![]() As humans, we are made in the image of God. We are a three part being. The essence of who we are is our spirit. It is with our spirit that we connect with God. We have a soul, made up of our mind, emotions, and will, and we live in a body, our earth suit. THE SPIRIT Before we are born again, our spirits are in a dead state toward God and alive to sin. Ephesians 2: 4-5 says, “But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved)...” When we accept Christ as our Saviour, the old sinful nature is crucified and buried into death with Christ. “For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin—” (Romans 6:6 NIV). Colossians 3:3 says, “For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God (NKJV). Now, as born-again believers, our spirit is alive to God. “Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:11, NKJV). When we put our faith in Jesus, our born-again spirit is recreated in the righteousness of Jesus, holy, with the very nature of our Saviour. God made Jesus to be sin in our place so we can receive His righteousness as a free gift. 2 Corinthians 5:21 says, “For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him” (NKJV). This reborn spirit in us does not change – it has been made righteous forever. This is amazing news! THE SOUL The soul consists of the mind, emotions, and will. When we are born-again, this part of us does not change instantly. It still carries with it the old thought patterns and habits we had before we accepted Christ. It is the part that is constantly being made holy. “For by the one offering He has perfected forever and completely cleansed those who are being sanctified [bringing each believer to spiritual completion and maturity]” (Hebrews 10:14 AMP). The soul is the part we spend a lifetime renewing. “Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect” (Romans 12:2 NLT). This requires setting our minds on things above. “Set your mind and keep focused habitually on the things above [the heavenly things], not on things that are on the earth [which have only temporal value]” (Colossians 3:2 AMP). As we do this, we will starve our old sinful patterns of thought and bring our minds into agreement with our reborn spirits. THE BODY Through the death and resurrection of Jesus, He purchased us and when we are born-again, our bodies become a temple of God. “Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s (1 Corinthians 6:19-20, NKJV). As born-again believers, we are to give our bodies to righteousness rather than to sin. “Just as you used to offer the parts of your body in slavery to impurity and to ever-increasing wickedness, so now offer them in slavery to righteousness leading to holiness.” (Romans 6:19, NKJV). God’s Word tells us to put to death the misdeeds of our body through the power of the Holy Spirit. “For if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live” (Romans 8:13). WITHOUT FOOD, WE DIE Just as we need physical food in order to survive, we need spiritual food to grow spiritually. The Word of God is our spiritual food. If we don’t meditate on it day and night, we lose our spiritual strength. That’s why Satan works so hard to keep us out of God’s Word. He wants weak, anemic Christians. His desire is for Christians to feed their minds with the things of the world, and their bodies with the lusts of the flesh. To overcome the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life (1 John 2:16), we need to do what God told Joshua before he led the Israelites into the Promised Land to conquer it. “This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall read [and meditate on] it day and night, so that you may be careful to do [everything] in accordance with all that is written in it; for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will be successful” (Joshua 1:8 AMP). The Apostle Paul tells us to, “...walk habitually in the [Holy] Spirit [seek Him and be responsive to His guidance], and then you will certainly not carry out the desire of the sinful nature [which responds impulsively without regard for God and His precepts]” (Galatians 5:16, AMP). We are to live our lives from the inside out, not the outside in. As we feed our re-born spirits with the Word of God, our bodies and souls will walk more and more in line with our spirit and we will become committed to the righteous purposes of God. I want that, don’t you?
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AuthorIn this Blog, I want to share with you some of the things I've learned from many years of following Jesus. Archives
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