Walking With God

 

There is a spiritual realm and there is also a natural realm.  Some people don’t even realize that there is a natural realm or that there is a realm at all.  These are the people that should not be reading these teachings.  Why?  Because you’re not going to get anything from them – you’re going to waste your time.

 

The spiritual realm always supersedes the natural realm.  It is greater in all respects and the natural realm cannot compete.  The more of God’s Word that you study, the more you can walk with God.  A believer who walks on God’s Word can always outdo a person who walks only by the natural realm which is the world.  You surely should know who is the present god of this world.  Let me go to a few Scriptures in Romans which should help to clear up these two concepts.

 

For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit.  -- Romans 8: 5

 

I want to really stress this verse because I want you to know that the unbeliever simply seeks after things of the flesh.  But those who are born again of God’s spirit seek out the things of the Spirit.  I want you to take notice before we even begin this teaching that we are again concentrating on the basics of God’s Word.  I told you before and many times that I saw a ministry fall to its knees because the basics of God’s Word were not being adhered to.  It will never happen on this website.  God works in my heart to show me what type of teaching is important and what you need to hear.

 

Before we move on to the next Scripture, I would like to take this opportunity to teach you something that I have been stressing for a long time and that is for you to  get an understanding of figures of speech used in the Bible.  If you look closely at the above verse, you will see that a certain word is missing.  This is called a Figure of Omission.  It is in the second part of the verse and after the word Spirit, the phrase ‘do mind’ seems to be missing.  There is an absolute reason for this and that is because God wants to stress the things of the spirit.  There are maybe hundreds or even thousands of figures of omission in the Bible because God wants to stress the subject matter and not the verbs or any other grammatical terms.

 

For to be carnally minded is  death; but to be spiritually minded is  life and peace.  -- Romans 8: 6

 

To be carnally minded is to live your life based only in the natural realm where you cannot walk with God.  God’s Word says this is death.  You might as well hang it up because the enemy is going to trick you all of your life into thinking that you’re going to accomplish things that you will never accomplish.  Now take a look at the contrast in the second part of the verse.  To be spiritually minded results in life, and life to its fullest, and peace because you are walking with God.  Now you tell me which one is going to give you more stamina.  You can only learn this by experience and I have learned that God gives me about 30 times more stamina than a person who lives only by the natural world or by the five senses.  I have been hit with so much pressure and by so many people who betrayed me, and that includes believers, that I sometimes think that if I went to Vietnam, it would be like Disney World.  Fortunately, I got out of that war simply because I chip fractured an ankle on a certain foot.  How precise could the draft board be when they eliminated me from the draft and in six weeks I was running around on my ankle?  The only reason I can explain this is that God did his very best to protect me because He had a purpose for my life.  So how do you want to live?  By the natural world which is death or by the spiritual realm which is life and peace?  Duh.

 

God goes on to explain why this is the case and I feel that I should do the same.  Let’s read a few more Scriptures in Romans.

 

Because the carnal mind is enmity against God:  for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.  -- Romans 8: 7

 

Most people will read these verses year after year and not take the time to look up the word ‘enmity’.  That word means to be in conflict with.  Surely if you are a believer, you don’t want to be in conflict with God, believe me.  So God is explaining how this happens.  He says that the carnal mind – the five senses person – the person who lives only in the natural realm, is at conflict with God because that person cannot be subject to the law of God.  He can’t walk with God.  How can you be subject to the law of God if you don’t know the Word of God? 

 

How have I been able to stand up to so much tribulation in my lifetime?  Because I walk with God and He gives me stamina - spiritual stamina.  This comes from the Christ in me.  People can betray me, they can lie to me, they can try everything, but they can’t permanently hurt me, although they can succeed for a period of time.  But I always come back and I always win.  Glory goes to God and not to me.  He gave me His Spirit and taught me how to work it and He gives me wisdom when I need it the most.  It’s been said many times and some of you may recognize this statement.  Many people will blow hot and they will blow cold.  They will come around for a little while and then they disappear.  Some will do their best to try and deceive you and maybe they will appear to succeed.  But at times God will let you wait and watch so that when He gives you Revelation which gives you the spiritual stamina you need, you never forget and you never fall for that trick again.  Isn’t that something?  It’s exciting really or I would not be doing this for about 40 years.  Now God goes on to give you a greater explanation regarding this subject matter.

 

So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.  -- Romans 8: 8

 

What a simple Scripture this is and yet it is so powerful and it makes clear simple sense.  Those who walk only by the natural realm cannot please God.  They may act like they’re pleasing God.  They may go to church every Sunday and they may shovel the snow from the church steps.  I used to know people who did things like this and I often wondered what would be the result of their labor.  There is nothing wrong with good works.  What you give out you will always receive back in return.  However, if this man who is working to shovel snow and doing something for the church is not born again of God spirit, he simply cannot please God.  When the Scripture says and uses the term flesh, it is referring to the five senses.  You can only have so much stamina based on those five senses.  True stamina comes from the Spirit of God and is given to those who are walking with God.  The following set of Scriptures should illustrate why we need to walk with God – to walk by the Spirit.

 

This  I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.  – Galatians 5: 16

 

We should know by now that walking by the Spirit is to walk with God.  Then, and only then, will you not fulfil the lust (over-desire) of the flesh.  Lust can encompass a huge variety of circumstances.  It could be excess sexual desire, gambling, drugs, alcohol and the list is almost endless.  You won’t engage in these types of activity and lifestyle IF you walk with God.  How do you walk with God?  You study His Word and you do what the Word says.  You stop trying to hurt people – you stop stealing – and as I said above, the list can go on forever.  Who makes you fulfil the lust of the flesh?  The devil.  It’s that simple.  God gave you free will so that you can choose to walk with Him or with the god of this world.

 

Now God explains the what and why of Galatians 5: 16 in magnificent detail as only God can do.

 

For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh:  and these [desires] are contrary the one to the other:  so that ye cannot do the things that ye would [“what you will do, you cannot do”. New English Bible] – Galatians 5: 17

 

You see, there is a natural battle going on here.  It’s the flesh against the Spirit.  It is impossible for them to agree – one is of the devil’s world and the other is from the true God’s Word of God.  One is carnal and one is Spiritual.  One is of the natural realm and the other is of the spiritual realm.  You walk with the true God and you walk in the Spiritual realm.  The Spiritual realm ALWAYS supersedes (is greater than) the natural realm.

 

God goes on to say that the lusts of the flesh and the Spirit are contrary the one to the other so that you cannot do the things that you would do.  The New English Bible gives a somewhat clearer translation as is stated above in Galatians 5: 17.  The New English Bible should be a part of your research and study library to help you with difficult verses in the King James Version.  I only use those two Bible Translations, but stay with King James 99% of the time.

 

That’s why you walk by the Spirit.  Believers are winners.  Second place is the first loser.

 

Let’s take a look at Romans.  God says it.  That settles it.  Here’s what happens when you walk with God.  God is not a man that He can lie.

 

Nay, in all these things we are more than [super] conquerors through him that [who] loved us.  – Romans 8: 37

 

Do you believe it?  If you do you will absolutely reap the results.  There is nothing in  the world that can defeat you.  The power of God in Christ in you cannot be defeated if you believe and act on God’s Word.  You can hammer every devil spirit in the world.  The power of the true God will make you shake – it happened to me and I’m no better than you.  Some of you know why I am sticking with the basics on recent teachings.  Let’s keep sticking it to the enemy.

 

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.  – John 10: 10

 

Jesus Christ, the Son of God, said this.  The thief is the devil and he does only three things – steal, kill, and destroy.  WHO KILLS?!!!!!!!!  While Jesus Christ said that he came so that born-again believers would not only have life, but have it more abundantly.  That is life in every aspect – life to its fullest.

 

So who are you going to follow – who are you going to walk with?  Try to understand how powerful the next verse is when it comes to your overall walk with God.  Also notice that the enemy is mentioned in this verse.  He copies everything the true God does.  So you must study the genuine to be able to recognize the counterfeit.  Then, and only then, can you be victorious.

 

Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them:  because greater is he that is in you, then he that is in the world.  – I John 4: 4

 

If you are born again, then you are of God.  God refers to us in a lovingly way as little children.  Now watch this next section.  God says that we have overcome them.  We must understand the word ‘them’.  ‘Them’ is referring to all the negatives that are in this world.  The source of all negatives is the devil himself.  ‘Them’ can be referring to all the devil spirits that are in this world.  God is saying that we are victorious over them if we are born again and walk by the Spirit of God.  Of course, to do this we must renew our mind to the Word of God.  Then we must walk out on it – we must act on it and live how the Word tells us to live.  Then we can overcome all the evil caused by the devil spirits that are in this world.  You can’t see them but Lucifer took one third of the angels with him when he had a mutiny against God.  You must remember here that even angels have free will and they decided to take Lucifer’s side.  This one third of the angels make up the devil spirit kingdom that exists today.  This kingdom has a tendency to hide and act like it’s not even there.  This is most dangerous and many people believe this because the devil himself has deceived multitudes of people today.  Remember, his time is short and he’s working overtime.

 

In the second part of the above verse God tells us why we have overcome all of these devil spirits as long as we walk by the spirit of the true God.  He simply tells us that greater is He, which is the God in Christ in us, then he, the devil and all his devil spirits, that are in the world.  In more simpler terms, the spirit of God that is within us is always greater than the spirit of the world which is composed of evil and devil spirits.  This should not be hard for you to understand because God states it in a most simple manner.  Repeating myself again, this is one of the basic principles that is in God’s Word.  Again, God asks you to do only one thing and that is to believe.  Everything that we do depends on our believing.  How many times have I given you an illustration of simple believing, but dynamic in its overall concept?  I will say this one more time.  Take a pencil or ink pen that’s on your desk.  Hold it a foot or two above your desk and drop it.  How sure were you that it was going to hit your desk?  That’s believing.  How do we get to such a strong point in believing as this example illustrates?  It is by studying God’s Word and applying it.  Let’s take a look at a foundational Scripture that talks about studying.

 

Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needed not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.  – II Timothy 2: 15

 

Rightly dividing means a perfectly right cutting.  There is no private interpretation or guesswork because as I have taught you, the Word of God interprets itself in three different ways.  That’s another teaching.  If you want to keep this as simple and basic as possible, picture a blueberry pie.  Now you want to cut this pie the exact same size and you want it to be five pieces.  You’re going to have to do some work to get those five pieces the exact same size.  I had studied the Word for at least 20 years before I was confident enough to begin this website and to rightly divide the Word of God.  Now it’s been about 40 years, and I can rightly divide the word with greater effectiveness.  That is the only reason I have taught some of the advanced teachings on this website.  I simply study and I will let nothing stop me from doing so.  There was a lot of pressure and tribulation from many people and many of those people I love dearly.  It is difficult sometimes and the choice comes down to what is better or what is best.  You must choose what is best and there is nothing greater on the face of this earth than the rightly divided Word of God applied in a person’s life.  At times you may feel alone, but you must remember to discipline yourself to understand that when it comes to God’s Word, you have no friends.  God must be first and foremost in your life.  Since we are on the subject, let’s go to another very basic Scripture.  Yet it is very, very important in your walk with God.

 

But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.  – Matthew 6: 33

 

What are all of these things?  They include everything that we need to live the more than abundant life that is mentioned in John 10: 10.  This is a commandment of the Lord.  We can adhere to it or we can ignore it.  That decision is up to us and up to us alone.  Understand that I can teach you God’s Word for the next 50 years, but if you don’t believe it and act upon it, all of it is a waste of time.  Most people will tell you that God is first in their life but they will never even pick up their Bible and read a chapter.  These people are deceived by the enemy and they become counterfeits as far as the true God is concerned.  I meet people like this every single day.  There seems to be only a few of us true dedicated believers left – people who are truly sold out.  I am thankful to know this when certain people find my email address and write to me.  I see that they are struggling sometimes to understand certain Scriptures or sections of Scriptures.  But that is good because at least they are trying.  Mentioned many times, I said, when you do your best, God will do the rest.  So if you feel alone sometimes because you are the only one that believes the Scriptures, remember, God is there with you and when you stand up to the devil and his devil spirits and speak God’s Word, it is said in the Bible that Jesus Christ stands up on the right hand of God and backs you up and cheers you on.

 

You may be able to see how basic some of these concepts and foundational principles are in the Word of God.  But do not overlook the great importance of applying these principles.  You must start with one building block and build upon that foundation - one that cannot be moved.  I have done this in my own life.  It takes time and a lot of time.  It has been said that the renewed mind is one of the most difficult processes you can ever undertake.  Let’s take a look at those Scriptures in conclusion of this teaching.

 

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 religious [logical] service.  -- Romans 12: 1

 

And be not conformed to this world:  but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is  that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.  -- Romans 12: 2

 

Sacrifice your body and your life to God who will give you the best life that you can ever live.  You will then be holy and acceptable unto God which is the only logical way in which you should live.

 

The second verse emphasizes directly the renewing of the mind.  God says do not be conformed to this world because the devil is the present god of this world, so you surely do not want to conform to him.  Then God goes on to say be transformed or transfigured like a caterpillar to a butterfly By The Renewing Of Your Mind.  Do not be a conformist to this world, but be careful that you do not get yourself in trouble by being a nonconformist.  God will show you what to do – ask Him.  I think I should give you a very simple example so that you do not get confused at this point.  I have been driving about 40 years or more without an accident.  I do admit that I like to drive fast.  At one time in my life I was getting so many tickets and points on my license, that I realized, it was not worth it.  So I had to renew my mind to slow down and even though I did not like it, the end result was much more profitable to me.  No more aggravation – no more points – no more fines.  That’s what God means when He says to renew your mind.  Here is an example from the Word itself.  Let’s say that before you got involved in God’s Word, you had a habit that you thought was very innocent and that habit was that you were and always did lie to people.  If you will study the book of Ephesians, you will see that we are to put away lying and speak the truth one to another for we are members one of another.  So you must stop lying.  It is that simple.  And guess what?  God is not going to take it away from you.  You have to do it on your own and by your own free will.  That is another example of the renewed mind.  It is not an easy thing to do, but it is available or God would not have asked us to do so.

 

To prove this point even more so, the latter part of the second verse above tells us that if we renew our mind, we will prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect Will of God.  You will get to know God better than you ever have before and God Himself will prove to you that if you walk on His Word and you walk with God, you will prove the benefits of the renewed mind to yourself and concerning God. Discipline yourself to walk with God by living life in the following type of manner and mannerisms mentioned throughout the Word of God.

 

Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another.  – Galatians 5: 26

 

Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are  honest, whatsoever things are  just, whatsoever things are  pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are  of good report; if there be  any virtue, and if there be  any praise, think on these things.  -- Philippians 4: 8

 

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