Walking in the Spirit

Welcome to this edition PowerPoint with gently laid in the program will tell you how you got ran moments first, here's the message walking in this valley returned to the book of Galatians chapter 5 as the spirit of God has been given to us. This is the promise of Jesus, the very presence of God in us, the Holy Spirit, not it, not an influence, but the third person of the Holy Spirit. We are to walk in the spirit.

Now I've been walking with the Lord since I was a small boy are grateful for the heritage of my home.

The spiritual training and nurturing I received. I came to Christ as a young boy I've been walking with him ever since to walk with Jesus major following Jesus where to follow where Christ followers, and I can tell you that it has been an amazing life in great wonderful wall God has done in me a beyond my dreams, my wildest dreams imaginations. Even though there are hills and valleys and we all have those in our walk with Christ. That's and downs.

I cannot imagine life without Jesus Christ. I cannot imagine living in this journey we call life without the presence of the Lord. The only way to keep doing is what keeps me alive and active, and so full of energy and strength is not human energy are human strength, but the work of the Holy Spirit in my life not my mind, not by power but by my Spirit, says the Lord. This doesn't get done because we have willpower or horsepower nuclear power or any other kind of power but because we have the power of God we have the power of the Holy Spirit and therefore we walk in the spirit we are called to press on the upward way as the old song says new heights. I'm dating every day and I believe that our dream should be greater than our memories.

We got a lot of great things that have happened in the past, but the president of the future is greater than our path again. I believe our dreams should be greater that our memories that's true of you as an individual as a person as a Christian and is true of the church. So today we talk about how to keep going, how to do that.

How to walk in the spirit and in Galatians chapter 5 verse 16 is what he says but I say to you, this is a command walk by the Spirit, and you will not ratify the desires of the flesh later this same passage.

It talks about the fruit of the spirit which is the result of walking in the spirit.

The fruit of the spirit which is left out about verse 23 and love and joy and peace and patience and kindness and goodness gentleness and meekness and self-control. All of this fruit of the spirit and it's all about the character of Christ, the Christ life in our life. That's the fruit of the spirit. But it all is in walking in the spirit now what is it mean to walk in the spirit if I can define our term here. I would say to walk in the spirit is to live in daily dependence and obedience to Christ is to rely upon our God. Many think that the Christian life means trying harder is not trying is trusting is not trying is relying upon the resources that we have within us the work of the Holy Spirit. The gifts of the spirit. The fruit of the spirit we depend upon the Holy Spirit day by day in this walk. The walk is a step at a time step at a time every step is a risk every step is out there a little bit. We learn how to walk and as we grow physically. We learn how to walk better and better and therefore we are walking in Christ. As we grow in Christ. The Christian life is not about our human ability. Our efforts to follow the example of Christ that it is Christ in you the hope of glory. Christ in us in this is the normal Christian life. Don't think that the Spirit filled life that walking in the spirit is some life for the super saints are the extras are the pros are that are the missionaries of the preachers that this is for somebody else know it is for every Christian that we are called and commanded to walk in the spirit and therefore not indulge and engage or live in the flesh, and fulfill the desires of the flesh, to gratify the desires of the flesh of you notice that sin satisfies, but it does not gratify Jim may satisfy a certain need in a person's life, but it is not gratify the deepest needs of the human heart. So when walk in the spirit and again I say this is normal Christian living is abnormal not to walk in the spirit as you scale your Bible, you get a concordance and you can look up in the New Testament as well as Old Testament passages about walking with the Lord walking of the spirit walking with Christ. After all, what is a Christ follower someone is walking with so I just for your for your edification this morning. I just told you these to help you see that this is for all of us not just for some of us first were to walk in good works.

Ephesians 210. The good works which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. God has a plan God has a purpose and where to walk in the good works doing good things as we go.

Romans 1313 says that we are to walk properly as in the daytime properly meeting in a godly way in a good way I'm not living in the darkness within the life.

Second Corinthians 517 says for we walk by faith and not by side so walking these we walk in faith again. I mean every time you take a step, there's that risk that you could go down every step of the way so we walk by faith, we know walk in the flesh.

We walk by faith. Ephesians 52 we are to walk in love, everywhere we go we are to live love and live love loudly. Ephesians 58 where to walk in the light, walk in the light you were once in darkness, but now you are the light of the Lord walk as children of light. Colossians 110.

This is a powerful mission statement for the believer so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God. So we are to walk worthy of the Lord and then to take it a step further.

First John 26 where to walk as Jesus walk.

Whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way, which we that he has walked, and then finally Ephesians 41 where to walk worthy of our calling calls that I will praise the Lord. I urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called in other words, don't just talk the talk, walk the walk again. I'm I'm showing you what I'm saying is this is the law for every belief that we are to walk in the spirit and not fulfill the desires of the flesh. You say how we do that because you made the discovery that the Christian life is not hard is impossible. All the demands of discipleship to walk worthy to walk you like to walk in love to walk like the Lord. We we are humanly incapable of that is why God is given us the Holy Spirit is that I'm not a lefty was an orphan, but my spirit will live in you and the greatest lesson I've learned as a Christian all these years walking with the Lord. That is not I but Christ lives in me that it is an exchange like we exchange our life for the life of Christ that the living Lord Jesus reason alive is alive in me you should get up every day. Look in the mirror and say something like Lord Jesus, I know you are all alive in the today to walk in daily dependence and obedience to him. Now there are obstacles to our walk. In fact, there are three obstacles enemies if you will adversaries that resist us in our walk with the Lord but the devil and the flash in the world or the world, the flesh of the devil and that but I want to talk about the devil. First of all, because the devil is real, the devil is not a cartoon character. The devil is not down in hell shoveling coal for the fires of of torment. Know the devil is alive and well and working on planet Earth, and it may surprise you to know that the devil doesn't pay that much attention the unbelievers bizarrely got there already on his team, but when you do get say then you become a target for the enemy to understand that you actually become a target of the enemy as a believer if you thought that when you became a Christian he was going to get a lot easier. Guess what, it doesn't get easier make it harder.

There are new temptations and New Testament trials that we face in their temptations that come that are common to all of us. First Corinthians 10 tells us that there is no temptation, but that is common to man, but God is faithful. Usually God is faithful God is faithful, and with the temptation will make a way of escape. I think God for so many times in my life when I came against Satan in the throes of the temptation that God is faithful, made a way of escape away out in a way through. I certainly have sinned against God, and I haven't lived a perfect life but I think I'm thankful for the preserving protective keeping power of God and when we do fall when we do fail, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. When we come to him.

We confess our sins, but be that as it may, I'm I'm pointing out that the devil now has you in the target zone. Second Corinthians 211 so that we would not be outwitted by Satan. Don't be duped by the devil.

For we are not ignorant of his designs is an interesting word to me. Strategies Satan has many powerful weapons and tools at his disposal temptations that come our way. We all have certain vulnerabilities and proclivities propensities problems that we face and so he often attacks us at the point of our vulnerability where we are weak.

Not should say before I go there that he also can attack us at our strengths. If you are relying on your strength as an open door for Satan to move J. Oswald Sanders, the great Christian devotional writer gave us my utmost for his highest said this I memorize this a long time ago I wrote in my Bible.

Maybe you want to write it in yours. He said a a and unguarded strength is a double weakness.

Unguarded strength is another weakness because if you don't guard your strength, then it becomes a liability. Our abilities become liabilities do not trust walk in the spirit. So guard your strength but also be aware of your weaknesses and vulnerabilities and asked the spirit of God to help you. Listening to PowerPoint with Jack Graham in today's message walking in the spirit we set aside daily time to connect with God to give you the ability to live a godly life and fulfill his plans for you in the coming year and we'd like to help me walk even more closely with the Lord in your head sending you pastor grants 180 day devotional moments in the word are weighed. Thank you for your gift today to help proclaim the gospel to more people around the world to PowerPoint call now to get your copy of moments in the word. When you get: 800-795-4627 that's one 800-7954, 6 to 7.

You can also text word PowerPoint to 313131 text PowerPoint to streamline 3131. Don't forget to visit Jack Graham.org shop where he stored online or sign up for Dr. Graham's free daily email devotional our website again is Jack Graham.board.

Now let's get back today's message walking in this my friend David Jeremiah imagines having at all, and in his office to file maybe a computer file and if you look in the file and type in your name, your name would be there if you're a believer and Satan has as Dr. Jeremiah surmising your vulnerabilities there. Your weaknesses there and he knows what tool to use to discourage us or disappoint us or depress us or defeat us in some way. Remember God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life but Satan hates you and has a terrible plan for your life. Jesus at icon that you might have life and have it more abundantly.

But Satan comes alive, kill, steal and destroy to rob you of everything good to rob you of your testimony to rob you of your joy to rob you of your peace and on. So there's a file and maybe if you know, we looked in your file, what would your file say we can imagine what some of our files months, I'd say Satan's files on you might say, for example, he enjoys gossip or has a quick temper, a hair trigger or easily discourage or prone to word prideful or lustful or doubts Satan is at work is devices his designs, creates a struggle for the life of the Christian.

So not only is there the devil, but the Scripture talks about the flesh I could talk about it right here in Galatians. I look at it again in verse 16 he talks about the desires of the flesh. Verse 17 again the desires of the flesh are against the spirit and the.desires of the Spirit are against to the flesh were those are opposed to each other to keep you from doing the things you want to do now Paul is writing hereto to all of us about an experience that he knew personally talked about it in Romans chapter 7 in Romans chapter 7 he says things like the things that I want to do. Paul said I'm struggling because those are the things I don't and then he says, on the other hand, the things that I don't want to do those of the very things that I find myself what was true for Paul is true for all believers. He went on to say at the end of chapter 70 wretched man that I am part of a low self-esteem said this wrecks me what I want to do. I don't do what I don't want to do. I do any crying out who will deliver me from this body of this dying became flesh that I'm living, that's a Romans seven Christian and Paul was there.

Thank God he wrote Romans eight because he discovered victory in Jesus that were not living in condemnation in Christ that that God is alive and working with us in his spirit from the heels of Romans seven this terrible testimony of struggle against sin and ratifying the flesh.

There is Romans eight in the promise of victory, but I'm just telling you what all the experience we've all experienced and there is this war within, and that's why so hard to live the Christian life is why is so impossible to live the Christian life in our own strength because this this last principle, the flesh is is who we are in the old nature is our old nature.

When you became a Christian. The old nature didn't die. The old man didn't die still alive. Now you have a new life. You have the spirit of God, but in this comes the resistance in this comes the big fight that we should walk in the spirit rather than live in the flesh flesh is your old way of living is your old way of thinking is your habit since those addictions is those things in your life that are still present and and is is if the workplace is carnal. Carnivorous is that word carnet chili con carnet chili with chili with me. That's what it means. It means flesh your Christian con Carney is that you are so you have this new nature and you have this whole nation and the many descriptions as to how to deal with this were to Take off the old man the old clothes and put on the new. By the way we think, the way we believe, rather than believing the lies of Satan, we listen to the truth of the spirit and we walk accordingly.

We walk in the world. We don't let the old man dominated look down in verse verses 1920 21 it says about the works of the flesh are evident, sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, which is akin to drug use. By the way, enmity of anger we see strike. Jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissension divisions, is this like this is like watching the news in the drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things. That is, those who live this way, do not inherit the kingdom of God.

They are unsafe. The fact is that sometimes a safe person can go back and start living a carnal life you have Christ in your life but but you're tempted to go back.

That's why in Hebrews we keep saying go forward go forward go forward in a way to overcome the flesh is to feed the spirit and starve the flesh, feed the spirit and starve the flesh. Then there's also not only the devil in the flesh, but there's the world, which I will call the culture to culture is the world not the world of people that God loves, not the world of creation that God has made.

But the world system that is anti-God that that this success in cause us to compromise our conviction is is the world system and the culture is constantly there, the world is moving us like a siren inflaming the flesh, the world will play with your emotions world can include your old friends that don't know Christ and therefore you have to make a clean break.

You love your friends you care about that but you can't keep doing the things that your old friends and keep going back there. The culture of the things you used to do BC before Christ setting those things that were part of your life and that was quote world because you were in the world you you love the world, but now we live Christ now. If you're a Christian you're walking in the spirit here are out of step with the world you're marching to the beat of a different drummer. We don't listen to the drumbeat of the world.

There is a distant echo in our hearts.

It is the spirit of God that beats within. So we now are walking in the spirit whether anybody else is walking with us or not we are outliers you know what that term means where outliers which were not the same as the world in order to make a difference.

We must be different. Don't blend into the world.

Step out in the spirit and walk in the spirit of that doesn't mean you're going to be weird doesn't mean you're going to crazy but bizarre things to walk in the spirit is the live under the control of the Holy Spirit rather than the control of the domination of Satan, the world, the flesh were now walking in the power in the presence the promises of God. If you do that you will walk in the spirit and not fulfill the lust of the flesh again is not I but Christ lives in me, as the Holy Spirit every day to fill you with his presence. He's already there.

He lives in you.

So ask him to fill you to control walking daily dependence and obedience to Christ when when Joshua was called to lead the children of Israel and distracted the desert into the promised land and the promise lends a picture of the spiritual life.

He told Inman the first chapter of Joshua that you to meditate on the word of God every day and and then that every step you take the sole of your foot. You're taking higher ground, taking more ground walking more and more in the spirit and not living in the desert living in the wilderness spiritually.

What is to walk in the spirit is really a matter of surrendering your life to live under the Lordship of Jesus.

Jesus is Lord. The question is, is the Lord of your life, because when he years you will be more than a conqueror.

Scripture says you will be able to say I can do all they through Christ who strengthens me. He is the source of my strength. The reason that I keep doing this, day after day is not because of me, but because of him. One day the Lord.

Next thing you know, celebrating online now live in today's message walking in the spirit. Looking ahead to a new year, conferring with expectation. They can also fill you with desperation if things get worse if the world gets crazier. But if you don't have the strength to face what comes your way. It's their spending daily time in God's word that we find the strength, peace and hope we need and we want to help you do that by sending you pastor Graham's 180 day devotional moments in the word moments and the word is our special thanks for your gift is not called to request a copy today: 800-795-4627 that's 1-800-795-4627 also text power 313-1316 PowerPoint to 313131.

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