Our Spiritual Richness

As the world around us wants to walk as on higher ground they fail to do so because of the inherent lowness of Satan's character that resides within all of mankind in mans humanity. By being slaves to the one who is a liar and murderer from his beginning. Try as those of the worldly kind will they just fall short by word and deed to match that of GOD's people. Because even GOD's people look on the outer appearance like all others and by doing have no outward change in appearance. But Their language begins to clear up as does the way in which they carry themselves as they serve a new Master, as LORD and Christ of a higher level but without a haughtiness of soul. After I look at Pastor Hoekstra and his teaching on Grace and accessing Grace through faith. I want to look at the Holy Spirit's roll in our learning of Christ, but first, I will look at mans walk as a born again soul restored to GOD with GOD's Life now flowing on the inside. The first area is the believers characteristics of this walk. In doing so I will again use the ESV translation and as always, all is done under the watchful eyes of my LORD.


"One More Consequence of Accessing Grace through Faith"


"Who through faith . . . turned to flight the armies of the aliens." (Hebrews 11:34)


"In this summarized series of testimonies, the LORD's servants "subdued kingdoms, worked righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, became valiant in battle." (Hebrews 11:33-34). Our next category shows one more consequence of accessing Grace through faith.


By trusting the LORD, some of His people "turned to flight the armies of the aliens." Jonathan (son of King Saul) provides an excellent picture of this. "Then Jonathan said to the young man who bore his armor, 'Come, let us go over to the garrison of these uncircumcised; it may be that the LORD will work for us. For nothing restrains the LORD from saving by many or by few' " (1Samuel 14:6). Although these two men were greatly outnumbered by the enemy forces, Jonathan knew that GOD was not restricted by numbers in bringing victory to His people (those few who place their trust and hope in Him Who remains unseen but not unknown). God confirmed Jonathan's plan by the anticipated response of the enemy soldiers, so the two men launched an attack on the fortress. "And Jonathan climbed up on his hands and knees with his armor bearer after him; and they fell before Jonathan. And as he came after him, his armor bearer killed them" (1Samuel 14:13). The reaction of the alien army was as though a mighty horde had swept over them. "And there was trembling in the camp, in the field, and among all the people. The garrison and the raiders also trembled; and the earth quaked, so that it was a very great trembling. Now the watchmen of Saul in Gibeah of Benjamin looked, and there was the multitude, melting away; and they went here and there" (1Samuel 14:15-16). Other Israelites, who had been fearful, were encouraged to join in the battle. "Likewise all the men of Israel who had hidden in the mountains of Ephraim, when they heard that the Philistines fled, they also followed hard after them in the battle" (1Samuel 14:22). So, two men were sufficient to cause a mighty army to flee, even if GOD needed to add an earthquake to ensure effectiveness!


By trusting the LORD, we can also cause the enemy and his demonic forces to flee. "Finally, my brethren, be strong in the LORD and in the power of His might . . . For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places . . . Therefore submit to GOD. Resist the devil and he will flee from you" (Ephesians 6:10, 12 and James 4:7)." As we grow in understanding and knowledge of GOD through Christ by the Holy Spirit's tutoring of us we will or should become as those of Israel's history, by the bearing of Christ's witness here and now.


Walk of Believers:

Characteristics of our walk,

New Life,

Romans 6:1-7, 8:1-8 "What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? We were buried therefore with Him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have been united with Him in a death like His, we shall certainly be united with Him in a resurrection like His. We know that our old self was crucified with Him in order that the body (spirit) of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to (the spirit of) sin. For one who has died (but to death the spirit sin nature) has been set free from sin."

Romans 8:1-8 "There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in (spiritual union marriage to) Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. For GOD has done what the Law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, HE condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. 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 set their minds on the things of the Spirit. For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to GOD, for it does not submit to GOD's law; indeed, it cannot. Those who are in the flesh cannot please GOD."

Faith,


2Corinthians 5:6-10 "So we are always of good courage. We know that while we are at home in this body we are away from (no, we are present with) the LORD, for we walk by faith, not by sight. Yes, we are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the LORD. So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please Him. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil."

Spirituality,


Galatians 5:16-24 "I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the Law. Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of GOD. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. For those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires."


Consistency,


Ephesians 3:20-4:16 Now to Him Who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to Him be glory in the church and Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

I therefore, a prisoner for the LORD, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call— one LORD, one faith, one baptism, one GOD and Father of all, Who is over all and through all and in all. But grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ's gift. Therefore it says, "When He ascended on high he led a host of captives, and he gave gifts to men (in Psalm 68:18)." (In saying, "He ascended," what does it mean but that He had also descended into the lower regions, the earth? He who descended is the one who also ascended far above all the heavens, that He might fill all things. [in John 3:13, Isaiah 44:23]) And He gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of GOD, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. But rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into Him Who is the head, Christ, from Whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love."



Love,


Ephesians 5:1-2 "Therefore be imitators of GOD, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave Himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to GOD."

Caution,


Ephesians 5:15-21 "Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Will of the LORD is. And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the LORD with your heart, giving thanks always and for everything to GOD the Father of spirits in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ."


Illumination,


1John 1:5-10 "This is the message we have heard from Him and proclaim to you, that GOD is light, and in HIM is no darkness at all. If we say we have fellowship with Him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. For if we walk in the light, as HE is the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, HE is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word (Christ) is not in us."

Christlikeness,


1John 2:3-11 "By this we know that we have come to know Him, if we keep His commandments. Whoever says "I know Him" but does not keep His commandments is a liar, and truth is not in him, but whoever keeps His word, in him truly the love of GOD is perfected. By this we may know that we are Him: whoever says he abides in Him ought to walk in the same way in which He walked. Beloved, I am writing you no new commandment, but an old commandment that you had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word that you have heard. At the same time, it is a new commandment that I am writing to you, which is true in Him and in you, because the darkness is passing away and the true light is already shining. Whoever says he is in the light and hates his brother is still in darkness. Whoever loves his brother abides in the Light, and in him there is no cause for stumbling. But whoever hates his brother is in the darkness and walks in the darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes."