What is the secret of gaining victory over the sin nature? The apostle Paul speaks of this when he states, “I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. In himself a Christian does not have the resources to confront such a formidable foe and needs the power and presence of the Holy Spirit. Explain how a check with two signatures illustrates prayer. As we contemplate the death of Christ and all He did for us, it serves to remind us of God’s holy purpose and His desire that we might be examples of His righteousness even in our daily lives. In summarizing God’s provision for the Christian and its availability, how are we to experience spiritual power in our life? Through the shed blood of Christ we receive propitiation, or satisfaction before God, so that our sins may be forgiven (Rom. 6. Even though we are born again and have a new nature in Christ, the sin nature resists the desires and goals of the new nature. The psalmist asked the question, “How can a young man keep his way pure?” (Ps. ], [Editor’s Note: This series of articles is now available in book form: The Holy Spirit at Work Today (Chicago: Moody Press, 1973). How does the fact that Christ in His resurrection lives forever relate to His intercession for us? As stated in 2 Timothy 3:16-17, “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” As this passage states, the Holy Spirit teaches us the truth we need. The concept of perfection in the Bible is further considered under three aspects. How much of God’s attention do we have moment by moment? In addition to what God provides by the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit, the Bible with its infinite revelation of God is available to Christians. The Difference Between Spiritual Authority and Power Then he called his twelve disciples together, and gave them power and authority over all devils, and to cure diseases (Lk. Accordingly, the life of victory is a life of faith as we live day by day, relying on the Holy Spirit to give us power to serve the Lord effectively. This is the argument of Hebrews 9:13-14, “The blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean sanctify them so that they are outwardly clean. Whatever he does prospers.” Just as a tree planted near water can draw water and prosper even when the rest of the area is dry, so a Christian living in a world that does not support his spiritual life can draw upon the deep springs of the Word of God and in that truth be able to live above the standards of the world. The Bible describes a spiritual leader as one who possesses the spiritual gift of leadership, the ability to lead others as a direct result of the gifting received from, and performed by the power of, the Holy Spirit. For this reason we need to keep on praying. If a few moments without gravity could be so disastrous, why don’t we have more contingency plans about what to do if gravity just … stops?There wouldn’t be a point. Learning to walk by the Spirit is realized when one walks in dependence on and is supported by the presence and power of the Holy Spirit. Likewise, in our prayer life we send our petitions to God and sign the check. How does a lamp illustrate this? The Holy Spirit indwells every Christian, and because He is God and has all the power of God, He is able to help a Christian to overcome his inadequacy and to have a life and testimony that is honoring to God. Many moral issues are not dealt with explicitly in the Scriptures, and the personal direction of an individual life into a proper sphere of service is possible only as the Spirit guides. These spiritual forces are mentioned in six different Scripture passages. 4:4-7). The Word of God is like that. Apart from the work of the Holy Spirit a believer is not able to use effectively the gift of teaching, is not able to interpret God’s guidance to him, or in other ways to make effective the grace of God. Second, Christian spirituality relies on the power of the Holy Spirit to live according to God's will. It is only thus that holiness can be achieved and the fruit of the Spirit realized. Satan not only blinds the minds of unbelievers (2 Cor 4:4), but like a roaring lion is seeking whom he may devour (1 Peter 5:8). He is under constant influence to love the world, to compromise with the world and to conform to the world. How does prayer change things even if the prayer is not answered? Each step is an incipient fall, as the body is supported by one limb and then the other. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. If we ask according to the will of God in the name of Christ, our prayers will be answered. Q. I tell you the truth, my Father will give you whatever you ask in my name” (John 16:23). Christians soon discover the necessity of reading the Bible every day. What is Satan’s desire in regard to a Christian? The secret of drawing on His power is one of faith so that we live by the Spirit. Spiritual maturity can also be viewed as progressive as in 2 Corinthians 7:1 where perfection is viewed as a process with the gifts bestowed upon the laborers being used for the perfecting of the saints (Eph 4:12). For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. The verb “walk” in Galatians 5:16 is in the present tense and has the thought of “keep on walking” or continuously walking by the Holy Spirit. The emphasis in sanctification is that we already have a perfect standing or position, and it is on this basis that we are called to bring our experience as far as possible up to the standard. 7:18-20). Paul wrote to the believers in Galatia saying, “Live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. The Bible mentions that Sodom and Gomorrah were purified with salt. It is a marvelous testimony to the grace of God that believers with all these problems can nevertheless have a life that is glorifying to God if they are empowered by the Spirit. These conferences featured many well-known Christian leaders such as D. L. Moody, A. J. Gordon, Andrew Murray, J. Wilbur Chapman, F. B. Meyer, C. T. Studd, and many others. Nkjv, MKJV ) use the words principalities and powers most frequently... 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