The life we live

One of the greatest hindrances to the peace of God for Christians is learning to walk according to the word of God, we are to walk in the Spirit and not the flesh. Most never understand what this means, we have a habit of dividing our lives into two areas, the spirit and the flesh and try to live in both.

These two areas were created to exist apart from each other they are morally and spiritually incompatible.

Romans8:1-11 NKJV - [1] There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. [2] For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death. [3] For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh, [4] that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. [5] For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. [6] For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. [7] Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be. [8] So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God. [9] But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His. [10] And if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. [11] But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.

We are told to walk by the spirit, not the flesh we are easily persuaded by life to go back and forth from one to the other and we live a divided instead of a victorious life. We try live in two worlds, the spiritual and the natural. We are not immune to the things of the world, such as the ills of life , we do live among men but we are not to let them influence our lives.

1st John 2:15 HCSB Do not love the world or the things that belong to the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in him.16 For everything that belongs to the world — the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes,and the pride in one’s lifestyle — is not from the Father, but is from the world.17 And the world with its lust is passing away, but the one who does God’s will remains forever.

In direct contrast is the way we are to live by the Spirit. Here we have peace with God, and the peace of God, we learn the ways of God and how to live among men and be the salt and light we are called to be by enjoying an intimate fellowship with Christ. When we are walking by the Spirit , our lives are an aroma and are pleasing to God. We pray, read our Bibles, are faithful in our church attendance, we bring our praise and worship with us wherever we go, I love walking in the Spirit, but it is something I do not do 100% of the time.

While living here there are things we do like eat, sleep, work, pay bills, and just try to make that seem mundane and uninteresting, how do I make my life a living sacrifice to God, while I am doing these meaningless task?

God's word says a lot about how we are to live,

Romans 12:1 HCSB Therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, I urge you to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God; this is your spiritual worship. 2Do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may discern what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God.

1st Corinthians 15:33 HCSB Do not be deceived: “Bad company corrupts good morals.”34 Come to your senses and stop sinning, for some people are ignorant about God. I say this to your shame...50 Brothers, I tell you this: Flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, and corruption cannot inherit incorruption. 51 Listen! I am telling you a mystery: We will not all fall asleep,but we will all be changed, 52 in a moment, in the blink of an eye,at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound,and the dead will be raised incorruptible,and we will be changed.53 For this corruptible must be clothed with incorruptibility, and this mortal must be clothed with immortality. 54 When this corruptible is clothed with incorruptibility, and this mortal is clothed with immortality, then the saying that is written will take place: Death has been swallowed up in victory. 55 Death, where is your victory? Death, where is your sting? 56 Now the sting of death is sin,and the power of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ!58 Therefore, my dear brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always excelling in the Lord’s work, knowing that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.

The dilemma we have is false the devil has easily swayed us into believing that we have to live and compromise our faith in this world, we don't when you look at the life of Jesus Christ, we see that all He did to live He did as a man, not as God and all though He was fully God, He was also fully man, He overcame temptations, and life as a man to give us the example of a Spirit filled life.

Philippians 2:5 HCSB Make your own attitude that of Christ Jesus, 6 who, existing in the form of God,did not consider equality with God as something to be used for His own advantage.7 Instead He emptied Himself by assuming the form of a slave, taking on the likeness of men. And when He had come as a man in His external form,8 He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death —even to death on a cross.

Jesus Christ is our perfect example, He did not live a divided life. From His birth to His death on the cross, the life of Jesus was a total offering to God the Father, the first words recorded that Jesus spoke are these found in

Luke 2 :41 HCSB Every year His parents traveled to Jerusalem for the Passover Festival. 42 When He was 12 years old, they went up according to the custom of the festival. 43 After those days were over, as they were returning, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, but His parents did not know it.44 Assuming He was in the traveling party, they went a day’s journey. Then they began looking for Him among their relatives and friends. 45 When they did not find Him, they returned to Jerusalem to search for Him. 46 After three days, they found Him in the temple complex sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. 47 And all those who heard Him were astounded at His understanding and His answers. 48 When His parents saw Him, they were astonished, and His mother said to Him, “Son, why have You treated us like this? Your father and I have been anxiously searching for You.” 49“Why were you searching for Me? ”He asked them. “Didn’t you know that I had to be in My Father’s house? ” 50 But they did not understand what He said to them.

Jesus was in His Fathers house teaching, He was always going about doing the Father's business, and He made it a point to live that way, we can do this to.

JOHN 3:5 HCSB Jesus answered, “I assure you: Unless someone is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.6 Whatever is born of the flesh is flesh, and whatever is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 Do not be amazed that I told you that you must be born again. 8 The wind blows where it pleases, and you hear its sound, but you don’t know where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.” 

When we became born again, our flesh was crucified and we are born again into the Spirit of God, now we must learn to walk by the Spirit, it really is not as hard as it sounds, it takes a simple act of surrender daily.

Galatians 5 16-25 NKJV - [16] I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. [17] For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish. [18] But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. [19] Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, [20] idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, [21] envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. [22] But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, [23] gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. [24] And those who are Christ's have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. [25] If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.

1st Corinthians 6:9 HCSB Don’t you know that the unrighteous will not inherit God’s kingdom? Do not be deceived: No sexually immoral people, idolaters,adulterers, or anyone practicing homosexuality, 10 no thieves,greedy people, drunkards, verbally abusive people, or swindlers will inherit God’s kingdom. 11And some of you used to be like this. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.

Life is about choices, we can chose to walk in the Spirit by living according to the word of God, or we chose to walk in the way of the world our flesh by going about doing things our way, but make no mistake we can not live both ways. We can do this by living with an aggressive faith. Not a passive faith.

Colossians 3:1 HCSB So if you have been raised with the Messiah, seek what is above, where the Messiah is, seated at the right hand of God.2 Set your minds on what is above, not on what is on the earth. 3 For you have died, and your life is hidden with the Messiah in God. 4When the Messiah, who is your life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory. 5Therefore, put to death what belongs to your worldly nature:sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desire, and greed, which is idolatry. 6 Because of these, God’s wrath comes on the disobedient, 7and you once walked in these things when you were living in them. 8 But now you must also put away all the following: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and filthy language from your mouth. 9 Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old self with its practices 10 and have put on the new self. You are being renewed in knowledge according to the image of your Creator. 11 In Christ there is not Greek and Jew, circumcision and uncircumcision, barbarian, Scythian,slave and free; but Christ is all and in all.12 Therefore, God’s chosen ones, holy and loved, put on heartfelt compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience, 13 accepting one another and forgiving one another if anyone has a complaint against another. Just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you must also forgive. 14 Above all, put on love — the perfect bond of unity. 15 And let the peace of the Messiah, to which you were also called in one body, control your hearts. Be thankful. 16 Let the message about the Messiah dwell richly among you, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, and singing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, with gratitude in your hearts to God. 17 And whatever you do, in word or in deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.

Through the power of Jesus Christ we have already overcome the world, and it is He who lives in us, so why don't we learn to offer all our acts to God and believe He accepts them whether we eat or drink, work or play live or die do it all for the Lord.

Galatians 2: HCSB 16 know that no one is justified by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ. And we have believed in Christ Jesus so that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law, because by the works of the law no human being will be justified. 17 But if we ourselves are also found to be “sinners” while seeking to be justified by Christ, is Christ then a promoter of sin? Absolutely not! 18If I rebuildthe system I tore down, I show myself to be a lawbreaker.19 For through the law I have died to the law, so that I might live for God. I have been crucified with Christ 20and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me. 21I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness comes through the law, then Christ died for nothing.

We must hold firmly to this position and live making every act of every hour of the day and night be an offer of praise, thanksgiving, and total sacrament to God in our times of private prayer in our continual prayer a thousand times a day as we live we must seek God out in everything, when we do this we will discover that He is always with us, and in our simplest deeds we can acknowledge Him.

Romans 14:5 HCSB One person considers one day to be above another day. Someone else considers every day to be the same. Each one must be fully convinced in his own mind. 6 Whoever observes the day, observes it for the honor of the Lord. Whoever eats, eats for the Lord, since he gives thanks to God; and whoever does not eat, it is for the Lord that he does not eat it, yet he thanks God.7 For none of us lives to himself, and no one dies to himself.8If we live, we live for the Lord; and if we die, we die for the Lord. Therefore, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord.

We can live every moment for Christ if we take the attitude of Christ, by making our lives a living sacrifice to God, we must learn to worship Him in Spirit and Truth and put away the flesh everyday by taking our thoughts captive and applying the word of God to our lives. God's word gives no room for compromise we must be immovable when it comes to living as we are called, we can do this, if we ask for the Lord's help and learn to do all things for His glory.

Colossians 3:17 And whatever you do, in word or in deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.

In Christ

brian