5

BECOMING THE SPIRITUAL
PERSON YOU WANT TO BE

“Walking according to the Spirit is more like a relationship with a good friend than a list of dos and don’ts.”

It was 1982 and the African country of Kenya was in turmoil. I (Dave) was returning to the United States after spending two and one-half months in Zaire as a short-term missionary. My plane had to stop in Kenya on the way home. As we landed, the pilot announced that rebel soldiers had attempted to overthrow the Kenyan government. The airport would be shut down indefinitely—from hours to perhaps days.

When I walked inside, the terminal was crawling with government soldiers carrying machine guns. The situation was tense to say the least. Fighting could break out again at any moment. It looked like a war zone!

As I sat in the airport, I looked into my small backpack and saw that I still had about 150 Swahili tracts. These won’t do me much good back home, I thought. That’s when I got into one of those silent arguments with God—you know, where the Holy Spirit jabs you in the ribs and tells you to start witnessing. I argued that I could get arrested or shot for witnessing. But I never was good at debating, especially with God.

So I grabbed a handful of the tracts and began to pass them out. But again God’s voice whispered to my heart. “Don’t just pass them out. Tell people the good news.” I quietly submitted.

I approached two young Kenyan soldiers, thrust a small booklet toward them and asked if I could tell them about Jesus. To my surprise, they were very polite, seeming grateful to receive the booklet. Thankfully, they spoke English well, so I shared the gospel with them.

After going through the booklet, I asked the two soldiers if they would like to accept Christ as their Savior—right there. I braced myself for the answer I’ve heard 100 times, the polite brushoff: “I’m sorry, I’m just not ready.”

But instead, they smiled and said, “Yes.” Then they put down their machine guns and bowed their heads. We prayed together there in the airport terminal. I was flooded with joy.

As soon as we finished praying, an officer approached and barked orders in Swahili. The two soldiers snapped to attention and hurried to obey the command. But as they left, both managed a glance my way. I saw more than a silent goodbye on their faces. There was the shine of thankfulness and joy.

I had just begun to compose myself when another soldier approached. “Have you been passing out tracts?” he asked. My heart skipped a few beats and then began to race. Everything in me wanted to say, “Who me? No way!” But I gathered my courage and said, “Yes I have.” I just knew I was going to be arrested, thrown into prison, starved near to death, and then executed for passing out tracts.

“I am second in command of all these troops,” the soldier said. “My men told me to come see you. They said they could see Christ in you.”

My martyrdom would have to wait. Instead I was given the greatest compliment of my life: “We see Christ in you.” My constant prayer is that Christ will be seen in me every day of my life.

What does it take to be a Christian in whom others can see Christ daily? What will move us away from selfishness and fleshly desires to loving service to God and others?

First, we need a firm grip on our identity in Christ. We can’t love like Jesus loved until we accept the reality that, since we are in Christ, His divine nature is part of us.

Second, we must begin to put to death daily the old sin-trained flesh and live in harmony with who we are: children of God who are filled with God’s Spirit.

Living out your true identity in Christ is called walking in the Spirit (see Galatians 5:16-18). How do we walk in the Spirit? Let’s explore some of the guidelines in Scripture.

THREE PERSONS AND THE SPIRIT

In 1 Corinthians 2:14–3:3, Paul talks about three kinds of people: the spiritual person, the fleshly person and the natural person. The simple diagrams in this chapter will help you understand these three types of people and their differences.

The Natural Person

Ephesians 2:1-3 gives us a good description of the natural person Paul talks about in 1 Corinthians 2:14 (see Figure 5A). This person is spiritually dead, separated from God, living independently from God. The natural person can’t help but sin.

The natural person has a soul, meaning he can think, feel and choose. But as the arrows on the diagram show, his mind, emotions and will are directed by his flesh, which acts completely apart from the God who created him. The natural person may think he is free to choose his behavior. But since he lives in the flesh, he can’t help but walk according to the flesh. His choices reflect the sinful activities listed in Galatians 5:19-21.

The natural person also has a body, of course. But he has no spiritual resources for coping with the stresses of life or making positive choices. So he may fall victim to one or more of the physical problems listed on the diagram. Having the peace of mind and the calm assurance of God’s presence in our lives positively affects our physical health (see Romans 8:11).

The natural person’s actions, reactions, habits and memories are all controlled by the flesh, which encourages him to sinful behavior. Because the sinful flesh is unchecked in his life, the natural person will struggle with feelings like “I’m a loser” (inferiority), “Nobody loves me” (insecurity), “I can’t do anything right” (inadequacy), as well as guilt, worry and doubt.

The Spiritual Person

The spiritual person has a body, soul and spirit. Yet, as shown in Figure 5B, this person has been remarkably transformed from the natural person he was before spiritual birth. When he accepted Christ, his spirit was united with God’s Spirit. He now enjoys forgiveness of sin, acceptance in God’s family and the knowledge that he is worth something.

The soul of the spiritual person shows the change that happened at spiritual birth. He now receives his power from the Spirit, not from the flesh. His mind has been totally changed and made new. His emotions are marked by peace and joy instead of turmoil. And he is free to choose not to walk according to the flesh, but to walk according to the Spirit. As the spiritual person chooses to live in the Spirit, his life bears the fruit of the Spirit (see Galatians 5:22-23).

The body of the spiritual person has also been changed. It is now a place where the Holy Spirit lives. The spiritual person offers his body as a living sacrifice of worship and service to God. The flesh, which was trained to live without God under the old self, is still there in the spiritual person. But he obediently puts to death the flesh and its desires daily. He considers himself dead to the sin that tempts him with bad choices.

“That all looks and sounds great,” you may say. “But I’m a Christian and I still have some problems. Sometimes I think the wrong kinds of thoughts—like about the opposite sex. Sometimes I do things that are from the natural person’s list—like lie to my parents, cheat on a homework assignment, use hateful language toward someone. I’m far from being the spiritual person in the diagram.”

Don’t be discouraged. The description of the spiritual person is a picture of us at our best. It’s what we would all look like if we were completely mature in Christ and always made the right choices (see 2 Peter 1:3). But most of us live somewhere on the slope between this mountaintop of being grown up spiritually and the childlike fleshly behavior described in Figure 5C. As you walk by the Spirit, understand that you are growing up and becoming more like the ideal model of the spiritual person every day.

The Fleshly Person

Notice that the spirit of the fleshly person is the same as that of the spiritual person. The fleshly person is a Christian, spiritually alive in Christ and declared righteous by God. But that’s where the similarity ends. Instead of being directed and controlled by the Spirit, this believer chooses to follow the temptations of his flesh. As a result, his mind is full of sinful thoughts and he has a lot of negative emotions. And although he is free to walk in the Spirit and produce fruit, he chooses to get involved in sinful activity by doing what his flesh suggests.

His physical body is a temple of God in bad shape. He often has the same troubling physical problems that the natural person has because he is not living the way God created him to live. He is not presenting his body to God as a worshipful sacrifice. Instead he does whatever his physical desires demand. Since he gives in to the flesh instead of putting it to death, the fleshly person also battles feelings of inferiority, insecurity, inadequacy, guilt, worry and doubt.

Why are so many believers living so far below their potential in Christ? Why are so few of us enjoying the abundant, productive life we have inherited?

Part of the answer is related to how we grow and mature as Christians. In order to enjoy the benefits of the spiritual person, each one of us must remember who we are in Christ and actively apply that truth to our daily walk. We can’t drift lazily along as Christians and expect to live victoriously over the flesh and sin.

Another part of the answer is that we don’t realize how much the kingdom of darkness affects how we grow and mature. We have a living, personal enemy—Satan—who constantly tries to block our growth and maturity as God’s children. We must know how to stand against him.

We sometimes live as though Satan and his dark and shadowy realm don’t exist. And our ignorance in this area is crippling our freedom in Christ. We will talk more about Satan’s plan of attack and how he tries to set up strongholds in our minds in chapter 9.

GUIDELINES FOR THE SPIRIT-FILLED WALK

If you are hoping for a magic formula or a list of foolproof steps for walking in the Spirit, you will be disappointed. Walking according to the Spirit is more like a relationship with a good friend than a list of dos and don’ts.

When two people first meet, the conversation is usually pretty shallow. But after you have been friends for several months or years, you know the person well and talk together easily. Walking in the Spirit is the process of getting to know God more and more and learning to trust Him as He helps you grow into the spiritual person you want to be.

Even though Scripture doesn’t give us a formula, it does help us see what the Spirit-filled walk is and what it is not. Galatians 5:16-18 is a good place to start:

Walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh. For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the Law.

What the Spirit-filled Walk Is Not

You may see that last phrase, “You are not under the Law,” and exclaim, “Wow, I’m free! Walking in the Spirit means I can do anything I want!”

Not at all. That’s called license, a total disregard for God’s loving guidelines. Being led by the Spirit means you are free to do the right thing and to live a responsible life—something you couldn’t do when you were the prisoner of your flesh.

Once I (Neil) was invited to speak to a religion class at a Catholic high school on the topic of Protestant Christianity. At the end of my talk, an athletic-looking, street-wise student raised his hand and asked, “Do you have a lot of don’ts in your church?”

Sensing that he had a deeper motive, I answered, “What you really want to ask me is if we have any freedom, right?” He nodded.

“Sure, I’m free to do whatever I want to do,” I answered.

His face mirrored his disbelief.

“Get serious,” he said.

“Sure,” I said. “I’m free to rob a bank. But I’m wise enough to realize that I would be in bondage to that act for the rest of my life. I’d have to cover up my crime, go into hiding or eventually pay for what I did. I’m also free to do drugs, get drunk and live a sexually immoral lifestyle. All of those ‘freedoms’ lead to bondage. I’m free to make those choices, but considering the consequences, would I really be free?”

What appears to be freedom to some people isn’t really freedom but a return to bondage (see Galatians 5:1). God’s laws are designed to protect you, not tie you down and strangle you. Your real freedom is your ability to choose to live obediently within the protective guidelines God has made for our lives.

Walking by the Spirit is also not obeying a bunch of rules. Trying to make ourselves spiritual by following Christian dos and don’ts will only result in defeat (see 2 Corinthians 3:6). When your mom or dad tells you not to do something, what do you immediately want to do? Cross that line!

Laying down the law—telling someone that it is wrong to do this or that—does not give them the power to stop doing it. Paul said that the law actually increases the desire to do what it says is wrong (see Romans 7:5)!

And neither can you produce a Spirit-filled heart by demanding that people do good things. Christian practices such as Bible study, prayer, regular church attendance and witnessing are not equal to spiritual maturity. All these activities are good and essential for spiritual growth. But merely doing these activities does not guarantee a Spirit-filled walk.

Does this mean that rules for behavior in the Bible are bad? Of course not. God’s law is a necessary, protective standard and guideline. Within God’s law we are free to develop a spirit-to-Spirit relationship with God (see 2 Corinthians 3:5-6).

What the Spirit-filled Walk Is

The Spirit-filled walk is neither license—doing anything we want—nor legalism—strict rules and regulations—but liberty, the freedom to be who we already are in Christ: loved, accepted children of God (see 2 Corinthians 3:6,17).

Our freedom in Christ is one of the most precious gifts we have received from God. You no longer have to walk according to the flesh as you did before you received Christ. You are not even forced to walk according to the Spirit. You can choose to walk according to the Spirit or to walk according to the flesh.

Walking according to the Spirit implies two things. First, we’re talking about walking in the Spirit, not sitting in the Spirit. Putting our mind in neutral and coasting as Christians is dangerous and harmful to our spiritual growth. We must stay alert and active as believers. Second, we’re talking about walking in the Spirit, not running in the Spirit. The Spirit-filled life is not achieved through endless, exhausting activity. We mistakenly think that the harder we work for God, the more spiritual we will become. That’s a lie from the enemy. Satan knows that he may not be able to stop you from serving God by making you immoral. But he can probably slow you down by simply making you too busy.

Matthew 11:28-30 contains a neat description of the purpose and pace of the Spirit-filled walk. Jesus said, “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you, and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart; and you shall find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy, and My load is light.”

Jesus invites you to a restful walk with Him, just as two oxen walk together under the same yoke. “How can a yoke be restful?” you ask. Because Jesus’ yoke is an easy yoke. As the lead ox, Jesus walks at a steady pace. If you pace yourself with Him, your burden will be easy.

The picture of walking in the Spirit together with Jesus also helps us understand our service to God. How much will you get done without Jesus pulling on His side of the yoke? Nothing. And how much will be accomplished without you on your side? Nothing. God has chosen to work in partnership with you to do His work in the world today.

Walking by Being Led

Walking according to the Spirit is also a matter of being led by the Spirit (see Romans 8:14). That’s why the Lord pictures our relationship with Him in Scripture as a shepherd and his sheep.

Those of us who live in the Western world don’t have a correct picture of what it means to be led like sheep. Western shepherds drive their sheep from behind the flock, often using dogs to bark at their heels. Eastern shepherds, like those in Bible times, lead their sheep from in front. When a shepherd is ready to leave the pasture, he gets up, says a few words to the sheep and walks away—and the sheep follow him! It’s just like the words of Jesus in John 10:27: “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.”

The Spirit-filled walk is one of being led, not driven. If you ever feel an inner push inside to do something you’re not sure is right, it’s probably not God leading you; it may be the devil driving you in the wrong direction. God won’t make you walk in the Spirit, and the devil can’t make you walk in the flesh, although he will certainly try to draw you in that direction. It is your choice to follow either the leading of the Spirit or the desires of the flesh.

The Proof Is in the Fruit

How can you know if you’re being led by the Spirit or the flesh? Very simple: Look at your behavior. If you respond to a situation by exercising love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control, you are following the Spirit’s lead (see Galatians 5:22-23). If you respond by doing something immoral, evil, hateful or viciously angry, you are walking according to the flesh (see Galatians 5:19-21). You are out of step with the lead ox, Jesus. You are either running ahead or dragging behind, straying off to the left or to the right. It shows that you need to draw closer to Jesus and learn from Him.

What do you do when you discover you are following the flesh instead of the Spirit? You admit it and correct it. Walking according to the Spirit is a moment-by-moment, day-by-day experience. When you step off the path of the Spirit, confess your sin to God and anyone you may have offended, receive forgiveness and return to walking the right path.

One Sunday morning when I (Neil) was a pastor, I told my family that we needed to leave for church at a certain time. When that time came, I was sitting in the car alone and starting to steam. Instead of taking the Spirit’s path of love and patience, I was slowly turning off toward anger and resentment.

About two minutes later my wife and son came out. About five minutes later Heidi, my teenaged daughter, sauntered out. Instead of bringing her Bible, she had the latest issue of Teen magazine tucked under her arm.

“Get back in the house and get your Bible,” I yelled harshly. I can’t say that was the best Sunday morning I ever had. I had offended my family by my fleshly response and I needed to make it right.

We came home after church and sat down together for dinner. “Before we pray,” I said, “I need to ask your forgiveness. I blew up before church. I was wrong.” They forgave me and the relationship was restored.

“If I have to confess every time I offend someone,” you may say, “I’ll be confessing all the time.” Yes, we are saints who sin by making wrong choices. And it may be humbling to confess all our failures. So here are a couple of things to consider when we are faced with making wrong things right.

First, we only need to confess to the people we have wronged. If you lash out at your little brother with angry words, you need only confess to God and your brother. You don’t need to confess to your whole youth group or your pastor or your Bible study group.

If you hold on to a secret, lustful thought or proud attitude without hurting anyone else, you need only confess it to God. The only relationship affected is the one between you and Him.

Confession literally means to agree with God. When you realize that you have sinned, quickly confess it. Then mentally ask the Lord to fill you with His Spirit and get back in step with Christ.

Second, the process of getting right with others through confession and forgiveness is a step of spiritual growth. Your role as a friend, big brother or sister, or fellow-Christian is to model growth, not perfection. You are not perfect—and everyone around you knows it! If you’re trying to keep up a front of Christian perfection in order to encourage others, forget it; it will never happen. But when you openly admit and ask forgiveness for your fleshly choices, you model the kind of spiritual growth that will touch many people.

Walking according to the Spirit is a freedom issue. You are free to choose to follow the flesh or the Spirit. But beware: Satan is not happy about you being free. He will try every deceptive trick he can devise to keep you from realizing and enjoying the liberty you have been given in Christ.

It’s like a baby elephant captured for the circus and chained to a small tree. The little creature is too small to break the chain or uproot the tree. But when it grows, tripling in size and strength, it’s strong enough to break away from the chain and the tree. But it doesn’t because it’s been programmed to captivity. It remembers trying and failing to escape as a calf. Now it no longer tries, even though it is strong enough to break free.

In Christ we are free from the power of sin. But if Satan can convince us that we’re not free, just like the big elephant, we will remain in captivity when we could be walking free. The more you walk in step with Jesus and learn of Him, the better prepared you will be to recognize Satan’s deception and disarm his strategy.

TRUTH ENCOUNTERS

1.   How does “doing your own thing” lead to bondage, and how does living a responsible life ensure our freedom?

2.   In what ways have you experienced God’s protection through His laws?

3.   Why are so many believers living below their potential in Christ?

4.   In what ways are you tempted to sit back or run ahead of God?