Week 2: To Live by the Spirit, Day 5: Spiritually Mature

Today’s Treasure: “What we have received is not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may understand what God has freely given us.” 1 Corinthians 2:12

When we are spiritually mature, we can…

(1) Restore our brother or sister who it in sin (Galatians 6:1)

(2) Speak a message of wisdom (1 Corinthians 2:6)

(3) Receive spiritual revelation concerning the plans God has for our lives (1 Corinthians 2:9-10)

(4) Discern the things of God (1 Corinthians 2:14)

Through the power of the Holy Spirit, I can…Do things I couldn’t – Feel things I didn’t – Know the things I wouldn’t

Let us mature in our spirituality through daily Bible reading, prayer, and meditation. Our spiritual immaturity is manifested outwardly by: JEALOUSY and QUARRELING (1 Corinthians 3:3). As we move from this foundational study into the actual study of the Fruit of the Spirit, let us ask God to help us to be committed to what we endeavor to do. We want to GROW in GRACE…to do this we must LIVE BEYOND OURSELVES.

Week 2: To Live by the Spirit, Day 4: Flesh vs. Spirit

Today’s Treasure: Galatians 5:17 – “For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.”

This was an on-time lesson for me – letting go of the flesh to live by the Spirit. One cannot balance the Spirit and flesh – they cannot work together. We must bring the flesh under the power of the Spirit.

When we walk in the flesh we fulfill the desires of the flesh: impurity, sexual immorality, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, dissention, discord, factions, jealousy, envy, fits of rage, drunkenness and selfish ambition. But, when we walk in the Spirit, we produce love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

I am so excited about this journey to explore the Fruit of the Spirit. God has planted the seeds of love, joy, peace…within each of us; this study is going to help us water that seed so that it will grow within each of us. Women of God, we will be walking fruit baskets overflowing with love, joy, peace, and all the other fruit of the Spirit.

Lord, thank you for giving me everything I need to be VICTORIOUS. I will walk in and live by the Spirit. I will not be brought under the power of my flesh.

I am a walking Fruit Basket!

Week 2: To Live by the Spirit, Day 3: Led by the Spirit

Today’s Treasure: Galatians 5:25-26, “Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.”

Romans 8:14 says, “For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God.” This scripture reveals to us how active the Holy Spirit is in our personal lives. He will lead us, if we allow him to.

The Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness – it is there to intercede on our behalf when we are at a loss of words.

We know that the Holy Spirit leads us and helps us. Did you also know that we can affect the Holy Spirit?

(1) We can quench the Holy Spirit: to quench the Holy Spirit is to “put out the Spirit’s fire.” When we quench the spirit, we are saying ‘no’ to God. When we resist the authority of God and say ‘no’ to His leadership, we are quenching the spirit.

(2) We can grieve the Holy Spirit: to grieve the Holy Spirit is to afflict with sorrow, to offend, to cause grief. In essence, to grieve the Holy Spirit is to break His heart. This means the Holy Spirit can feel pain. Sin in the life of the believer causes the Holy Spirit to grieve. Behaviors that cause the Holy Spirit to grieve are bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, and malice. Ephesians 4:31 tells us to ‘get rid’ of these behaviors.

When I respond to life’s challenges out of my pain, I am responding in bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, and malice. This response grieves the Holy Spirit; it causes him pain.

Today, something happened that I was so unexpected and quite weird. A co-worker made some untrue statements about me to my Supervisor and caused a ridiculous email chain in which I had to clear my name. My initial response was anger; I was so angry I cried. I imagined how I would get her back (I guess nobody told her not to mess with quiet people - SMILE) I could not believe that someone who doesn’t say two words to me on a daily basis would have the nerve to do what she did. I needed the Holy Spirit to intercede for me in prayer because I was too weak to even form the words to pray. And right now I can say that the Holy Spirit is leading me and helping me so that when I go to work Monday morning, I will not have to say a word – God will fight my battle if I just keep still (and silent).

Lord, help us to get rid of those behaviors that grieve the Holy Spirit; help us to get rid of sin in our lives so that we can be led by the Holy Spirit.

Ladies, it is my desire to see each of us live a life led completely by the Holy Spirit. I don’t want to see my sister overtaken by sin – I don’t want any of us to cause the Holy Spirit any pain. I don’t want any of us to quench the spirit – I don’t want any of us to say ‘no’ to God. Let us always be led by Spirit; even when it hurts and we don’t understand why things are happening the way they are – we must always allow the Holy Spirit to lead us. When we are led by the Holy Spirit, we will never go wrong.

Week 2: To Live by the Spirit, Day 2: An Eternal Guarantee

Today’s Treasure: “Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.” 2 Corinthians 1:21-22

Seven ministries of the Holy Spirit:

(1) Convict and reprove: conviction is not our job. If the Holy Spirit has not drawn the person to Christ, our efforts are unsuccessful. Yes, we may extend the invitation, but we are powerless to bring results.

(2) Regeneration: spiritual rebirth; ‘…you must be born again…’ (John 3:7)

(3) Baptism: an act performed by God in joining all true believers to the body of the Lord Jesus. We have been dipped in the precious blood of Jesus and emerged white as snow.

(4) Indwelling: the Holy Spirit takes up residence in us with the promise that He will remain forever (John 14:16).

(5) Sealing: The seal of the Holy Spirit is for protection and identification

(6) Filsl the yielded believer: we are filled with the Holy Spirit as we are yielded to Him and controlled by Him

(7) Restrains: keeps Satan restrained from spreading his evil without limits in this present age.

We have an eternal guarantee in the Holy Spirit!

Week 2: To Live by the Spirit, Day 1: Three in One

Today’s Treasure: Galatians 5:16 (NIV) – “So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.”

Living without the Holy Spirit is like trying to drive a car with an empty gas tank. While we may not understand all the secrets of internal combustion, if we don’t understand the need for gas, the car isn’t going to get out of the driveway. We have no power without the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit…
(1)… is the third member of the Trinity (Father, Son, Holy Spirit)
(2)… is Omnipresent
(3)… dwells in us
(4)… gives life
(5)… energizes
(6)… counsels
(7)… is a consuming fire
(8)… is truth

It is so comforting to know that the same God, Elohim, who willed, spoke, and energized the universe into being, directs all His care to our precious lives. He directs our lives through the same methods: the Father first wills, the Son speaks the Father’s will to us through His Word, and the Holy Spirit supplies the power for us to obey.

The Trinity is at work in our lives daily. As I reflect, I see how all three members of the Trinity have been at work in my life:

Father – will – it was in God’s plan (His will for my life) that I become a Pastor’s Wife (certainly wasn’t my desire [SMILE])

Son – Word – through His word, He reveals instructions, guidance, character traits that I must possess, and wisdom on leadership

Holy Spirit – way (power) – and it is the Holy Spirit that gives me strength to fulfill God’s will for my life. It is the Holy Spirit that energizes me to go on, to press, and to move forward. The Holy Spirit gives life when I feel like I’m dying and he keeps my mind.

Thank you for the Trinity – all working together, directing my life. I submit to the will, the Word, and the way of God (Elohim).

Recall a time in your life that illustrates all three members of the Trinity at work.

Week 1: Free at Last! Day 5: Abba, Father

Today’s Treasure: “Because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, ‘Abba, Father.’” Galatians 4:6

WOW! Women of God we have been adopted into the royal family. Our spiritual bloodline stems all the way back to Abraham. We were adopted by God before the foundation of the world through Jesus Christ. He adopted us even when he knew we would fail him, deny him, break his heart, and even chose someone over him. When we cry out ‘Abba, Father!’ we are crying ‘Daddy, my daddy!’ Isn’t it awesome to know that we have a Father who loves us so much he gave up his only son to reconcile us back to him? I am so excited that I can say, ‘Our Father who art in heaven…’

Oh, how I love my daddy!

He Knows My Name by Israel Houghton

I have a Maker, He formed my heart
Before even time began, My life was in His hand

He knows my name
He knows my every thought
He sees each tear that falls
And hears me when I call

I have a Father,
He calls me His own
He’ll never leave me, No matter where I go

Week 1: Free at Last!, Day 4: Credited Righteousness

Today’s Treasure: Galatians 3:6 (NIV) – So also Abraham “believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.”

Day 4 of our book study is definitely laying the foundation for the coming months as we learn to live beyond ourselves and embrace the Fruit of the Spirit. It is important that we not turn the simplicity of the gospel into a stumbling block by adding works to faith in order to equal salvation.

Faith – firm persuasion, conviction, belief in truth, veracity, reality…that which is believed. God credited Abraham with righteousness because he believed God – he had faith. Righteousness is also credited to us on the basis of FAITH. Because we simply believe God, we are counted as righteous.

Just like Abraham, we have received promises from God. Let us pray that we will continue to stand in faith on the promises of God despite the many tests that we will go through.

God will bring all promises to pass – just STAND IN FAITH!

Week 1: Free at Last! Day 3: Crucified

Galatians 2:20 (NIV) – “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”

The Message Bible says it like this:

What actually took place is this: I tried keeping rules and working my head off to please God, and it didn’t work. So I quit being a “law man” so that I could be God’s man. Christ’s life showed me how, and enabled me to do it. I identified myself completely with him. Indeed, I have been crucified with Christ. My ego is no longer central. It is no longer important that I appear righteous before you or have your good opinion, and I am no longer driven to impress God. Christ lives in me. The life you see me living is not “mine,” but it is lived by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. I am not going to go back on that.

Is it not clear to you that to go back to that old rule-keeping, peer-pleasing religion would be an abandonment of everything personal and free in my relationship with God? I refuse to do that, to repudiate God’s grace. If a living relationship with God could come by rule-keeping, then Christ died unnecessarily.

We have been crucified with Christ! We identify with Him in His death in such a way as to allow Him to live through us. To live a crucified life, we must remember the following:

(1) Few will understand
(2) We must abandon our own will and our own agenda – it’s not about us!
(3) We will have few intimate spiritual companions
(4) Intense time alone with God is required
(5) We will constantly be on the witness stand
(6) We must go ‘outside the camp’
(7) There will be time when our dignity is forfeited
(8) We must forego our rights
(9) We must accept that death is painful
(10) Because He was forsaken, you never will be

How does God want you to respond to what He showed you today?

For me…

(1) He wants me to remember that I must abandon my will. I must always be obedient to the will of God; no matter how uncomfortable that may be; no matter how many people misunderstand me; I must do God’s will. I have to follow the plan He has laid out for my life.

(2) He wants me to continue to spend alone time with Him. I find that I am in prayer daily at the church and I am there alone. During this alone time, God speaks and I listen; I talk to God and He hears me. It is in this place of intimacy that I find comfort during tough times; those times when I don’t understand why, how, when, where, or what? I encourage you to spend some alone-time with God. Let Him speak to you; let Him comfort you; let Him direct you. You will feel refreshed!

Are you living a crucified life with Christ?