Walking in the Spirit in Times of Disaster Austin Disaster Relief Network “That they all may be one, [just] as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be one in Us, so that the world may believe and be convinced that You have sent Me.” John 17:21 (AMP) “If you [really] love Me, you will keep (obey) My commands. And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Comforter (Counselor, Helper, Intercessor, Advocate, Strengthener, and Standby), that He may remain with you forever. The Spirit of Truth, Whom the world cannot receive (welcome, take to its heart), because it does not see Him or know and recognize Him. But you know and recognize Him, for He lives with you [constantly] and will be in you.” Jn. 14:15-17 (AMP) In times of disaster, when danger may be all around us, one of our greatest needs and gifts as Christians is the ability to walk in the Spirit and to follow the Holy Spirit’s leading and promptings. In some circumstances, it may be a matter of life or death that we do nothing but follow the leading of the Holy Spirit and resists our flesh/soul. What an incredible treasure we’ve been given to help us walk in union with God and to overcome difficult situations! Testimony: Woman in flood story “’Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ says the Lord of hosts.” Zech. 4:6 Our soul (mind, emotions, will) and flesh (sinful appetites) is where our greatest attacks occur and where we fail as Christians most of the time “Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.” 1 Thes. 5:23 In times of crisis, rather than seek God’s face, appropriate His provisions, walk in the fruits of the Spirit, lean on/trust in Him… it can be easy to fall back to walking in our own strength. In difficult situations, you might find yourself lashing out, verbally attacking someone, become defensive or be afraid rather than trust in God and the leading of His Holy Spirit. One of the worst things we can do in a time of crisis is to allow our soul and flesh to dominate and overcome our spirit. Unfortunately, when we do this, we don’t reveal the nature of God, glorify His Son and manifest His presence/His goodness to those around us. Instead, we become a conduit for darkness to manifest in the earth if we chose to walk in the flesh. To put it more bluntly, we become co-workers of Satan and his demons to spread darkness into our environment, giving victory to the prince of darkness. “Hear, O My people, and I will admonish you! O Israel, if you will listen to Me! …..“But My people would not heed My voice, and Israel would have none of Me. So I gave them over to their own stubborn heart, to 1 walk in their own counsels. “Oh, that My people would listen to Me, that Israel would walk in My ways! I would soon subdue their enemies, and turn My hand against their adversaries. The haters of the Lord would pretend submission to Him, but their fate would endure forever.” Psalm 81:8,11-14 (NKJV) The good news is that there is another way! The good news is that not only did Jesus Christ come into this world to set us free from the oppression of the devil, reunite us with the Father through the shedding of His blood, and grant us eternal life by accepting Him as our Lord and Savior, but He gave us powerful provisions, promises, legal rights, His word and the Holy Spirit to overcome every temptation and trial and bring light into this dark world. “Anyone who trusts in Him will not be disappointed” Romans 10:11 (NCV) Walking in the Spirit is about overcoming and becoming a Ready Christian! Jesus is the greatest example of a Ready Christian because He walked in the Spirit day and night, night and day. His soul and flesh did not dominate His spirit and He only did what the Father told Him to do and say. The Fall of Man (Genesis 3:1-8) In the beginning, God walked with man and man walked with God in the garden of Eden. Man walked in perfect relationship with God. Man did not know the knowledge of good or evil but only followed God’s ways. Sin was not in the camp! Life was good the way God intended it to be. Unfortunately, man/woman believed the voice of Satan (the father of lies) and ate from the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, and sin entered the heart of man. Man now has the knowledge of good and evil and became “like God” and through pride, went astray like sheep without a shepherd. Even though goodness was everywhere, man used his free will (his knowledge of good and evil) and chose to walk without God and was guided by his own soul/flesh being dead to God’s spirit. There was only One solution, One way to fix it! God humbled Himself and came down to the earth through Christ Jesus, to destroy the works of darkness and provide “a way” to overcome our sinful nature and the lusts of our flesh. Jesus became our propitiation and averted the wrath that was due to us and bore it Himself! He did it for us so we could be “born again” into His kingdom and brought back into a relationship with the Father in Spirit and Truth! The only way to overcome from partaking in the knowledge of good and evil is by walking in the spirit! Jesus told His disciples not to leave the city until they were filled with His Holy Spirit. “And behold, I will send forth upon you what My Father has promised; but remain in the city [Jerusalem] until you are clothed with power from on high.” Luke 24:49 (AMP) “When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. 2 And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3 Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. 4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.” Acts 2:1-4 (NKJV) “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.” Romans 8:14 (NKJV) “But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His” Romans 8:9 (NKJV) “Jesus said to him, I am the Way, the Truth and the Life” – John 14:6a (NKJV) Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying “I am the Light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.” John 8:12 (NKJV) 2 “And He said to all, If any person wills to come after Me, let him deny himself [[a]disown himself, [b]forget, lose sight of himself and his own interests, [c]refuse and give up himself] and take up his cross daily and follow Me [[d]cleave steadfastly to Me, conform wholly to My example in living and, if need be, in dying also].” Luke 9:23 (AMP) The ONLY way to not fulfill the lusts of the flesh is to humble ourselves and follow Him by walking in the Spirit. There are many ways we can walk in the Spirit and follow Jesus but without the leaning, trusting and depending upon Him (humility), we will not be able to achieve what God has in store for each of us as His people, bought with a price and made ready to accomplish His purposes. Are you ready to begin this journey of walking in the Spirit, to prepare you for times of disaster? Transformed by the Word of God (My Own Testimony): One of the greatest books in the bible for me has been the Song of Solomon, which has empowered me to walk, live and be led by the Spirit more than any other book in the bible. It has awakened my heart to the revelation of the beauty of Jesus as Bridegroom King and his passionate affections/enjoyment for His church and me. Also, the book has revealed to me the beauty of an individual believer in the eyes of our Lord, even in our weakness! It has revealed to me principles needed to grow in love and mature partnership with Jesus. The Song of Solomon also paints an incredible picture of the biblical progression of a believer’s heart as they mature in their walk with Jesus, becoming a mature bride in partnership with Jesus. I believe our highest purpose in life is intimacy with God – there is no greater “readiness” than this! “Man does not rest until he finds his rest in God” – Augustine Song of Solomon outline: I. Song of Solomon: The Divine Kiss and the Bride’s Life Vision (Song 1:2-3) II. Her Journey Begins with the Paradox of Grace (Song 1:5-11) III.