Scripture:
“If you love Me, keep My commandments. And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever— the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you.” John 14:15-17 NKJV
“For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” Hebrews 4:12 NASB
“Since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit in sincere love of the brethren, love one another fervently with a pure heart, having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and abides forever….” 1 Peter 1:22-23 NKJV
Song:
May our hearts truly be open to what He is doing and what He is saying. May we hear Him so clearly that we have the courage to walk out on the water, seeing nothing but his face. As we turn our hearts, longing to be open and pliable, may the Spirit come and have His way in us.
(Contributor OGS)
Lesson:
Live by the Spirit
God is spirit, and He created us in His image.. We were created to live forever with God, but when Sin entered the world, we were separated from God. His desire is that we should be with Him always, so He sent His Son to make a way for us to be forever with Him. And, when Jesus went back to the Father, He sent the Holy Spirit to live in those who believed Him. When we are born again, His Spirit awakens our spirit to be in communion with Him.
2 Corinthians 5:17 says, “Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.”
Why are we new creatures when we accept Christ and begin to live life in Him? We are made new when His Spirit lives in us and joins with our spirit. This union is mysterious and profound and by it we become part of the family of God.
There is no other way to commune with God except by the Spirit of God. When we pray, when we worship, when we are living daily life and relating to one another, we are responding to His invitation to be near to the heart of God who so loved the world.
God created us in three parts: body, soul, and spirit. In other words, I am a spirit, I have a soul, and I live in a body. It is important that we understand these elements of our existence in order to maintain proper priorities. The health of our spirit (designed to be united with God) is preeminent, for it is by the spirit our souls are educated to make good choices in daily life as we sojourn here on Earth.
When we study the scriptures, it is the Holy Spirit within us who reveals the truth of it to us. This truth, now alive in our spirits, renews our mind and affects our emotions to support righteous behavior. Romans 12:1 .
When we pray, it is the Holy Spirit within us who gives us prayers to pray in accordance with the will of God. Romans 8:26
When we worship, we must worship in spirit and in truth. John 4:23-24
Living life in the Spirit, we are in communion with Creator God, we are responding in love to the Lover of our souls, we are participating in the advancement of the Kingdom of God, and we are being built together into a glorious church, the body of Christ. In staying open and drawing near the heart of the Father through reading and studying His word revealed to us by the Holy Spirit, through prayer as prompted by the Holy Spirit, through worship enabled by the Holy Spirit, we learn how to live well and how to love each other well. We thrive.
(Contributor Dani Williams)
Homework/Journaling:
Living in the Spirit is what Jesus calls “abiding.” Read John 15 in several translations. John 15 The Message
Are you currently living daily life as a response to God’s invitation to live life with Him?
What life circumstances or relational situations are presently engaging your thoughts and emotions?
Read the following and journal any thoughts or insights:
Listen again to the songs above and focus on the phrases that speak to you. Write a prayer in response to what you are hearing.
(Contributor Dani Williams)
Word study, Resources, Tools:
One of the definitions for “abide” in the Merriam-Webster dictionary is “to remain stable or fixed in a state.”
Review the following verbs from Merriam-Webster and consider the definitions in light of your relationship with Father, Jesus and the Holy Spirit: through prayer and worship:
(Contributor Dani Williams)
Life Application:
Refer back to the Digging section and your list of current circumstances or relational situations that are engaging your thoughts and emotions. Pray specifically for the mind of Christ and the heart of the Father to be revealed to you regarding these issues as you study the Scriptures, believing that the Holy Spirit will open your heart, renew your mind and divide soul and spirit, changing you increasingly into His image.
“But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit.” 2 Corinthians 3:18 NASB
(Contributor Dani Williams)