True Disciple Conference
September 28-30, 2007
by Paul David Washer
"And straightway, when they were come out of the synagogue, they came into the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John. Now Simon's wife's mother lay sick of a fever; and straightway they tell him of her: and he came and took her by the hand, and raised her up; and the fever left her, and she ministered unto them. And at even, when the sun did set, they brought unto him all that were sick, and them that were possessed with demons. And all the city was gathered together at the door.
And he healed many that were sick with divers diseases, and cast out many demons; and he suffered not the demons to speak, because they knew him. And in the morning, a great while before day, he rose up and went out, and departed into a desert place, and there prayed. And Simon and they that were with him followed after him; and they found him, and say unto him, All are seeking thee." Mark 1:29-37
The Holiness of God
When a person accepts Jesus Christ as their Lord, they also receives God's Holy Spirit. That person is instantly translated from the kingdom of darkness, into the kingdom of God's light. The conflict within you, between the flesh and Spirit is a form of spiritual warfare. You win many of the battles just by realizing that the struggle exists.
Sin is a powerful desire, but it can no longer control us, unless we allow it to do so.
The battlefield in which our warfare takes place is in the mind. We wrestle and struggle in our minds against world, the flesh, and the devil. Our thoughts, emotions, and feelings will determine the purpose for our lives. Our enemies are not other human beings, Satan is the the god of this world. All men are slaves to sin, and when you face trials, consider it an opportunuity to grow in your faith. When we accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior we begin a life-long process of transformation. We seek to be "transformed by the renewing of your mind." We seek to "become mature" and to "grow up into him who is the Head, that is Christ." We seek to be "
Transformed into [God's] likeness One indication of whether this is happening is whether we show the "fruit of the Spirit." The Holy Spirit will give us peace of mind, when circumstances are rough and unbearable. When the Holy Spirit draws you, your thinking process will begin to change when you desire and focus on the fruits of the Holy Spirit. Love
Joy
Peace
Longsuffering
Kindness
Goodness
Faithfulness
Gentleness
Self-control Where there are 'the fruit of the Spirit', the Spirit is at work. Each person in the Spirit has the fruit differently. But all the fruit will show themselves in each Christian as they go deeper into their walk with the Spirit. Today we often hear that humans are basically good, people will blamed everyone else for their problems. But most people don't understand, we are born corrupt with an instinctive tendency to sin and rebel against God. Sin and addictions will still be a powerful force, but it can no longer control you unless you allow it to. I believe the key to producing the fruit of the Spirit is found in Galatians 5:16, "live by the Spirit and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature." We cannot hope to be transformed into God's likeness by our own efforts. Jesus said, "apart from me you can do nothing" (John 15:5). This transformation can occur only by the power of God, in the form of His Holy Spirit dwelling in us. We can consciously seek to cultivate each aspect of the fruit in our lives. But our primary focus, should be on living by the Spirit, on giving the Holy Spirit the primary position in our lives. If our focus is on the Holy Spirit, the fruit and transformtion will come.
Live by the Spirit "Live by the Spirit and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature." (Galatians 5:16) Paul tells us that there is a war going on inside us. "For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want" (Galatians 5:17). It is with this internal warfare that 2 Corinthians 10:3-5 primarily deals. Paul says that "the weapons we fight with" "have divine power" to "demolish strongholds", to demolish "every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God", and to "take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ." Each of us has internal strongholds - habits, addictions, push-button reactions, patterns of behavior and thought - that are rooted in the desires of the flesh. Each of us has mindsets - ingrained ways of thinking - that set themselves up against the knowledge of God. Each of us needs to take our thoughts captive to obey Jesus Christ. The battle is within us. The Spirit-led Life. Having described two false ways of life, Paul then presents the true way. "So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature" (Galatians 5:16).
The Spirit-led life We must do our part; we must choose, because without the Spirit's power and influence we cannot hope to achieve it. It is a disciplined life. The Spirit-led life is the result of our allowing the Holy Spirit to rule our spirit, soul and body. Its goal is to become like God in character. What does it mean to be led by the Holy Spirit? Is it possible to have an intimate relationship with God? God Himself wants to draw closer to you. He wants to let you know how much He loves you! "Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.." James 4:8 You have to draw near to Him first! Then He will draw near to you. God does not desire us to worship Him with our lips and rituals every sunday in service. Enter into a relationship, where God knows your heart, and you know His heart. I used to feel that God is distant. My desires and focus on material possessions, entertainment and religious worship created a wall between God and me. If we are willing to humble ourselves, God will fill our body with His Holy Spirit and reveals to us the truth about Himself. This is only possible when we are know the Spirit of God, purchased by the blood of Jesus. When you begin to know the Holy Spirit more and more, you will have a passion for God that burns like a fire in your heart! |