God is calling His children, those who follow Christ, to consecrate and dedicate themselves to spiritual things and to put away the things of this natural world—the things of the flesh. Those living in this generation have a role to play in God’s ultimate plan. God wants to demonstrate His power through us who are dedicated to Him.
His Word says, “For the eyes of the Lord search back and forth across the whole earth, looking for people whose hearts are perfect toward him, so that he can show his great power in helping them.” (2 Chronicles 16:9 TLB)
When God called Moses to lead the children of Israel out of Egypt, God did signs, wonders and miracles through Moses. Moses was faithful to obey God. He was committed to God, not to himself or his own interests.
God Promised to Pour out His Spirit in the Last Days
Someday soon, our Lord Jesus will catch away His Church. Before He comes, God will reveal Himself to all mankind.
“‘In the last days,’ God says, ‘I will pour out my Spirit upon all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy. Your young men will see visions, and your old men will dream dreams.” (Acts 2:17 NLT)
God taught Moses His ways so he could cooperate with His Spirit and accomplish God’s plan for Israel.
In our generation, God is teaching us how to walk by faith in His Word and not by sight. We have the foundation of the Word of God, The Bible, and the knowledge of His ways, by His Holy Spirit. We can sense the promptings of the Holy Spirit when we belong to Jesus. As we obey the Spirit’s promptings and are faithful to Him, God shows Himself in the earth through us. This is His desire for the Church in these last days.
Overcoming the weakness of the flesh has been the problem of Christians individually as well collectively. The desire to do one’s own will, rather than God’s will, too often hinders the manifestation of the Holy Spirit. God is revealing again, the need to walk in the Spirit and not be dominated by the flesh.
Walk in the Spirit for Victory over the Flesh
By walking in the Spirit we give Him the opportunity to manifest Himself in the way that He desires. As long as we are dominated by the flesh, we are not fit and ready for any good work.
“If you keep yourself pure, you will be a special utensil for honorable use. Your life will be clean, and you will be ready for the Master to use you for every good work.” (2 Timothy 2:21 TLB)
If we have no control over our flesh, God has no control over our flesh.
We are spirit beings, but living in physical bodies. As believers in Jesus, we are born of God. We have the life and nature of God inside us. We are filled with His Holy Spirit. We are the visible representatives of the invisible God in this earth. As we yield our bodies to do His bidding, the Spirit of God will show Himself. This will come as we offer our bodies as living sacrifices to God. Let’s dedicate ourselves to God and be faithful to God. He will show Himself strong through us to our world.
“And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him. Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.” (Romans 12:1-2 TLB)
To Review:
1. God needs faithful people to cooperate with His Spirit and to do His will on earth. (2 Chronicles 16:9)
(a) Moses was faithful
(b) God chose Moses to lead Israel out of Egypt
(c) Moses did supernatural things because God was working through him
2. We are in the end times
(a) Before Jesus comes for the Church, God will show Himself mightily through His followers
(b) We must be faithful—dedicated to God—denying ourselves. “If any of you wants to be my follower,
you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me. (Mark 8:34 TLB)
(c) God has given us much, now He expects much of us—like Jesus taught in the parable of the three servants.
(see Matthew 25:14-30)
3. God requires these things of us:
(a) Personal knowledge of Him, through fellowship with Him, praying in the Spirit, and spending time in
His Word.
(b) Dedication to Him, rather than living to please ourselves
(c) Offering our bodies as living sacrifices to Him. We must not be conformed to this world but be
transformed by the Word. (Romans 12:1-2)
Here are some Questions to ponder. The answers are in this study, “Walking in the Spirit – Part 1”:
1. Why does God require faithfulness of His people?
2. What will happen in the earth through the Body of Christ before Jesus comes?
3. How can you learn to sense the promptings of the Holy Spirit?
4. Through the new birth, every believer has the capacity to demonstrate God’s power in his or her life. What has hindered the work of the Holy Spirit in the Church?
5. What will cause you to walk in the supernatural power of God?
