Walking in the Spirit

What do we have to know to be able to walk in the spirit and overcome temptation?

Romans 8: 2 – 11

1. Killing the Old Man.

The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God. In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus Romans 6: 10, 11

This tells us that there are two things we need to know to be able to walk after the spirit of God

  1. Know that you are dead in Christ
  2. Count the flesh as dead (King James Version uses the word recon)

Galatians 2: 20 I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live, yet not I, but Christ lives in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.

  1. Christ lives in us
  2. We can recon ourselves dead to sin
  3. We live this life by faith

1. Christ lives in us. This knowledge has to be more than intellectual knowledge. We need revelation to really understand what it means to be a temple of the Living God. More than that, God does not just live in me, I am dead and everything that happens is because of Christ. Nothing of myself.

2. Recon is an accounting term. Math is the most accurate item that we have. If you have $25 you cannot write a check for $30 and hope nobody notices. We can only recon ourselves when we know what is in our account OUR ACCOUNT SAYS WE ARE DEAD

3. We live this life by faith which in this instance is an acceptance of a fact.

2. How Do We Deal With Temptations?

Satan has always had a plan and that is to get us to doubt what God says about us. (See Genesis 3: 4)

God deals with this in a unique way. Rather than destroy the sin in us, He has killed the sinner.

EXAMPLE: My flesh wants to lie, but God has killed my tongue through Jesus that there is no longer any avenue for me to lie.

I am also challenged to walk after the Spirit. Walking involves relationship. We do not have to be afraid of walking with God because He has adopted us as His children.

Key Point: We have an obligation to kill the flesh and walk after the spirit. (Romans 3: 12, 13)

To fulfill this obligation, life can get messy.

  1. We have to travail until Christ is formed in us. (Galatians 4: 19)
  2. We have to struggle to the point of shedding blood. (Hebrews 12: 4)