Spirit Consciousness

Brother Lawrence from The Practice of the Presence of God p. 61 wrote, “The most holy and necessary practice in our spiritual life is the presence of God. That means finding constant pleasure in His divine company, speaking humbly and lovingly with Him in all seasons, at every moment, without limiting the conversation in any way.” This book written nearly 300 years ago gives instruction about the blessing of knowing God in all His majesty and feeling His presence every day. If you are born again, you are the temple of the Holy Spirit. God lives in you. Christ lives in you.

What would my life look like, if I was constantly filled with joy and CONTROLLED by the Holy Spirit? Acts 13:52, from The New Testament by Kenneth S. Wuest, “And the disciples were constantly filled with joy and CONTROLLED by the Holy Spirit.” To be more controlled by the Holy Spirit, we will have to be more Spirit conscious. I have learned to say, "I am a spirit being. I have a soul. And, I live in a body."

With my body I contact the physical realm. With my spirit I contact the spiritual realm. With my soul I contact the intellectual realm. Our soul is our mind, will, and emotions. In the war between spirit and flesh, the soul casts the deciding vote. Whether I walk in the spirit or in the flesh is decided by my will (soul). It is in our emotions (soul) that we are offended, or happy, or sad.

At the new birth, my spirit was instantly changed from dead to alive. I instantly became the righteousness of God thru Christ Jesus. I am now complete in him. My body (flesh) will not be “saved” until Jesus comes again. My flesh must constantly be put under subjection to my spirit. Romans 12:1 - 2 (NASB)reads , “Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.” The more renewed my mind is, the more spirit controlled my life will be.

To be more spirit conscious, let’s say to ourselves, “I am a spirit being. I have a soul. And I live in a body.” Let’s pray without ceasing. Let’s keep a dialogue running continuously with God throughout the day. Bro. Lawrence wrote, “Whatever we do, even if we are reading the Word or praying, we should stop for a few minutes—as often as possible—to praise God from the depths of our hearts, to enjoy Him there in secret…What could please God more than for us to leave the cares of the world temporarily in order to worship Him in our spirits? These momentary retreats serve to free us from our selfishness, which can only exist in the world. In short, we cannot show our loyalty to God more than by renouncing our worldly selves even a single moment with Him.”

Let’s renew our minds with God’s Word, so we will not be conformed to this world. Get started on a Bible reading plan. Study the Word in area of need. Consult Word before decision making. Let’s be more Spirit controlled and less Flesh controlled

Peace,

Stan