Spiritual Emphasis on My Spirit Man

Spiritual Emphasis on My Spirit Man

By Pastor Gary Wayne

This is Spiritual emphasis month - It’s my goal to influence us for this month of September to re-establish the foundational places God says we should live from. To create an atmosphere around us for our spiritual person to excel. Today I want emphasize the need to focus on the welfare
of my spirit man.

Text: Hebrews 4:12-13, James 1:21, Romans 8:5-8

When we were created, God created us Body,
Soul, Spirit. My soul is made up of mind, will, emotions.
My spirit man is what came alive when I became a
Christian – God placed His Holy Spirit inside me, and I came alive to Him.

When you were conceived in the womb, your body and soul came alive.
When you were born again, you spirit came alive.

For much of our life, we live with our soul in charge.
We do what we want - what is best for me – my flesh tells me LOUDLY what it wants.

But when we become a Christian, we are instructed to switch the order to where our spirit now tells our soul what to do.

And given the new loving feeling we experience, our soul just says “ok” to what God wants. NOT without a fight.

Last week as we emphasized the importance of reading the Word, a HUGE truth is the more I get into the Word of God, the easier it is to let my spirit man lead. The Word transforms my soul – mind, will, emotions.

Rom.12:2 “…be transformed by the renewing of your mind…”

Jas 1:21 Save = wholeness of my soul. Not salvation, but transformation
(Read in Passion Translation)

With what I watch, listen to, or read, which do I feed the most? Soul or spirit?
Do I read more on Facebook then I do in the Life-book?
Which effects my outlook the most?

Does Fox News influence my belief system more than the "Good News?"

What I feed myself the most, that area is going to excel.
There is a war between my soul and spirit.

Hebrews 4:12-13
The Word gives a sharp distinction between what my soul wants - thinks is right, thinks is justified in action - and what my spirit should do.

The end of v.12, thoughts = mind, intents = will, heart = emotions MY SOUL.

ver.12 - word - (logos) = written word - (how does this relate to this message? I have to expose myself to the word "MYSELF" not just when I go to church.)

God is not wanting my soul to get better, - NO He wants to kill it. Why?

Ga 5:16-17 “I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusts [wars] against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish.”

Ver.24 “And those who are Christ's have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.”

Ro 8:13 “For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.”

Read v.12-13 AGAIN!
Ver.13 is a key to ver.12 The word “open” = trachelizo, trakh-ay-lid'-zo - to seize by the throat or neck, i.e. to expose the gullet of a victim for killing.

To bend back the neck of a victim to be slain - to expose the gullet of a victim for killing.

This is so graphic, because WAY TOO OFTEN we live out of our mind, will, and emotions rather than living out of my spirit man who's voice telling me to do it God's way is drown out by the volume of my "feelings", my “will”, and the “emotions” that tell my spirit man “no.”

God wants me to think about myself the way He thinks about me, but my soul reasoning dominates.

Most of us know what God wants, but our soul wars against it.

That’s why we need a month of “spiritual emphasis.”
To let my “spirit man” take the lead.

What is the Holy Spirit saying to me in this message?
Take 30 seconds and search your heart for the voice of God.