Get Close To The Lord

ABUNDANT LIFE THROUGH HOLY SPIRIT LIVING
“CULTIVATING THE ABUNDANT LIFE –4"

John 10:7-10
“Then said Jesus unto them again, Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep. All that ever came before me are thieves and robbers: but the sheep did not hear them. I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture. The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.”

Recognize the person of the Holy Spirit.

The believer is to follow the leading of the Holy Spirit.

John 16:13-14
“Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come. He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you.”

Let me ask you something - Is your life glorifying Christ or self? This will determine whether you are following the Holy Spirit or not. The believer is to depend upon the power of the Holy Spirit.

Luke 24:49 -
“And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high.”

Acts 1:8 -
“But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you:”

The believer is to be filled, or controlled, by the Holy Spirit.

Ephesians 5:18 -
“And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit;”

Just what does it mean to be filled with the Spirit? It means that a saved person is not only controlled in mind, but in his body as well.

Romans 12:1-2
“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.”

Let us see this in Romans 6:6,
“Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.”

Listen, this means that we have died with Christ.

Hear it in Galatians 5:24,
“And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.”

If you have yielded your body then you realize that you are merely a caretaker of that body. Therefore we must be willing to give up anything the Holy Spirit puts His finger on. The first thing we want to do is convince ourselves of whether it is right or wrong. Listen, it is not for us to decide. Now every other Christian in this world may be permitted to do that thing. But if God the Holy Spirit says to you, “No,
my child, it is not for you.” Give it up. Your freedom from all bondage was purchased on the Cross of Calvary, just as surely as was your salvation.

Galatians 1:4 -
“Who gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us from this present evil world, according to the will of God and our Father:”

Let us suppose that your problem is wearing skimpy dress. Oh the devil will tell you time and time again that it's not so bad. He will tell you that everyone else is doing it. But listen, God says that you are to wear modest apparel. Then you must die to that desire. The devil will say that you may lower your hem lines but at the same time he will have you lower your neck line. Listen, you must die to that desire.

Or your problem may be a worldly habit. The use of tobacco or some other worldly habit. We must realize that our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit. And if we do something to be harmful or defile that temple, God will destroy our testimony. What we do speaks so loud that people don’t hear what we say. Paul said it this way,

I Corinthians 8:13
“Wherefore, if meat make my brother to offend, I will eat no flesh while the world standeth, lest I make my brother to offend.”

We must die to those things.

Oh listen, this business of crucifying self and cultivating the abundant life is slow and painful. You try to get down off the cross many times. Beloved, stay on the cross, stay in that casket. You have died positionally, but God wants you dead experientially.

Russell Stolp
Chaplain, CFO

Psalm 37:4 "Delight thyself also in the LORD: and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart."
Proverbs 3:5-6 "Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy
ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.