Yielding to God’s Spirit

Another great message yesterday [Southwood Current Messages] from Mark Crocco on yielding to God’s Spirit.
Here are some key points:
1. The Christian life is aChrist centered, Spirit empowered, faith driven life leading to Christlike transformation to the Glory of God.
2. Living in the supernatural power of God's Spirit involves choosing to place our dependence in the power of the Spirit of God on a daily basis (Galatians 5:16.
(Galatians 5:16) So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature.


3. Living in the supernatural power of God's Spirit involves choosing to yield to the control of the Spirit of God on a daily basis (Ephesians 5:18)
(Ephesians 5:18) Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit.

How do you do this on a practical level, in those everyday situations that test whether we are walking in the Spirit or the flesh? Typical of those everyday situations is our verbal responses to mates, children, co-workers, people in public, other family members, etc. A statement is made, you have a thought of how to respond, or you give your spontaneous response (not good!), or you rationalize briefly and then respond. As you respond or later in reflection or obviously by the reaction and/or conflict, you realize this comment did not match walking in the Spirit. It did not mimic, love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. What can you do to prevent your responses being out of the flesh? Two aspects are involved in learning how to walk in dependence on the Spirit: 1) preparation and process.
1) Preparation: Acknowledge who you are in Christ. If you have put your trust in Christ as your Savior, you are a new person. God’s Spirit lives in you and you have a whole new potential for living out God’s call upon your life. The flesh (the negative aspect of your life that rejects God’s authority) is still resident but does not have to have the upper hand. Please read Romans 6, especially vss 8-14.
(Rom 6:8-14) Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. {9} For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him. {10} The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God. {11} In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. {12} Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. {13} Do not offer the parts of your body to sin, as instruments of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves (yield) to God, as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer the parts of your body to him as instruments of righteousness. {14} For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace.

Couple with this reading, a review of the definition of faith: Faith is choosing to believe that God has reveled, in His Word, my truth and reality in spite of my feelings or circumstances. (This would be good to write on a 3 x 5 card so that it is always handy for review). Ask God to remind you of the reality of your newness in Christ. Based on the truth and reality revealed in Romans 6, remind yourself that you do have the capacity to respond according to the Spirit of God’s leading. You are no longer subject to your flesh and in spite of feelings or circumstances, you can respond in the Spirit. Acknowledge that this is not something you can do in your natural strength but only in the power provided by the Spirit of God.

2) Process: Learning to walk in the Spirit is a step-by-step process, just as it was for us as a child. Don’t be surprised if this takes time. You will have moments of stumbling. Keep focused on the freedom that comes from Spirit-enabled responses and pleasing God (review the blog on”Why no fear?” )

There is effort required on your part, which is why I assume so many of us are not making the progress we should. Don’t we wish that the preacher’s preaching would be used magically, so that we can walk out on Sunday morning, instantly transformed without any effort on our part? My assumption is that most of us experience some degree of conviction under Mark’s excellent preaching of theWord of God, have good intents, but very little follow-through. The rest of the day progresses, Monday comes with it’s full schedule and good intentions are lost on the altar of daily demands. So my challenge to you is to start walking in the Spirit. If not now, when? If not when, then why not? Continue to examine your thought life as the basis for your emotions, attitudes, and behaviors. Thoughts are the root of the issue. If your thoughts are rationalizing, in denial, projecting, or any other excuses, how come? Why wouldn’t your great relationship with God be sufficient motive to hunger and thirst after His righteousness (Matthew 5:6). Why isn’t the motive to please Him dominate in your life? (2 Corinthians 5:9).
Take the first step and keep walking.