It is God’s desire that we walk in the Spirit (Romans 8:1. Galatians 5:25). Galatians 5:16 says, “This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.” He so desires that we walk in the reality that we are spirit beings, empowered by His Spirit, that have a soul and dwell in a fleshly body. Not the other way around. We are not just a fleshly body that has a soul and a spirit. That is why many Christians are so weak, powerless and worldly because they have not learned and accepted and believed they are indeed spirit beings living in a body. “But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you.” (Romans 8:9). Those who walk in the Spirit, I believe these are the kind of people Jesus was talking about when He said we shall do greater works than He did (John 14:12). We are not just a fleshly body being slapped around by this world. “Greater is He that is in us than he that is in the world.” (1 John 4:4). He makes the impossible, possible. We cannot do it by ourselves. Remember Ezekiel 36:27? “And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them.” We can live out a spiritual life because of God in us. It is He who will ‘cause’ us to. He makes the impossible, possible!
OK, so now that I have explained that let me get back to the Sword of the Spirit I discussed in my last article and why it is important to divide soul and spirit, joints and marrow like Hebrews 4:12 says, “dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” What does the soul consist of again? Mind, will and emotions. 2 Corinthians 5:7 tells us to walk by faith not by sight. This is not just speaking of our physical sense of sight. No, this scripture is telling us to get beyond how things appear to be and look through the eyes of our faith. We are not to be driven by our intellect and emotions.
And how do we get past our intellect and emotions and see what faith sees instead? Romans 10:17 tells us: “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” Do you see the connect there? We are all connected by His Word. His Word is expressed in His Son and the Holy Spirit. That written Word is the doorway to where we want to be! How will we know the difference between soul and spirit, emotions, intellect and faith? We must let the Word speak within us and divide that which is soul and that which is spirit. We must pray and ask and allow God to make this distinction. We cannot do this in our flesh alone. We must allow His Spirit to be Lord of our spirit and allow Him to restore the proper order of spirit to be in control over body and soul. His Spirit empowers our spirit to be the stronger and causes us to make right and spiritual choices. Jesus prayed ‘Father, not my will but thine be done’ (Luke 22:42). Jesus set the example. He chose God the Father’s will over His own. He chose that which was spiritual and of faith and trust over what the flesh wanted. I believe God is still calling out to this generation and calling us as He did Apostle Paul when He said: “ 16 But rise, and stand upon thy feet: for I have appeared unto thee for this purpose, to make thee a minister and a witness both of these things which thou hast seen, and of those things in the which I will appear unto thee; 17 Delivering thee from the people, and from the Gentiles, unto whom now I send thee, 18 To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me.” (Acts 26: 16-18). Jesus has broken the power of sin and darkness. He has given us access to the power to do His will on Earth. Remember Jesus’ words in Matthew 12:29? “How can one enter into a strong man’s house, and spoil his goods, except he first bind the strong man and then he will spoil his house.” It is up to us to bind that strong man that has ruled us in the past, our flesh, and get our spiritual house in order! “19 What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? 20 For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.” (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). We are to be deliverers in this world! We are to do the works of God! This whole verse in Hebrews 4:12 is talking about the importance of dividing soul and spirit. The latter part of the verse confirms it as it speaks of ‘thoughts and intents of heart’. Thoughts are of the mind, a function of the soul. Intents of the heart are of the spirit. Are you beginning to see the importance of this division of soul and spirit yet? God does not want us to be slaves to our emotions and flesh and how things seem to appear. He wants us to walk as spiritual beings in a physical body in a material world. Jesus set the example. He paved the way. He showed it could be done if we would be one with God and choose to do His will and follow His lead. A person that is subject to the flesh, a worldly thinking person that is probably not even saved is going to gush out fleshly, worldly things, even selfish, lusty things. The soul is the seat of your mind, will, emotions and volition. So if a person is only as deep as their soul they gush forth emotional responses or things of the intellect, not really comprehending spiritual things. You know the type. They have to be able to understand with their mind and intellect. It has to be logical, scientific and explainable. If a person is spiritual though, as in being born again and in a relationship with God, they are going to gush forth with spiritual insight and understanding. They will speak and understand things with a spiritual depth. They are not subject to their emotions or have to figure things out with their mind. They walk by faith and trust in God. They see beyond what circumstances appear to be.
So, we have dealt with soul and spirit, thoughts and intents of the heart. What about joints and marrow? All three are examples of same thing, of course, but I have been praying about the significance of joints and marrow. The joints are of the body, of the flesh. They enable legs and arms and such to bend. But do you know the function of bone marrow? It produces new blood cells! Check this out, The Bible in Leviticus 17:11 says, “For the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul.” Atonement theologically speaks of God’s acting in human history to re-establish the original relationship between God and man by dealing with Sin. Wow, my mind is soaring with the implications here! The marrow represents the same thing as spirit. Life is in the spirit. For us to live the most blessed life we are able we must live according to the redeemed dictates of our spirit as directed by the Holy Spirit. This scripture even says our soul is atoned for. In other words we are renewed even in our mind, will and emotions and the choices we make. When Jesus atoned for our sins we were truly made new : body, soul and spirit! “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” (2 Corinthians 5:17). We are no longer a slave to sin and our former lusts. The power of sin is broken. We are capable of glorifying God with every part of our being if we will do it. It is up to us to choose however. He never takes away our power of choice. But if you are born again even your power to choose has been redeemed and empowered. Sure that old nature wants to deceive you and the enemy wants to draw you back into bondage but it is a lie. Don’t give in to it. “For sin shall have dominion over you no more”! (Romans 6:14). But only if we do as Romans 6: 12-13 says “Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey the lusts thereof. Neither yield ye your members as members of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God as those that are alive from the dead and your members as members of righteousness unto God.”
The two-edged sword of the Spirit. What are those two edges? “14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.” (John 1:14). Grace and truth are the TWO EDGES. He is always truth. He cannot lie (Numbers 23:19). Jesus even said of Himself that He was the way, the TRUTH and the life (John 14:6). He is a holy God and because of sin, justice demanded that it be paid for. Jesus did just that. He paid the price for sin. Our judgment was upon Him. Sin’s debt is paid in full. (Romans 8:3).This is grace. We did not deserve it but it was given to us because God loved us. Now we must let His grace and His truth cut into our innermost being and like a two-edged sword allow it to divide soul and spirit, joints and marrow, and discern the very thoughts and intents of our hearts. Then and only then will we function as the powerful spirit beings we are meant to be. Then and only then will we do the works of God in this Earth. Then and only then will others come to repentance, be healed and find the peace they have been searching for. Jesus is the Word, Jesus is the sword. He whom the son of God sets free is free indeed (John 8:36).
“There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.
3 For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh:
4 That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
5 For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit.
6 For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.
7 Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.
8 So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.
9 But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.
10 And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.” (Romans 8:1-10)
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