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| Blessed Beyond Measure |
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"Lord, take this temptation away." "Lord, help me not to do ______." How often have we prayed these prayers? Not evil prayers, but are they the "right" prayers? Consider...
1:3 Blessed [be] the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly [places] in Christ: God has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in Christ! Compare that to... 1:3 According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that [pertain] unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue:
Everything we need to live a godly life for Jesus Christ has ALREADY been given to those who are in Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit! The key is not us, but it is being "in Christ." In fact, to see how important this is, go through the book of Ephesians and mark every time you see any variation of these phrases:
"in Christ"
"in Him"
"through Him"
"by Him"
You should find more than 25 of these variations just in the first three chapters! Talk about repetition.
So, what does this all mean? A little later in Ephesians 1, we read...
1:19 And what [is] the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power, 1:20 Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set [him] at his own right hand in the heavenly [places],
So, how powerful is this power given to us who are "in Christ" and provides everything we need for life and godliness? It is the same power that raised Jesus from the dead. As a believer, I am not a helpless victim to sin. In Christ, I have been set free from sin.
"Lord, take this temptation away." He has given you all the power you need to say no.
"Lord, help me not to do this." He has given you all the power you need to walk away.
"Lord, I am to scared to witness to that person." He has given you a spirit of power, not timidity (2 Timothy 1:7).
We get into trouble when we depend on the flesh rather than on the Holy Spirit. Paul writes...
5:16 [This] I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. He has made it so easy, we are the ones who comlicate it. We want to blame everyone else rather than take responsibility for our own choices.
Brethren, let us walk in the power of the Spirit for He has given us every spiritual blessing in Christ - everything we need to live a godly life IN CHRIST. Let's walk in the Spirit, not in the flesh. Let's walk worthy of the calling we have received! |
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| To add a comment to "Blessed Beyond Measure" |
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| October 05, 2007 |
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Hey Spooksam,
These are some great truths that everybody should wrestle with.
Yes... and then they will ask, "what does walking in the Spirit mean?"
And though you might put together verses, they also want the explanation in your own words. They want evidence that is has worked in your life.
It's been my experience unless the person has cried the cry of Rom. 7:24, they will not really be seeking the answer to questions like these. We all like to gather information, regardless if we plan to use it or not. That's what it made me think of... R... |
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| October 05, 2007 |
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What does walking in the Spirit mean? Well, how might I describe a sunset? The only way to know what a sunset looks like is to see it. Any words to describe walking in the Spirit will be horribly insufficient. Abide in Christ daily through prayer and the Word. Allow the Holy Spirit to fill you and produce His fruit through you. With each moment, be surrendered to Christ and obey Him. Rely on the power of the Spirit, not yourself. I just realized that Paul never really gives us a step by step guide to walking in the Spirit - as if it should be self explanatory to the believer. Hmmm...that's got me thinking!
Thanks for the comments R and Tropical! |
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| October 05, 2007 |
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| Oh, and yes I have seen "it work" in my life - from my personal life to my ministry. The specific examples are endless. Not because I am great, but because His power is great! I am a very shy introvert who preaches and teaches three times weekly and goes to local parks to share the Gospel with strangers. In my flesh - impossible. Walking in the Spirit - no problem! |
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| October 09, 2007 |
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Hi there, Sam. God bless you. We were studying these same truths several weeks ago in a family group from church. When we walk "in the flesh" we rely on ourselves and on what everybody else would do. When we walk "in the Spirit" we rely on The Lord. How do we do that? 5:17 pray without ceasing; Of course this does not mean that we will be on our knees 24/7. But we can pray in our minds while driving to work. While walking down the hall to see the boss. While waiting for that tire to be repaired. While doing the dishes. While cooking. Just about always! And when we are constantly praying, we are constantly strengthened so when the world, the flesh or the devil... or the three of them together come, we have the power to overcome. The Spirit will bring verses to our memory. The Spirit will bring wisdom to our minds, strength to our will. God bless you. |
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