Brother Gary Wednesday Evening 7/2/14

Brother Gary Wednesday Evening 7/2/14

Gal 5:25  If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.

God spoke this message to me first for my personal life.  We have this statement, this truth, “If we live in the Spirit…”  The word ‘Spirit’ refers to the Holy Spirit. 

It is very important that we realize that we need the Holy Spirit.  We need to live and walk in the Holy Spirit.  Since the day of salvation, everyone of us has had many times where we had that occasion where we sought God in a very definite way and acknowledged that we needed His Spirit and we needed to live and walk in His Spirit.

Gal 5:13  For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another.

It is wonderful to know what liberty is.  What some people call liberty is a jeopardy to their lives and to the lives of others. 

Gal 5:14  For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.

Gal 5:15  But if ye bite and devour one another, take heed that ye be not consumed one of another.

Thank God we have had marvelous years of training from the former pastor of knowing how to love and care for one another.  If you begin faultfinding your brother and sister in Christ it can do a lot of damage not only to them but also to yourself. 

Gal 5:16  This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.

Gal 5:17  For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.

Without the power of the Holy Spirit of God, and living and walking in the Spirit, our flesh and carnality will take over and we will find ourselves desiring the things of the flesh that are not pleasing to God.  Our carnality will take over and we will live and walk in the flesh.

Gal 5:18  But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law.

Everyone of us has the natural ability of being influenced, motivated, receiving thoughts, making decisions, and being counseled: “Why don’t you do this or that.”  The majority of your family and friends would not intentionally try to lead you astray. 

Many well meaning people give their thoughts and counsel without realizing, “I am talking to this saint of God that has been bought with a price, has a relationship with God the Father, Jesus the Son, and the Holy Spirit.” And perhaps as wayside soil they don’t understand about the things of God. 

I do understand some of the Word and teachings of God and I have a desire to understand more.  What they don’t understand is that you and I have a very privileged situation that we can be led by the Spirit of God. 

Every one of us has a keen burden to pray for the young people and children.  Not only do they have their own personal life of being inclined to do this or that, but it is a common fact, some people have a natural tendency to be easily influenced or are hasty to make a decision.

Adults would testify, “I have found that hasty decisions have placed me in a position to wish that I had prayed a whole lot more before I made those choices.”

If you be led of the Spirit of God then you are not under the Law.  We are blessed to be led of the Spirit of God.

Gal 5:19  Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,

Gal 5:20  Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies,

Gal 5:21  Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.

Idolatry:  there is something in us that wants to worship something; it is how we were created.  Don’t make an idol of anything.  As much as we love our wife, our children, I don’t own a classic, a model T or anything, I think it would be fun to have one, but to make any of those things an idol leaves us so empty.

Witchcraft:  stay away from anything that has powers that are not from God.  There are a lot of them out there.

Hatred:  every one of us that reaches maturity will feel that we have been wronged by someone.  If we allow that injury to take its course, it will result in hatred and it is not worth it.

Variance, warring and trouble:  God doesn’t want us to always be at war with our family or other people.  There are people that have records that they always have a war with someone.  God doesn’t want you there.

Emulations:  the goal is to help one another and not to shine above another.  “Paradise church has more talent than Perma.”  Don’t even go there.  If this is the year that your garden grows good, then be thankful but don’t try to outshine someone that had to plant their cucumbers 10 times. 

The goal is one body working for a common goal.

Wrath:  don’t let anything get you so worked up that you get out of control.  It is so important that we be lead of the Spirit of God so that we have God lead us when we are in bad situations.

People that live immoral lives, contentious lives, that love to shine above someone else, they are missing the kingdom of God.

Gal 5:22  But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,

Gal 5:23  Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.

Gal 5:24  And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.

Here is the key to walking and living in the Spirit.  When our flesh, our mind, our appetite, our desire, or our opinion rises up… everyone has a right to have a strong opinion, but we need to know how to consecrate, and dedicate our opinion and have the attitude, “I want to be lead of the spirit of God and walking in the Spirit of God.”

Gal 5:25  If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.

Gal 5:26  Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another.

God sows seed so that it will be there growing when we really need it. 

Let us as brothers and sisters in the church of God in Paradise, keep it in our hearts, “God all we want is to serve you.  All we want is to worship you.  We are not looking for the approval of man or of men.  We want the approval of God and the fellowship of all saints.”

Let us not have an attitude that would set our brother or sister on edge, provoking one another and envying one another.

Walk in the Spirit; be lead by the spirit.  We can make this so complicated that we miss it.  Or we can have that sensitive still small voice saying, “This is the way my child.”

Between now and Sunday you will be lead by the Spirit of God to pray at a different time than just your morning and evening devotions.  It doesn’t have to be in a specific spot or manner.  I pray on the stairs, you can pray on the stairs.  I go in the street to pray.  You can pray when you are ironing. 

Lead by the Spirit, “I think that God would have me to do this…”  It is the little stops that get you in position for the big stops.  We have all seen these people that went out and thought that they were going to do something.  They hadn’t gotten the soil ready or showed up before.  Show up.  You may not get the door open, but show up.  Be lead of the Spirit. 

If you are being lead by the Spirit of God then don’t worry about using the gas or spending a little money.  Be lead by the Spirit and live in the Spirit.

I woke up sick the other day and was on a spiral.  I was so sick that I went from one resting place to another.  I sat there and thought, “I don’t like this; this is not the place to be.  Vacation bible school came back to me, “The fruit of the Spirit is love and joy.”  I said, “I am getting a hold of myself.”

You may not wake up in the Spirit but you can get in the Spirit.

1Co 14:15  What is it then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will pray with the understanding also: I will sing with the spirit, and I will sing with the understanding also.

Praying in the Spirit; praying with understanding.  That spoke to me.  Singing in the Spirit; singing with understanding.

The blessings of being led by the Spirit.

We can walk, sing, pray, be lead of the spirit, sing with understanding, and pray with understanding. 

Rom 8:26  Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.

The Spirit helps our infirmities.  The Spirit makes intercession for us. 

Eph 3:20  Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us,

When you and I are studying, praying, and meditating and feel challenged past our selves, that is good. 

In our selves we cannot live, walk, or sing in the spirit.  Through Him we can.  All glory to God.