Where Does It Come From?

During my message this weekend, I am going to talk about 'living out of your spirit' and not just out of your mind.  For instance, effective prayer is birthed not just out of your mind but out of your spirit.  Just for my personal study, I looked up the many New Testament references on living out of our 'spiritual center.'

Why is this important?  So often we are living out of our own mind.  We are trying to figure out how to make life work through human effort.  Our dependence shifts to our own strength.  We lean upon our own futile fleshly efforts.

The Christian life was never intended to be a mental exercise, nor was designed to flow out of the strength of our own effort or self-determination.  God has created us to be spiritual beings.  He is Spirit.  He interacts with us on a Spirit to spirit basis.  Consider this Biblical perspective:

WORSHIP FLOWS OUT OF YOUR SPIRIT

And Mary said: "My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior... Luke 1:45-47

God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth.  John 4:24

GOD'S WORK IS BIRTHED IN YOUR SPIRIT

The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you are spirit.   John 6:63

Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him." By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive.and they are life.  John 7:38-39

PRAYER ORIGINATES OUT OF YOUR SPIRIT (the Holy Spirit partners with your spirit)

In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express.  Romans 8:26

I will pray with my spirit, but I will also pray with my mind; I will sing with my spirit, but I will also sing with my mind.  1 Corinthians 14:15

And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.  Ephesians 6:18

But you, dear friends, build yourselves up in your most holy faith and pray in the Holy Spirit.  Jude 1:20

AN EFFECTIVE CHRISTIAN LIFE IS LIVED OUT PARTNERSHIP WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT

Are you so foolish? After beginning with the Spirit, are you now trying to attain your goal by human effort?  Galatians 3:3

And because you belong to him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death.  Romans 8:2

The challenge I am feeling is to live out of the Spirit more and more.  This is especially necessary when the we are feeling weak or inadequate.  We can either try harder or trust more.  Lord, help me live out of my spirit today.

Comments

[Nathan Kollar]

Jeff, thanks for the great post! I occasionally stop by this blog and am ALWAYS encouraged. I am in the preview phase of our church plant in Los Angeles right now, and living out of the spirit is especially critical. There are so many "giants" that seek to intimidate our launch team and myself... if we would let them.

I'm from the PennDel District. You once prayed with us at a District event before we moved this past January. I also believe you know my Mom's family, the Sheridans. My mom is Dawn.

Thanks again!