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It’s ALL Free

So, I just learned something new!

Grace & Faith work together

I’ve always thought of Psalm 91 as a perfect example of God’s promises for us, His people! Listen to these verses:

Psalm 91:1-3 AMPC—He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall remain stable and fixed under the shadow of the Almighty [Whose power no foe can withstand].
I will say of the Lord, He is my Refuge and my Fortress, my God; on Him I lean and rely, and in Him I [confidently] trust! For [then] He will deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the deadly pestilence.

This Psalm is a perfect example of the “If I do this…THEN God will bless me with that” promises. But what I didn’t realize is that it’s a perfect example of the Law being lived well.

Only problem with that is that we’re no longer living in the under the Law, but under Grace. Just as Romans 6:14 AMPC tells us—For sin shall not [any longer] exert dominion over you, since now you are not under Law [as slaves], but under grace [as subjects of God’s favor and mercy].

God’s “If you do this—then I will do that” statements under the Law became a series of “I will” statements…without the “If you first” statements, under Grace.

Take a look at these 5 “I will” statements from God to Abram found in Genesis 12:1-3 AMPC:

1️⃣ I will make of you a great nation
2️⃣ I will bless you with abundant increase of favors
3️⃣ I will make your name famous and distinguished
4️⃣ I will bless those who bless you
5️⃣ I will curse him who curses or uses insolent language toward you

(By the way: Five is the number for grace in the Bible.)

Notice that there’s no longer any “if you, then I will” statements. It’s strictly “I WILL” from God. There was nothing that Abram had to do to earn these blessings.

Read through the New Testament carefully and see how many times you read about God’s graciousness toward His people. How many times Jesus says, that you will receive what you have asked for. How many times Paul talks about God’s provision and Grace.

Did you know that Grace is God’s provision for your every need? Just as it says in 2 Peter 1:3 AMPC–For His divine power has bestowed upon us all things that [are requisite and suited] to life and godliness, through the [full, personal] knowledge of Him Who called us by and to His own glory and excellence (virtue).

 Notice that you didn’t earn any part of that. It’s God’s Divine power that’s given “all things” to you as a gift. Bestow means to give an honor, right, or gift. God has given you the gift of ALL THINGS…and just so you know…that word “ALL” really means ALL, everything.

You can’t earn the gift of Salvation. You can’t earn the gift of healing. You can’t earn all the blessings that Jesus’ death released for you. You can only receive it. Jesus is the One Who’s spotless, sinless life earned it for you. Jesus is the One Who satisfied the justice that the Law demanded.

The Law showed you clearly that there’s no way you can fulfill any of it, in and of yourself. You needed Jesus, the spotless Lamb, to do it for you! And now that He has—Grace has been afforded to you and you became the righteousness of God IN Him (2 Corinthians 5:21).

It's all about Grace

For you to try and do anything now to receive His Grace and Favor is to say “Christ’s death wasn’t enough for me! I need to add my fleshly and sinful actions to ensure I receive His promises.”

It’s not Jesus’ death plus your goodness! It’s Jesus’ death that results in your goodness. It’s only as you stand in His finished work on the cross that you are righteous. Nothing you can do will ensure righteousness for you. It’s ONLY WHAT JESUS DID THAT MAKES YOU RIGHTEOUS!

Psalm 91 was written in the age of Law and it showed the heart of the man God loved…King David. But because Jesus died for you, you no longer have to earn your righteousness and God’s Favor. It’s already yours…because Jesus paid the price for you!

It’s God’s Love shed abroad in your heart, His Grace and His Favor poured out in abundance into your life that now causes you to say of the Lord, “He is my Refuge and my Fortress, my God; on Him I lean and rely, and in Him I [confidently] trust!” Psalm 91:2.

You don’t “speak” because you want to earn and deserve His Favor but because His Favor is so abundantly and freely poured out into your life.

Don’t try to earn what God’s already paid for. Accept the free gift and learn to live in, and enjoy, all the blessings He wants to pour out into your life!

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The Flesh versus The Spirit

Who’s winning in your life?

Spirit = Life and Peace—Flesh = death

Romans 8:5-9a NKJV—For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit.  For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the  carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be. So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God. But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. 

To be carnally minded is death…
Carnally = G4561, “sarx”—flesh, body, sensuous nature, human nature, as opposed to the spirit
Death = G2288, “thanatos”—life on earth is ended, implies future misery in hell

To be spiritually minded is life and peace…

Spiritually = G4151, “pneuma”—Holy Spirit, our spirit
Life = G2222, “zoe”—the absolute fulness of life, life real and genuine, a life active and vigorous, devoted to God. Blessed, in the portion even in this world of those who put their trust in Christ.
(I like to think of it as the God-breathed fullness of life that Adam enjoyed before sin came into the world.)
Peace = G1515, “eirene”—tranquility, immunity from the rage and havoc of war, harmony, security, safety, prosperity (because peace and harmony make and keep things safe and prosperous), joy

So, in other words, when you are carnally minded you’re living our lives in the flesh, “according to the flesh”. Your whole focus is on the things of the flesh—your life here on earth, your body, your pleasures, your likes and dislikes, your wants, etc. Everything is inward focused on you.

You consult your flesh when making decisions and choices. You live to please your fleshly desires. Your mind and life are in enmity against God. Your mind is hostile, has a deep-rooted hatred, and is in opposition against God. You’re not subject to the law of God but in opposition against it. The end of a life lived this way…is death.

Living in the flesh

Living from the flesh means living death. You are constantly working to meet the ever-increasing demands of the flesh. It needs more and more to make you happy. Serving self begins to consume your thoughts. Your world rotates around you.

This may be an extreme example, but the same is true when you look good on the outside. You’re other’s focused—you spend you’re life living for the good of others. In the world’s eyes that’s wonderful! But…doing good without God is called “being self-righteous”…and in God’s eyes that’s just as evil as being self-focused. It’s still all about
“S-E-L-F“!

Look at what the Bible says about “self righteousness”…
Isaiah 64:6b—And all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags;
Romans 8:8—So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God.

And just for clarification “filthy rags” are equivalent to our modern day “feminine napkin or tampon”. That’s what God thinks of anything we do through our flesh. Doesn’t matter how good it may be…it’s as wonderful to God as a feminine napkin or tampon would be to us!🤮 For “those who are in the flesh cannot please God.”

Don’t be discouraged

If you’re feeling like you’re living from your flesh more often than not…don’t be discouraged. Most of us start that way. It doesn’t mean you haven’t been saved, or you’ve lost your Salvation, or anything else like that! It just means there’s some work for you to do.

It’s called renewing your mind

Romans 12:2 AMPC—Do not be conformed to this world (this age) [fashioned after and adapted to its external, superficial customs], but be transformed (changed) by the [entire] renewal of your mind [by its new ideals and its new attitude], so that you may prove [for yourselves] what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God, even the thing which is good and acceptable and perfect [in His sight for you].

Renewing your mind is all about learning to think according to what the Word of God says about you…and the best way to do that is to know who you are now that you are IN Christ. I would highly recommend printing out this page, Click this link: Knowing Who I Am in Christ

Whatever your need, you’ve already got it

The best thing about having the Holy Spirit living in you is that you already have all the answers and the Wisdom you need living right inside of you! Jesus tells us that in John 14:26 AMPC, “But the Comforter (Counselor, Helper, Intercessor, Advocate, Strengthener, Standby), the Holy Spirit, Whom the Father will send in My name [in My place, to represent Me and act on My behalf], He will teach you all things.”

(I would highly recommend writing out this verse and then looking up the meanings for the different words and put it beside each word. Then the next time you’re wondering what the Holy Spirit can do for you, you can look back at this verse and know.)

The Holy Spirit also shows you the Truth, He will reveal Jesus to you…as well as comforting you, counselling you, helping you, strengthening you and so much more…

John 16:13 AMPC—But when He, the Spirit of Truth (the Truth-giving Spirit) comes**, He will guide you into all the Truth (the whole, full Truth). For He will not speak His own message [on His own authority]; but He will tell whatever He hears [from the Father, He will give the message that has been given to Him], and He will announce and declare to you things that are to come [that will happen in the future]. He will honor and glorify Me, because He will take of (receive, draw upon) what is Mine and will reveal (declare, disclose, transmit) it to you.

**We no longer have to wait for the Holy Spirit to come. He came on the day of Pentecost 2,000 years ago…and He came to live in your heart the moment you accepted Jesus—at that very moment you were “born again” and Holy Spirit came to live in your spirit…making you a new creation.

I don’t know about you…but I find that extremely comforting! You don’t have to figure it all out on your own. Ask the Holy Spirit for His help and He will enable you to change. 

Listen to what 2 Corinthians 3:18 AMPC says—“And all of us, as with unveiled face [because we] continued to behold [in the Word of God] as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are constantly being transfigured into His very own image in ever increasing splendor and from one degree of glory to another; [for this comes] from the Lord [Who is] the Spirit.”

Understanding your new Spirit

If you’d like to gain a greater understanding of what your new Spirit is and how it functions within you…I would highly recommend you watch this very important video: Spirit, Soul, & Body Animation by Andrew Wommack.

I guarantee you that after watching this video you’ll have a better understanding of the difference between your Body, Soul, and Spirit and how each one works together with the other parts to bring you the God-Life you’re desiring.

Living in the Spirit

Galatians 5:24 NKJV—And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.

Psalms 37:4—Delight yourself also in the LORD, and He shall give you the desires of your heart.

When we’re spiritually minded…when we delight ourselves in the Lord…our thoughts and desires are focused on God and our life with Him in the heavenlies where we are already seated in the Spirit.

Ephesians 2:4-6 —But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.

Colossians 3:1-2 NKJV—If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth.

A spiritually minded life is ‘an absolute fulness of life’ experienced here on earth…. A life that is active and vigorous, blessed with Peace—tranquility, immunity from the rage and havoc of a war fought in our mind between death and life…harmony, joy,  security, safety, prosperity—because peace and harmony make and keep things safe and prosperous.

I don’t know about you…but I’d rather give my mind over to the Spirit than to my flesh. I remember my mom saying to me as a child, “Want is a cruel task master. It’s never satisfied. It will always want more and more and more!” That’s a picture of living in the carnal mind.

So…How do you live from the Spirit within

The Bible is full of advice on how to live from the Spirit rather than the flesh. Here are just a few verses to get you started.

Romans 8:12-1 NKJV—Therefore, brethren, we are debtors—not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. 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. 

2 Corinthians 104-5 NKJV—For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ,

These strongholds are the flesh fighting to live a fleshly life. Our mind is filled with thoughts of self and other thoughts that actually speak death to the Life within us.

Arguments are those thoughts that argue that being in the flesh is okay. That you’re not doing anything wrong. Nothing will be harmed by doing xyz. It’s okay, just this once. Arguments war against following the leading of the Spirit.

Everything that prevents you from growing in the Knowledge of God MUST go. Every flesh-serving thought we have must be taken captive and put to death at the throne Jesus.

Instead we are to think on these things:

Philippians 4:8 NKJV—Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things. 

Galatians 5:22-23 NKJV—But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.

For more Scriptures about living from the Spirit within you follow the links below…

Ask the Holy Spirit to speak to you through these Scriptures. Ask Him to show you how to apply them to your life. Ask Him to help you become aware of all wrong thoughts. Ask Him to help you take those thoughts captive.

Rely on Him. This isn’t work you do through your own will…but through the helping hand of the Holy Spirit within you. With His help you CAN, and you WILL change!

What Does the Bible Say About Living By the Spirit?

15 Bible verses about Walking in the Spirit

29 Bible Verses about Living in the Spirit

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What to Do When You Get Offended

Dealing with offense is not easy…especially if the offense comes from someone close to you!

If you’re struggling with offense and want to know how to deal with it so it doesn’t poison your life…then I would highly recommend this video series about Offense by Pastor and teacher Duane Sheriff!

Most of the videos in this series are between 12-14 minutes long so it’s not hard to fit them into a short break in your day.

Click on this link below to access the series on YouTube.

OFFENSE Series by Duane Sheriff

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What Does It Mean to Seek the Kingdom First?

Have you ever wondered what Jesus was talking about when He said “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.” – Matthew 6:33?

What about Binding and Loosing?

Here’s another strange verse that may have had you scratching your head.

Matthew 18:18 – “Assuredly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. “

Is there any connection between these 2 statements that Jesus made?

I decided to tackle this topic with a video as there’s too much to say for a blog post. You can check it out here:

⬅⬅⬅ Click on the image to watch the video I made.

I’d love to hear what you think about this.

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How Does the Kingdom Of God Change Your Life?

Luke 12:31-32—But seek first the kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added to you. Do not fear, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.

Luke 13:18-19—Then He said, “What is the kingdom of God like? And to what shall I compare it? It is like a mustard seed, which a man took and put in his garden; and it grew and became a large tree, and the birds of the air nested in its branches.”

Luke 13:20-21—And again He said, “To what shall I liken the kingdom of God? It is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal till it was ALL leavened.”

You are to seek first the Kingdom of God…and as you seek His kingdom all the other things important to life and living will be added to your life!

You should have NO fear because it pleases God…it is His good pleasure to give you the Kingdom!!!

So…what is the Kingdom like?

The Kingdom of God is like a mustard seed which a man planted into his garden!

According to Mark 4: 14 – 20…

Seed = the Word of God Garden or soil = your heart

So the Word of God planted in your heart will grow so big that birds can find refuge and rest in the branches and the shade of His Word will rest a weary traveler or protect the rest of the “garden” from being scorched by the heat of the day.

The Kingdom of God is like leaven which a woman hid in flour

Leaven = the Word of God Meal or flour = your heart

So the Word of God planted in your heart will grow and multiply till it fills your whole life with His life, power, authority, Love, compassion, Grace, Mercy, etc (every good thing that the Bible promises us).

Notice that in both of these parables the Word of God grows and multiplies till it overtakes everything else. It was the biggest tree in the garden and like leaven it raised and brought life to the whole lump of dough.

The Kingdom of God is like seed scatted on the ground

Mark 4:26-28—And He said, “The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground, and should sleep by night and rise by day, and the seed should sprout and grow, he himself does not know how. For the earth yields crops by itself; first the blade, then the head, after that the full grain in the head. But when the grain ripens, immediately he puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come.”

Mark 4:20—But these are the ones sown on good ground, those who hear the word, accept it, and bear fruit: some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some a hundred.

Seed = the Word of God Ground = your heart

I love what this parable tells us about God’s Kingdom! When you scatter God’s Word in your heart…that seed—His Word…sprouts and grows all by itself!

How? You don’t know!

And all by itself your heart will yield a good crop as God’s Word grows in your heart. First the blade, then the head, after that the full grain in the head. And when that Word of God fully matures in your heart it will produce good fruit in your life.

Sometimes it will produce a small change in your life, sometime a bigger change, and sometimes it will completely change an area, attitude, thought pattern, behavior ,or habit in your life.

Notice that the change is not you forcing it on yourself from the outside…but rather God’s Word working His good will in you so that you desire to change…so that you desire to do the very thing you thought you’d never be able to do!

This doesn’t mean you won’t have to push past your fears…but that’s so much easier to do when your heart is urging you…even pulling you toward the very thing you thought you’d never do!

Philippians 2:13 tells us the same thing—For it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.

It’s God Who works in your heart, through His Word that you’ve planted there…not just once… but over and over again, day after day after day, till like a good sourdough yeast (leaven), it grows and multiplies in your life until your heart and mind are filled with the power of God’s Word!

Then suddenly, and…often very surprisingly, you’ll find yourself being inexorably drawn to do the very thing you couldn’t do before…even though you wanted to do it or knew you needed to do it…and yet failed so miserably at doing!

This doesn’t mean that you won’t feel any fear or trepidation at doing this thing—but the drawing and pulling of God’s Word working in your heart will give you the strength and the power…

After all… “I can do ALL things through Christ Who strengthens me”… and you’ll find yourself doing the very thing you feared and doubted you could ever do!

Victory is yours! All it takes is seeding out God’s Word in your heart—day after day after day—till you see first the blade, then the head, then the full grain in the head.

I challenge you to find a verse or 2 from God’s Word to seed into your heart. Write it (them) out on a sticky note or a recipe card. Keep it with you wherever you go. Whenever you have a spare moment or two read the verse out loud to yourself. Stand in front of a mirror and speak it over yourself. Repeat this several times a day if possible!

Do this every day for 30, 60, 90 days or however long it takes for God’s Word to start changing your heart. I guarantee you…God’s Word will change you! IF you are diligent and give it enough time to do it’s good work in you!

Want to learn more about God’s Word and it’s affect on your life? Check out my Instagram page: @Joanne.Spruyt