 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
 |
||||||
 |
|||||||
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
|
|
 |
|
 |
||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||||||
|
|||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||
We are going to look closely at the Spirit of God's place in this process of Christian living. The process that the Spirit of God introduces is called Walking by the Spirit. In Romans 6:4 it says, . . . that as Christ was raised out from among the corpses through the glory of the Father, thus also we ourselves should walk in a new kind of life. The
phrase “ . . . in a new kind of life” refers to a life built
on how God sees us, as opposed to a life built on what we feel.
Our past was consumed by the negative effects of sin; our present
should be based upon how God sees us. . . . the righteousness of the law will be fulfilled in us who are not walking fleshly, but spiritually. For the ones who are fleshly have their perspective set on the things of the flesh, and the ones being spiritual have their perspective set on the things of the Spirit. For the perspective of the flesh is a state of relational death, but the perspective of the Spirit is life and peace What are the things of the Spirit? They are our position in Christ and the new relationship with our Father. They are the things described in chapters 3-6 of Romans. How do these three things work together? God the Father sees me in Christ. That's the positive picture. That's how He sees me. I turn to Him, and I begin to reckon myself, assume myself, to be alive to Him as Christ is alive to Him. I begin to share my thoughts, my feeling, my fears and my anxieties in a trusting relationship. As I do that, I can then take a positive step into life. As I take that step, the Spirit of God will empower me. Out of a positive relationship with God the Father, I can take that step by the Spirit, and not by the moods and the lusts of the flesh. Walking by the Spirit is feeling the effects of the Spirit’s presence and arranging how I'm living relationally in this world. The act of walking is by the Spirit’s power, and it is undergirded by my relationship with the Father and my identity in Christ. The steps that I take as I properly relate to the Father will be empowered by the Spirit of God. How does this work out practically? Are you ever afflicted by anxiety? Let’s look at how someone struggling with anxiety would apply the principles of walking by the Spirit. Paul gives advice for handling anxiety in Philippians 4:6: Stop being anxious in relationship to anything. But in relationship to anything causing anxiety by prayer and asking after thanksgiving, let your specific requests be made known to God. Anxiety is a horrible mood. Anxiety feels like somebody is continually stabbing you with a little knife. First Paul says to recognize that anxiety is a spiritual issue. We have to decide to talk to God about it. Now will God look at me through my anxiety, or will He see me in the Son? My anxiety doesn't interfere with my relationship to Him, because He sees me in the Son. Therefore, I can turn to Him and describe everything bugging me. I can go to God the Father, tell Him all about it, and make very specific requests for help. I can ask for help; it doesn't matter how irrational it is. He's my Father, and He likes me. With thanksgiving, I can talk this out with Him. As a facetious example, if you are afraid that an army of red ants is going to invade your home and begin consuming you, if that's a genuine fear in your life, tell God about it! He'll accept your openness as a compliment. Then you thank Him, that even if they chew you alive, He'll see you through the pain, and you have a home in glory. Talk it over with Him, with thanksgiving, because you know that God is with you. What is the Spirit of God’s place in Christian living? As you let your request be made known to God, (verse 4:7) the peace of God comes from the Spirit. The peace surpasses all understanding. The peace protects your heart, the way a garrison protects a city. Analyze the threefold relationship. I'm in Christ, that's the basis of the relationship to the Father. As I relate to the Father in my position in Christ, the Spirit of God will empower me as I deal with the problems of life. This is how walking by the Spirit works. The walking is the end result of practicing Romans chapter 6 and 8. The critical point is our relationship with the Father. That's why we have to make sure that we are not confusing God the Father with our family of origin. The quality of our spiritual life will be directly related to how we understand the Father His view of us. A relational reality exists among the three members of the Trinity. We are in Christ, so we can relate to the Father with the result that the Spirit of God empowers us to handle the affairs of life. This is good, sound New Testament theology, but it is also good, sound psychology. Psychology says one of the biggest problems in life is dealing with the family of origin. The solution is to be adopted into a new family, and the Trinity provides one. Now this empowerment is positively emotional and mentally enabling. The place of emotions is critical in properly understanding the empowerment of the Spirit of God. God the Spirit does not produce abstract philosophers, but lovers. Application Isolate several of your favorite anxieties and do the following:
How do you view the role of the Spirit of God in your life? Focus on what Christ has done and is doing, and cooperate with any positive healthy impulse the Spirit may provide. Since the devil does not influence by love, joy, and peace, you can be confident that the positive desires and insights are to be followed.
|
|
|
|
hen we walk out of our problems, our
moods, our desires, and walk into the Father's presence and begin to
sort things out in a personal trusting relationship with Him, the
Spirit of God supplies the fruit of the Spirit called self-control.
He supplies the positive, basic virtues of the Christian life: love,
joy and peace. He does this as he sees us relating properly to
God the Father. 
