Walking in the Spirit

It’s been a couple of days since I posted, but God continues to do miraculous things in our life. Last night with some brothers and sisters from our church, my wife and I were blessed to be able to minister at a homeless shelter. We were able to pray for many of the people there and to share the Gospel of hope in Jesus Christ. The Lord never ceases to amaze me on how He works. Last night as I was talking to a gentleman, the Lord led me to use three little packages of crackers; you know the kind that you get in a vending machine, to explain the importance of walking in the Spirit and not in the flesh. The picture I included here is something that I drew up this morning to represent the crackers, but I wanted to share what the Lord was teaching me and whoever might listen. Most times the dominant characteristic in our life is the flesh. The thing about the flesh is we really don’t need much training. We are able to eat, drink, reproduce, and basically satisfy ourselves without a lot of training. When we let the flesh rule, it undoubtedly influences our emotional being and usually with a negative effect. Just take a look at the anxiety and depression that are so prevalent. Suicide continues to climb. When we walk in the flesh we will suffer the consequences. As the flesh pushes down and influences our emotions it really minimizes our spirit. (See Man’s Way). But we need to turn our lives, not upside down, because upside down is where most of us are, but turn it right side up which is to walk in the Spirit (See God's Way). The Apostle Paul wrote to the church in Galatia and to each of us beginning in Chapter 5 verse 16 on through verse 26.

“I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.

Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. And those who are Christ's have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another”.

God wants’ us to walk in the Spirit. The proof of that walk is the fruit that it produces. May each of us look at our life to see if there is any fruit. Better yet ask someone else to look at your life to see if there is any fruit. If the fruit is lacking, maybe it is time to ask God to prune your life, to identify and help you remove those things that are detrimental to how God wants’ our Daily Walk to be.

Grace and Peace

The Power of the Tongue

Something that I observed over the last 24 hours reminded me of this little story. It is a simple illustration, but has such a profound moral. Words are something that can cause more damage then we can ever imagine and many times the damage is permanent. Whether the words are spoken in anger, spite, jest, or just not thinking about what we say, our words can destroy families, friendships, careers, ministries and our lives. You may have read it before, but I think it's worth reading again.

There once was a little boy who had a bad
temper. His father gave him a bag of nails
and told him that every time he lost his
temper, he must hammer a nail into the back
of the fence. The first day the boy had
driven 37 nails into the fence. Over the next
few weeks, as he learned to control his
anger, the number of nails hammered daily
gradually dwindled down. He discovered
it was easier to hold his temper than to
drive those nails into the fence.
Finally the day came when the boy didn't
lose his temper at all. He told his father
about it and the father suggested that the
boy now pull out one nail for each day that
he was able to hold his temper.
The days passed and the young boy was finally
able to tell his father that all the nails
were gone. The father took his son by the
hand and led him to the fence He said, "You
have done well, my son, but look at the
holes in the fence. The fence will never be
the same. When you say things in anger,
they leave a scar just like this one. You
can put a knife in a man and draw it out.
It won't matter how many times you say I'm
sorry, the wound is still there. " A verbal
wound is as bad as a physical one.

James Chapter 3

The Untamable Tongue

My brethren, let not many of you become teachers, knowing that we shall receive a stricter judgment. 2 For we all stumble in many things. If anyone does not stumble in word, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle the whole body. 3 Indeed, we put bits in horses' mouths that they may obey us, and we turn their whole body. 4 Look also at ships: although they are so large and are driven by fierce winds, they are turned by a very small rudder wherever the pilot desires. 5 Even so the tongue is a little member and boasts great things.
See how great a forest a little fire kindles! 6 And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity. The tongue is so set among our members that it defiles the whole body, and sets on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire by hell. 7 For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and creature of the sea, is tamed and has been tamed by mankind. 8 But no man can tame the tongue. It is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. 9 With it we bless our God and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the similitude of God. 10 Out of the same mouth proceed blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be so. 11 Does a spring send forth fresh water and bitter from the same opening? 12 Can a fig tree, my brethren, bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Thus no spring yields both salt water and fresh.

Father, help us to watch what and when we speak - Grace and Peace