Walk in the Spirit not in the flesh

Hello to my brothers in the wind—some who read this may not be Christians, some have just been saved, and some have walked with Christ for decades. Me…I`m a new Christian saved by the Grace of God from a life, and a patch, that I would have died for, and almost did.

To those readers who are not Christians, you`ll find no judgment or condemnation here my brothers, for I found none from God and his Son Jesus—he simply loved me for who I was, and now, I love him for who he is, and what he did for me—Amen.

My dear brother and Pastor spoke today about walking in the Spirit and how he learned to do that as a young Christian. He told stories of how he found scriptures that spoke to him and empowered him and he wrote them down on a note and carried them in his pocket. He also wrote them in the back of his Bible and referred to them throughout the day so that the enemy had no power to steal his new Joy found in Christ.

The reason this man has been such a powerful witness to me in my life, as well as a dear friend, is because I see him live out the things he preaches. I remember when I first met him he would speak scriptures to me all the time. Over time, even though I had not read my Bible much, I found myself repeating those scriptures not only to myself, but also to others.

He would say things like: “You have not because you ask not, and when you ask, you ask amiss” (James 4:3), “My Father owns the cattle on a thousand hills” (Psalm 50:10), “no weapon formed against me shall prosper” (Isaiah 54:17). And these are only a few of the ones that come to mind. Little did I know that he was planting the seeds of God`s word into my mind—praise God for men like him.

The Apostle Paul told us to be transformed by the renewing of our mind (Romans 12:2), and to be sure, my mind needed a good washing. My mind was filled with memories of pornography, drug addiction, alcohol abuse, violence, and ego. Even though I had not drank alcohol or used drugs for many years, I was an egomaniac who held a powerful position in the club I rode with. When God surgically removed me from that lifestyle, I still wanted revenge. I was still angry. I had some payback I needed to hand out to few jerks that I felt had betrayed me in the old world. But somehow, and I`m sure my Pastor made a huge difference in that matter, I began to listen to the Holy Spirit instead of the voices of the enemies familiar spirits that had filled my mind for years. I am a truly new and transformed man by Gods word and the sharing of his word by my new brothers in Christ.  

So, today, I learned once again to walk in the Spirit and not in the flesh, I must stay in prayer. I must meditate on scriptures that empower me. I must read Gods word and see it as my instruction manual for life. I know that sounds like a cliché; however, once the scales were removed from my Spiritual eyes, this old and time tested saying became real to me.

The enemy fights us in the flesh. We cannot defeat the enemy in the flesh—we can only defeat Satan in the Spirit. And that power is only available to us through Christ. I tried for a long time to out think Satan, to challenge him with my words and threaten him with my human or fleshly power. He simply laughs in my face when I do that. He knows me, his familiar spirits know me, and he knows just what to do to trigger the sins of the flesh; however, if I fight him standing behind Jesus, if I call on my Heavenly Father, if I quote scripture, or if I lean on the power of the Holy Spirit—Satan will flee! He cannot win. And I cannot fight a battle already won by Christ, but I can stand behind him in that victory. Amen.