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Three Instructions


      In a recent prayer meeting the Lord spoke to me about three actions that we must take as believers if we are going to grow in our walk and relationship with Him.  
  1. We must crucify the flesh.
  2. We must allow the Holy Spirit to renew our minds.
  3. We must present our bodies as a living sacrifice to God.
       First, we must crucify our flesh. The Apostle Paul penned these words under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit to the Church at Galatia.  “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.”

      What does it mean to “crucify the flesh?”  To crucify the flesh means to die to the sinful nature.  The flesh is the sinful element of human nature.  It is what the Bible describes as the “Old Man of Sin.”  It must be dealt with at the cross.  Paul wrote these words to the Church at Rome in Romans 6:11 - “Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

      How do we crucify the flesh?  How do we “reckon ourselves to be dead to sin?”  Galatians 5:24 gives us a key, “And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.”  How do we overcome the nature of sin?  We give ourselves totally and completely to the Lord.

      The Apostle continues his instructions on dying to carnality and the sinful element of human nature in Galatians 5:16.  “ I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.”

      The second instruction the Lord gave to me was that we must have a renewed mind.  Ephesians 4:23 instructs us to “Be renewed in the spirit of your mind.”  The Amplified translation reads, “And be constantly renewed in the spirit of your mind.”  If we are going to realize our prophetic promises and accomplish our assignment in this season then we must allow God to deal with  our thinking.  

       How do I renew my mind?  How to I change my mindset? It begins with an encounter with the Lord Jesus Christ and continues by meditating and studying the Word of God. We must get into God’s Word so that God’s Word can get into us.  Romans 10:17 reads, “So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.”

       We are to continue to allow the Holy Spirit to renew our minds as we meditate, memorize, and study the Word of God.  The Psalmist wrote these words in Psalms 119:97- “Oh, how I love Your law! It is my meditation all the day.”

      The third instruction the Lord gave me was that we are to present our bodies as a living sacrifice.  In Romans 12:1 we have this instruction from the Apostle Paul.  “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.”

      To present our bodies as a “living sacrifice” is an act of worship and dedication to the Lord.  In Romans 6:13 the Apostle writes, “And do not present your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God. “

       I want to encourage you to set a goal to grow in grace by appropriating the promises of God to “reckon yourself to be dead to sin and alive to God.”  Set a goal to daily meditate on the scriptures so that your mind will be renewed and your faith will grow.  And then present your bodies as a living sacrifice to God through your worship and commitment to Him.

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