righteousness (Ephesians 4:22-24). Help me take heed and choose righteousness in each step that I take (Luke 11:35-36).
Teach me see myself as alive in You and indwelt, empowered, enjoyed, and commissioned by God (Romans 6:11). Help me to renew my mind through Your Word. I want my thinking to be transformed and I want to pursue truth and resist darkness (Romans 12:2). Thank You that Your Truth sets me free (John 8:32). I choose to confess Your Word with my mouth without wavering as I walk through my daily life experiences (Hebrews 10:23, 4:14-16, 1 Timothy 6:12, 2 Corinthians 4:13). I know that I am an overcomer by the word of my testimony (Revelation 12:10-11). Thank You that You take me by the Hand and are teaching me to walk according to the Spirit. I praise Your name, amen.”
“For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit” (Romans 8:5, NKJV).
By Debbie Przybylski
Intercessors Arise
deb@intercessorsarise.org
http://www.intercessorsarise.org
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