live in the Spirit
guide : two
MATTHEW 26:41
"watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. the Spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak."
Where do you notice a gap between your spiritual intentions and your daily actions? What practical steps can you take to stay spiritually alert instead of giving in to weakness?
when Jesus wanted Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, James and John, to pray with Him, they slept instead because they were too tired. this shows that Jesus lived in the Spirit always, while even His disciples struggled to do so. this also shows the strength of the Spirit. you can withstand all earthly things when immersed in the Holy Spirit. the temptation to sleep resembles the desire for us to live in darkness which comes from our sinful nature, even in the midst of the Light of the World. even true disciples of Christ could not resist the desire to sleep when their Master had asked them to stay awake and pray with Him. the flesh is weak because it gives in to temptations. the Spirit is willing and strong because it can resist all temptations, even the desire to sleep when you are very tired. the Spirit gives us a mind/body/soul that is awake at all times (not literally) meaning you are always alert and ready to fight the temptations of the flesh. and the Spirit gives us the strength to win that fight every second of every day forever. be like Jesus and live in the strength and willingness that comes from His Holy Spirit to fight against the wicked attacks of the enemy.
ROMANS 8:5
"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, the things of the Spirit."
What currently shapes your thoughts more—your fleshly desires or the leading of the Spirit? How would your life look different if your mind were fully set on the Spirit?
in order to live in the Spirit you must keep your mind and body in the Spirit. think good, pure thoughts. when you think good thoughts, your actions will be good as well, and you won’t do wrong with your body. and vice versa: when you think about impure things, your body does wrong things, wrong actions. you harm other people and yourself, even without meaning to or wanting to.
ROMANS 8:10
"and if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness."
In what areas of your life do you still feel spiritually 'dead' or stagnant? How can you more fully invite Christ’s life and righteousness into those areas?
you must die to your sin in a sense, the way Christ died for our sins. in order to live in Spirit you must be born again in the Holy Spirit and in water, Holy Water. and when the body or the flesh, the sinful nature within you is 'dead', then you will live fully in His Spirit and you will be full of joy and peace and love at all times - because that’s what His Spirit gives us. by accepting Christ and by nailing your sinful passions and desires to His cross, killing them, and being reborn in purity, you find peace and eternal joyful life.
ROMANS 8:28
"and we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose."
What situation in your life feels confusing or painful right now? How might God be working through it for good, even if you can’t see the outcome yet?
when you love God and you live in the Spirit, working for His purpose, for His will, He will protect you, He will keep you provided for, He will give you the good desires of your heart.
JOHN 4:24
"God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth."
Is your worship more about routine or genuine connection with God? What would it look like to worship Him more authentically in spirit and truth?
the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of God and Christ. worshipping God means living by His Spirit, truthfully and honestly. not forcing it but being captivated and engulfed by His Spirit. don’t claim to live in His Spirit if you actually don’t. false holiness is worse than truthful unholiness. Love God’s Spirit with your whole heart and mind and body and soul. be one with His Spirit and you will be worshipping in spirit and in truth.
1 CORINTHIANS 6:19
"Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own?"
How are you treating your body as the dwelling place of the Holy Spirit? What changes could better honor God with your physical and daily habits?
read 1 Corinthians 6:12-20. keep your body pure, do not commit sexual immorality. do not use your body for sexual purposes other than being fruitful and multiplying humanity. the body is not made for sex. it is made to live in purity and Spirit. your body was made by God, not to commit sexual acts, but to be beautiful and to be morally clean and lovely. let the warmth of the Spirit be what gives you pleasure, not the attraction and execution of sexual acts. giving yourself to worldly pleasure, including sexual pleasure, will not bring you true peace and joy. do not be devious or immoral sexually, this will destroy you and separate you from the Spirit of Christ. respect your body the way you respect the Spirit of God. if you wouldn’t want an action that you do to yourself or others, or that you allow others to do to you, to be done to God or Christ, don’t do it. simple. but not easy, unless you walk in the Spirit…
GALATIANS 5:16
"i say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh."
What desires of the flesh most often pull you off course? How can you intentionally walk by the Spirit when those temptations arise?
always determine to be led by the Holy Spirit and you will not do what your sinful nature craves, which is evil. to be led by the Spirit means to keep yourself pure and good. thinking in purity, acting in purity, being in purity, always. and you will truly find that acting good leads to feeling good, and it's a better sense of goodness and wellbeing than would ever come from acting out the desires of your sinful nature, or fulfilling the lust of the flesh. pursuing flesh will not lead to joy or peace or true love in your life, it will only lead to wanting more lustful pleasure, and ultimately it will lead you to destruction. pursuing a life led by the Spirit will lead you to the fulfillment of your spirit, and to the most gracious and generous peace, joy, love, satisfaction, and euphoria you have ever known.