Discerning How To Live By God's Spirit
40 Days of Discernment - Part 5

Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.

2 Corinthians 3:17 (NKJV)

The real life I now have within this body is a result of my trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

Galatians 2:20 (TLB)

When you began a relationship with Jesus Christ, a new life began in Christ. He set you in liberty to enjoy the fascinating experience of living the Christian life.

Since we believe that Christ died for all of us, we should also believe that we have died to the old life we used to live... He died for all so that all who live - having received eternal life from him - might live no longer for themselves, to please themselves, but to spend their lives pleasing Christ who died and rose again for them... When someone becomes a Christian, he becomes a brand new person inside. He is not the same anymore. A new life has begun!

2 Corinthians 5:13-17 (TLB)

  1. Who is the person that most influences you to not discern your liberty in Christ?
  2. What influences you the most to not follow Christ?

Jesus said, the BIG SEVEN ARE Matthew 19:29 (NLT) "...houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or property"

Jesus said its your stuff, your possessions and family!

Who has interfered with you to hold you back from following the truth? It certainly isn't God, for he is the one who called you to freedom. But it takes only one wrong person among you to infect all the others.

Galatians 5:7-10 (NLT)

When I am not living in liberty, I look like this:

1. I hurt and harm my family or property.

If you act like wild animals, hurting and harming each other.

Galatians 5:15 (TEV)

2. I act like I'm important, snobbish, arrogant, and irritating.

Let us not become vainglorious and self-conceited, competitive and challenging and provoking and irritating to one another, envying and being jealous of one another.

Galatians 5:26 (AMP)

3. I treat others selfishly.

For you, brethren, were [indeed] called to freedom; only [do not let your] freedom be an incentive to your flesh and an opportunity or excuse [for selfishness], but through love you should serve one another.

Galatians 5:13 (AMP)

If we are living now by the Holy Spirit's power, let us follow the Holy Spirit's leading in every part of our lives.

Galatians 5:25 (TLB)

How do I become discerning so I will live by the Holy Spirit?

1. I have to obey the Holy Spirit each time He tells me something.

Those who live as their human nature tells them to, have their minds controlled by what human nature wants. Those who live as the Spirit tells them to, have their minds controlled by what the Spirit wants.

Romans 8:5 (TEV)

To be controlled by Him is to do whatever He says I need to do, whenever, or wherever He says.

2. I have to appreciate the benefits of obedience.

For...to be spiritually minded is life and peace.

Romans 8:6 (NKJV)

To have the experience of the Holy Spirit speaking to you is evidence you have eternal life within you.

In fact, God thinks of us as a perfume that brings Christ to everyone. For people who are being saved, this perfume has a sweet smell and leads them to a better life.

2 Corinthians 2:15 (CEV)

3. I have to say no to practicing my selfish desires.

My dear friends, we must not live to satisfy our desires. If you do, you will die. But you will live, if by the help of God's Spirit you say "No" to your desires.

Romans 8:12-13 (CEV)

What desires do you have to say no to?

God says in Colossians 3:5-10 (CEV)

  1. Don't be controlled by your body. Kill every desire for the wrong kind of sex.
  2. Don't be immoral or indecent or have evil thoughts.
  3. Don't be greedy, which is the same as worshiping idols.
  4. You must quit being angry, hateful, and evil.
  5. You must no longer say insulting or cruel things about others. Stop lying to each other.

You have given up your old way of life with its habits. Each of you is now a new person. You are becoming more and more like your Creator, and you will understand him better.

4. I should constantly struggle in this area of my life.

The Holy Spirit helps us with our daily problems and in our praying. For we don't even know what we should pray for nor how to pray as we should, but the Holy Spirit prays for us with such feeling that it cannot be expressed in words.

Romans 8:26 (TLB)

For we naturally love to do evil things that are just the opposite from the things that the Holy Spirit tells us to do; and the good things we want to do when the Spirit has his way with us are just the opposite of our natural desires. These two forces within us are constantly fighting each other to win control over us, and our wishes are never free from their pressures.

Galatians 5:17 (TLB)

Until you start listening to the Holy Spirit, you will continue to give in to your desires and your heart will be ruled by selfishness. The only way you can hear from God and keep hearing from God is to start doing what he has been telling you to do. Until you stop giving in to fulfilling your selfish desires, you will hear less and less from God.

Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified their own sinful selves. They have given up their old selfish feelings and the evil things they wanted to do. We get our new life from the Spirit, so we should follow the Spirit.

Galatians 5:24-25 (NCV)