“So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. “- Galatians 5:16
by Rhonda Jones
Act 17:28 declares, “In Him (Christ) we live and move and have our being.” Yet in reality we can’t be in Him unless He is in us. There are those in the last days who will have done many mighty works in His name, but He will declare, “Depart from me, I never knew you.” (Matthew 7:21)
Jesus said in John 14:24, “Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching.” They will listen to and follow His leading, inspirations, promptings, and words. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them.” I believe we can live in continual communion with God by connecting to the Holy Spirit within us, giving Him full reign, and walking in complete faith, love, and trust. When Christ said, ‘I and the Father are one” and “I only do the things the Father tells me to do,” (John 8) Christ was living in this perfect state of union with God. Creating this union, involves the constant emptying of carnally-minded and fear-based thinking and becoming an empty vessel where Christ’s spirit can dwell and live. We can cultivate a temple that is available to God’s Spirit 24/7 as we continue to root out and pull up anything that would taint our hearts or block the spirit from entering in.
God never forces himself upon us, and will only occupy as much space as we will allow. Whatever space you leave for Christ, he will take it automatic. As you empty your heart and mind of all that clutters or defiles your spirit, because you are a believer, the spirit of Christ takes up residence. We need only have invited him in and we did that when we accepted Him as our Lord and Savior.
Revelations 3:20 says that Christ stands at the door and knocks. He knocks on the door of your mind, your heart, and your consciousness. This is an ongoing process because Christ is always trying to get our attention. He wants to take over. He wants us to stop living and striving in our own efforts and strength. A life in Christ doesn’t have to be like a teeter-totter, living in and out of the spirit. We can actually live and walk in the Spirit of God to the exact extent that we move self out of the way. Who or what is the “self,” the ego, the mind, and the flesh who wants to be in control. Romans 8:7 says that the flesh (the mind) doesn’t submit to the things of God.
I have found on my spiritual walk that a consistent practice of Christian meditation, being in stillness and silence, taking times of restoration and renewal, and dwelling in God’s presence along with reading and meditating on His word has given me the greatest ability to weed out and root up the mindsets that want to continually pull me away from a complete trust and surrender to Christ.
Walking and living in Christ doesn’t drastically change who we are, our personalities per se, we are still us, but instead we have a renewed mind and heart that connects more efficiently with the things of God, and creates more holiness, wisdom, and truth as our foundation. We make decisions with wisdom and understanding. We react to situations with more trust and love.
Walking in the spirit isn’t about becoming this holier than thou Christian who preaches constantly to others or who is always talking about God. I believe walking in the spirit is about letting the Holy Spirit take over your life and your personality, so that no matter what you are doing (working, cooking, playing sports), Christ’s love, joy, and peace is being represented in you; his living waters are flowing through you. It is not something you have to muster up through hours of prayer or supplication, but because you are in union with Christ you automatically respond from the heart of God. It’s really about cultivate a peace within that creates no boundaries or interference standing in the way of receiving divine communication, inspiration, and wisdom from Christ. The clearer the connection, the greater the union and intimacy.
During times of decision we want our default response to be one of faith and trust; however we must develop this through practice, by stomping out thoughts of fear and doubt and bringing every part of us under subjection. When we notice we are reacting in any way but trust and love, “for where there is strive and envy there is confusion and every evil work,” if there is enough of the Holy Spirit within us, He will bring us quickly back to a place of peace, joy, faith, and trust.
This is when life becomes a meditation unto the Lord because you don’t have to invoke the Holy Spirit’s powers, his power lives, abides, and leads you every moment of the day. This is where we should all inspire to be.
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