Tag: What the Bible says about walking in the Spirit

Bible Verse of The Day – 10-14-24

Galatians 5:25 (NKJV) 25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.

We live and exist in a body of flesh and bone.

When we are children of the world, we do so by following the ways and the desires of our flesh.

But when we become a child of God, things change.

We are now led by our spirit, which was created to commune with His spirit.

So, it is a natural progression for us to leave behind living by our flesh and turn to living by His Spirit.

The Holy Spirit was given to us as our Helper.

He teaches us new ways of thinking and acting.

He shows us where we need to change, but not just so we become better human beings, or nicer, kinder people.

He shows us how to do things in this new way; a way that we are not accustomed to as fleshly beings.

But as we learn of God and begin to follow the ways of the Son, Jesus Christ, we walk, talk, and think differently.

And this new way of thinking becomes evident by our new way of doing.

This is a mystery to our flesh. It is impossible for our human intellect to understand how a creature of worldly ways can be transformed into someone who now lives by the Spirit.

But God is able to do more than we can think or imagine.

Ephesians 3:20-21 (NKJV) 20 Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, 21 to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

Pastor Curt & Pastor Ellie

Seven Seas Ministries
49 N Lamplighters Walk
Hampstead, NC 28443

401-439-3780

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Bible Verse of The Day – 11-24-23

Galatians 6:7-8 (NKJV) 7 Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. 8 For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life.

Living by the Spirit is what God desires for us.

We know this based on what we have covered during the last four days.

Living by the flesh brings death. Living by the Spirit brings life!

It is important to understand that God takes this seriously. He will not be mocked.

This means that we can’t fool God by saying one thing and doing another.

We cannot pretend to live by the Spirit while living by the flesh.

Our actions speak more loudly than our words. And our actions show who we really are.

This is not about being legalistic.

It is born of a genuine desire to live righteously, as God tells us to.

It is about letting God show us who He wants us to be, and then conforming to His will, pushing our own will aside.

It’s very simple in principle.

And it all boils down to whether we choose to please ourselves or please Him.

The verse above lays it all out in a way that we can easily understand, and no one can deny.

He who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life.

So, let us grow and mature, and learn to walk and live by the Spirit of God, as Jesus shared in the verse below.

John 6:63 (NKJV) 63 It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life.

Amen

Pastor Curt & Pastor Ellie

Seven Seas Ministries
49 N Lamplighters Walk
Hampstead, NC 28443

401-439-3780

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Bible Verse of The Day – 11-23-23

Galatians 5:25 (NKJV) 25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.

In the previous few days, we have learned a lot about “the flesh”.

We now understand that living by the flesh is dangerous, to say the very least.

God desires that we live by the Spirit.

If we live by the Spirit, we will also walk in the Spirit, as stated in the verse above.

Let’s look at what that means.

To walk in the Spirit means that we honor and follow the leading of the Holy Spirit in our lives.

We no longer make choices based on our own preferences, but by what we know pleases God.

We set aside what we want, replacing it with what God wants.

It’s all about obedience.

God has told us that obedience is better than sacrifice, meaning that to obey Him is better than simply going through the motions of “being a Christian”.

What happens when we learn to walk in the Spirit?

Our lives change.

We begin to walk in the will of God, obeying Him instead of fulfilling the lusts and desires of the flesh.

Our satisfaction comes from obeying Him and following His ways instead of our ways and the ways of the world.

Galatians 5:16 (NKJV) 16 I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.

As we learn to walk in the Spirit, we will no longer wrestle with chasing after the things that push us away from God and bring death.

Our struggles with temptation will decrease. We will learn how to overcome the things that tempt us by letting God show us how to defeat them once and for all.

This typically doesn’t happen overnight. It takes time for us to fully grasp this and put it into action.

But as we determine in our hearts to do what we know is pleasing to God, it will become easier and easier.

And a day will come when we look back and barely recognize the person we used to be.

Pastor Curt & Pastor Ellie

Seven Seas Ministries
49 N Lamplighters Walk
Hampstead, NC 28443

401-439-3780

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Bible Verse of The Day – 11-22-23

Romans 8:13 (NKJV) 13 For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.

Welcome back!

Yesterday we spent some time getting a better understanding of what the Bible means when it refers to “the flesh”.

Now that we have that knowledge and understanding, let’s talk a bit more about the flesh and how it impacts our lives.

The verse above tells us clearly that living by the flesh is not a good idea.

Doing so results in death.

Sometimes that death may be physical. But most of the time it is speaking figuratively, referring to spiritual death.

Romans 8:6 reiterates this, telling us that the consequence of living by the flesh (carnally minded) is death.

Romans 8:6 (NKJV) 6 For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.

In these examples, death is spiritual; eternal separation from God.

God desires that we live by the Spirit, not by the flesh.

He wants us to love Him above all else, putting Him first in everything; every choice that we make.

This means that we must consider Him in everything we do, whether minor or significant. And we weigh what we choose, using the Holy Spirit’s leading to give us direction.

Some choices are very clear immediately and require no contemplation. We will know the answer in these situations right away.

Others might not be so clear and may require time to seek God and get His answer.

But the Holy Spirit is faithful to show us. It is up to us to listen and follow His lead.

Now that we have firmly established what “the flesh” is, and the dangers of living by it, let’s talk tomorrow about “living by the Spirit”.

Pastor Curt & Pastor Ellie

Seven Seas Ministries
49 N Lamplighters Walk
Hampstead, NC 28443

401-439-3780

If you know someone who will enjoy this or be encouraged by it, please feel free to share it with them!

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Bible Verse of The Day – 11-21-23

Romans 8:5 (NKJV) 5 For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit.

Let’s talk today about the flesh. What does it mean when the Bible refers to “the flesh”?

The flesh is figurative, symbolic.

Our flesh, as referred to in the word of God, is comprised of soulful emotions; feelings that crave satisfaction, even though that satisfaction is temporary.

When God’s word refers to living by the flesh, it is referring to doing the exact opposite of what God would want us to do.

It is referring to allowing our sinful desires to lead us and guide us, instead of allowing God’s Spirit to order our steps.

Our flesh will always lead us into sin. And that sin leads us away from God.

Our flesh likes to feel good. It enjoys the physical and emotional pleasure that is typically found in many kinds of sin.

It desires to be gratified in its unholy desires.

Our flesh will push us into the arms of someone who is not our spouse.

Our flesh will convince us to take another drink when we know we shouldn’t.

Our flesh will tell us that we don’t need to spend time in God’s word today because we’re too tired or “we don’t have the time”.

Romans 8:5, above, tells us that if we live according to the flesh, our minds will be set on the things of the flesh.

But if we live according to the Spirit, our minds will be set on the things of the Spirit.

This is why it is critical that we allow the Spirit of God to renew our minds and transform our thinking.

Romans 12:2 (NKJV) 2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

This transformation process will change our heart, leading to a drastic change in the way we think.

And this change in our thinking will cause a massive change in our behavior.

And it is only by the power of the Holy Spirit that we can be changed, as we allow God to shape us and mold us.

Let’s talk more about the flesh tomorrow.

Pastor Curt & Pastor Ellie

Seven Seas Ministries
49 N Lamplighters Walk
Hampstead, NC 28443

401-439-3780

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Bible Verse of The Day – 11-20-23

Galatians 2:20 (NKJV) 20 I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.

Greetings!

Welcome to another teaching series. In this one we will be digging deeper into the Biblical references to living by the flesh and living by the Spirit.

By the time we are finished with this series, we should all have a better understanding of the effects of the choices that we make when it comes to living by the flesh or by the spirit.

In Galatians 2:20, referenced above, Paul wrote that he has been crucified with Christ, and that he no longer lived, but Christ lives in him.

This is a great starting point, showing us how serious this topic is.

Paul proclaimed that his life was no longer his own. In fact, he was boldly stating that he was dead, and his life now consisted of Christ living through him.

This should be the goal of every believer.

Our flesh should be crucified with Christ; dead. Our lives should be lived by the Spirit of God leading and guiding us every minute of every day.

Perfection in this way of living is not possible. We are flesh and bone. We will fail, sometimes miserably.

But as we grow and mature, allowing God to continually shape us, we will see changes in the way we think, speak and act.

The most important thing is that we put forth the effort that is needed. Without that effort, we will surely stay as spiritual babes, needing milk when we should be eating meat.

Hebrews 5:13-14 (NKJV) 13 For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe. 14 But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.

Please join us tomorrow as we dig deeper.

Pastor Curt & Pastor Ellie

Seven Seas Ministries
49 N Lamplighters Walk
Hampstead, NC 28443

401-439-3780

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Bible Verse of The Day – 8-21-23

Romans 8:5 (NKJV) 5 For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit.

If we were to spend time observing unbelievers, we would see that their lives are spent being concerned with earthly (worldly) things.

The things that occupy their minds and take up their time have little or no spiritual value.

The reason behind this is simple; they live by (according to) the flesh.

As Paul says in 1 Corinthians 6:11 when dealing with worldliness in the lives of believers, “And such were some of you”.

In other words, we were all like this before we became children of God.

After being born again, our spirit has been quickened (awakened, made alive), so we can now commune with God, who is Spirit.

And as we commune with Him, allowing Him to mold us, shape us and transform us (Romans 12:2), we will begin to live less by the flesh and more by the Spirit, shaking off those old habits that we carried when we were still dead in our sins.

As this happens, we should see ourselves less concerned with worldly (fleshly) things.

If we are still living primarily by the flesh, let us ask God to examine us and check our hearts, showing us where we are lacking in our walk with Him.

He is faithful to show us. We just have to make sure we are faithful to listen and take seriously what He shows us.

And if we are faithful to confess our shortcomings to Him, “He is faithful and just to forgive us for those same sins, cleansing us from all unrighteousness”.

1 John 1:9 (NKJV) 9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

So, let us be careful to make a conscious effort to set our minds on the things of the Spirit, not the things of the flesh, that we may live our lives in a way that is pleasing to Him, and that brings glory and honor to Him in all things.

Pastor Curt & Pastor Ellie

Seven Seas Ministries
49 N Lamplighters Walk
Hampstead, NC 28443

401-439-3780

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Bible Verse of The Day – 8-8-22

Galatians 5:16 (NKJV) 16 I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.

This verse is short, simple and to the point. Despite it being so short and succinct, there is much we can learn and glean from it.

And if we heed what it says, it can be life-changing for many.

Let’s look at this scripture in reverse, from the end to the beginning, so we can better understand the depth of what it says.

First, it addresses a problem that so many struggle with; fulfilling the lust of the flesh.

What exactly does that mean?

There are two pieces to this; lust, and the flesh.

Lust is most often associated with sexual desires. But it can also be used to indicate or describe a strong desire to have something that someone else has; this is also referred to as coveting.

You can have lust in your heart toward a person, indicating a sexual desire or attraction toward that person.

But you can also lust after a physical item, as in wanting it very badly.

The flesh refers to our mind and our will, not our fleshly body. It is in our mind and our will where sin is birthed, then it is carried out physically.

The scripture above tells us that if we walk in the Spirit, we won’t fulfill the lusts of the flesh. What does it mean to “walk in the Spirit”?

It means that we do not make our choices and decisions by our own understanding or based on our desires.

In its most basic form, walking in the Spirit means that we allow the Holy Spirit to lead us and guide us in our decision making.

Walking in the Spirit indicates an ongoing growing and developing process, not just a one-time or occasional effort. It means increasing our understanding and maturing, not stagnating and remaining a spiritual infant.

It is in this growing and maturing process that we develop the strength and discernment needed to thwart temptation and the fulfilling of the lusts of the flesh. And as we continue to grow and get better at this, the devil will flee, knowing that he is wasting his time.

Pastor Curt & Pastor Ellie

Seven Seas Ministries
49 N Lamplighters Walk
Hampstead, NC 28443

401-439-3780

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Bible Verse of The Day – 6-3-22

John 18:10-11 (NKJV) 10 Then Simon Peter, having a sword, drew it and struck the high priest’s servant, and cut off his right ear. The servant’s name was Malchus. 11 So Jesus said to Peter, “Put your sword into the sheath. Shall I not drink the cup which My Father has given Me?”

We can learn a lot from Peter when it comes to discerning and dividing flesh from spirit.

Peter was very zealous when it came to taking action. The problem was that he often acted out of his emotions (the flesh), instead of discerning the spiritual side of things and allowing the Spirit of God to guide him.

The example above was one of those incidents.

Jesus had accepted what the Father had for Him to do, despite knowing that it would subject Him to excruciating suffering and the loss of His life.

Peter, though, was determined to stop that from happening, if he possibly could.

His courage and conviction were admirable, even if he was a bit misguided with his actions.

On another occasion (Matthew 16:21-23), as Jesus told His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem to suffer and die there, Peter once again allowed His emotions and flesh to cause him to make incorrect judgments and rebuke Jesus!

Jesus quickly adjusted Peter’s thinking and behavior by saying, “Get behind Me, Satan! You are an offense to Me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men”.

These are some really good examples of why it’s so important that we not allow our flesh to guide our thinking and our actions, but to allow the Holy Spirit to break through the noise and confusion, and to let Him speak to our spirit, leading us to take the right actions with spiritual understanding.

The difference between the right and the wrong choice can be huge, and the consequences of the choices we make can literally be life-altering.

Let us choose wisely.

Pastor Curt & Pastor Ellie

Seven Seas Ministries
49 N Lamplighters Walk
Hampstead, NC 28443

401-439-3780

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Bible Verse of The Day – 10-28-21

Acts 1:8 (NKJV) 8 But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

We will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon us.

Are we walking in the power of the Holy Spirit today? Or are we trying to walk in our own fleshly understanding?

It’s important for us to understand that it is impossible to touch people’s hearts and to do the will of God without His empowering Spirit. Impossible.

When we walk in the power of the Holy Spirit we will accomplish much.

We will be prompted, convicted and prayerful at times to help people and situations.

The Holy Spirit knows what to say at any given time and He will not shy away from things that need to be said, unlike our natural man.

Our minds and our will may fight us at times if we have to say or do something that makes us uncomfortable or causes others to look at us differently.

When we walk in the power of the Holy Spirit, we can’t be worrying about our reputation. We have to develop a heart and mindset that doesn’t hold our reputation up higher than our obedience to God.

He will lead us through the Holy Spirit, our Helper, as we submit to Him

If we walk without listening to His Spirit, we will fail many times. And we will not be good witnesses for Him.

We must follow our Master. We are not our own boss. We are servants, and very much accountable to Him.

John 13:16 (NKJV) 16 Most assuredly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master; nor is he who is sent greater than he who sent him.

Let the Holy Spirit empower us to make the necessary changes within ourselves, so that we can be servants to Him and a great witness to all the world.  Amen.

Pastor Curt & Pastor Ellie

Seven Seas Ministries
P.O. Box 272
Bradford, RI 02808

401-315-0902

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Bible Verse of The Day – 11-25-19

John 4:31-34 (NKJV) 31 In the meantime His disciples urged Him, saying, “Rabbi, eat.” 32 But He said to them, “I have food to eat of which you do not know.” 33 Therefore the disciples said to one another, “Has anyone brought Him anything to eat?” 34 Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work.

It can be a bit amusing sometimes to read some of the things the disciples said to Jesus. They were clearly not seeing and thinking spiritually-minded. They were often only able to see and discern things in the natural.

It was for this reason that Jesus said to them on one occasion, “Are you thus without understanding also?” (Mark 7:18). In other words, do you still not understand this, even after I have taught you and shown you so much?

This is also one of the biggest hurdles for believers to overcome in our walk with Him. Our minds are so carnal, and our thoughts seem to automatically lean on natural understanding in just about everything we encounter.

Yes, we live in a natural, tangible, carnal world. And we dwell here in human bodies that function in a fleshly way.

But God has given each of us a spirit. And He wants us to learn to live by our spirit also, not just by our flesh or our human understanding.

Romans 8:13 (NKJV) 13 For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.

Living by the spirit brings life and understanding, whereby living and walking according to the flesh brings confusion and death.

Learning to live by the spirit takes time and effort, just as babies learning to walk and talk. We can’t expect to snap our fingers and have it happen overnight.

And it’s an amazing thing when we start to “get it”. It can be exciting, fun, extremely interesting and even overwhelming at times, as we start to see and understand the things of the Spirit.

But, no matter what, we should never let it intimidate us or scare us.

Yes, we want to handle it responsibly. We don’t want to make mistakes or wrong choices because we didn’t discern or understand something correctly. But God shows us grace as we are learning, knowing that we are like babes learning to walk.

We will fall down. Sometimes we will get bruised or scraped up a little. But He is always there to pick us back up, brush off the dirt and put a band-aid on our wounds, sending us on our way again with His love and encouragement.

Draw near to Him. Spend time in His word. Learn of Him. These are all part of the equation when it comes to getting understanding and walking by the Spirit, not by the flesh.

Pastor Curt & Pastor Ellie

Seven Seas Ministries
P.O. Box 272
Bradford, RI 02808

401-315-0902

If you know someone who will enjoy this or be encouraged by it, please feel free to share it with them!

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