In the Spirit, Not in the Flesh

Sunday December 4, 2016
Speaker:

Romans 8:1There 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. The condition of not having any condemnation is that we walk according to the Spirit. We need to respond to the voice of God without looking backwards. We are to take the territory, and as a church, we should be sending people out. In creation, God said, and it was. God did not speak man into existence, but formed him and breathed into him. When we are in Jesus Christ, His breath and Spirit are in us, leading us and telling us what to do. We are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if we are led by the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:2-17). We present ourselves as living sacrifices to God (Romans 12:1). God inhabits our praise. Praise opens the doors to the fullness of His power. Enter into the House of God with thanksgiving and praise. The pastor confirms what God has already been speaking to you. We have a lazy form of worship and praise. The church has reacted to what the devil has done. God has equipped us with a preemptive strike. That strike is prayer. We all know 2 Chronicles 7:14, but before that statement, Solomon had asked for wisdom. He asked for God to restore the Israelite people for when they fall away from Him. Praying is a two-sided conversation. We need to be quiet and listen to Him and not be distracted. Praying in the Spirit is a preemptive strike. We have one mortal lifetime to change our eternity. Be what you were created to be. Do not try to fix the problem, but after you have prayed, be quiet with the person you are praying for and trust God to do what you have prayed. Do not make so much noise that someone else’s voice cannot be heard. The Word does not return void. Sometimes it takes another person’s voice for the person to actually “hear” what you had been repetitively saying. We are beings of the Spirit. Do not be conformed to this world, but allow the Spirit to transform your mind (Romans 12:2). Conformity is giving into outside pressure, whereas transformation is an inward change. God breathed life into you so you can live where He is. Worship is going up to where God is. The more we change on the inside, the more the outside will change.