Walking in the Spirit

With all that's been going on in recent circles, I'd like to address something of the utmost importance for every Christian: walking in the Spirit. If there's any key factor in our walks with the Lord, it's this. Too often we all get caught up in the small details - obedience, is this a sin/is that a sin, rules, condemnation, all the natural things our fallen state gravitates to. If we learn to walk in the Spirit, everything else goes away. I'll be taking a look at Romans chapter 8, and some other verses as they come to me. Hopefully this comes out pretty organized, it's a lot to tackle and I'm sort of doing it on the fly!

So what Spirit are we talking about here? The Holy Spirit of course. Now before I get into how to walk in the Spirit, do you know that you're born again? Jesus gives us valuable insight in John chapter 3:

[3] Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.
[4] Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born?
[5] Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.
[6] That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.
[7] Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.
[8] The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.

What is the role of the Holy Spirit? Quickly, John 14:

[15] If ye love me, keep my commandments.
[16] And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;
[17] Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.
[18] I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.
[19] Yet a little while, and the world seeth me no more; but ye see me: because I live, ye shall live also.
[20] At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you.
[21] He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.

The Holy Spirit is the Comforter, the Teacher. He reveals Jesus Christ to us on a personal level. Assures us of our faith. He opens our eyes to the Truth so that we may see it plainly. He manifests the love of God in our hearts.

If you're not sure that you're truly born again, stop reading this and pray. :) Do you have conviction of sin? A desire to learn about the Lord and read the Bible? Do you display the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-24)? We all stumble and fall from time to time, but when you fall do you get back up? Does your walk get stronger as time goes on? If you show signs of these things, you're most likely born again of the Spirit. With that being established, let's move on!

With being born again comes a desire to obey the Lord and please Him, to mortify the deeds of the flesh and live for Him. That's an excellent way to be, but it can play tricks on us. Human nature causes us to try and earn love. To get rewarded for doing good, and to get down on ourselves for not measuring up. We have to remember a very important verse from Isaiah 64:

[6] But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.

There is nothing we can do to please the Lord. Nothing at all! If you're getting worried, you shouldn't be. This is where Jesus Christ comes in. Romans 8:1-17:

[1] There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
[2] For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.
[3] For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh:
[4] That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
[5] 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.
[6] For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.
[7] Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.
[8] So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.
[9] But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.
[10] And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.
[11] But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.
[12] Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh.
[13] For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.
[14] For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.
[15] For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.
[16] The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:
[17] And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.

Some of the most important verses we can read here. First verse:

[1] There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

There is no reason to feel condemned! No feelings of guilt for not living up to expectations. If we have faith in Jesus and are born of the Spirit, we are free of these feelings.

[2] For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.
[3] For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh:
[4] That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

Some heavy stuff here! What's it saying? Life in the Spirit through Jesus frees us from the law of sin and death. Jesus defeated sin and death at the cross. God no longer sees our iniquities and shortcomings, He sees the righteousness of Christ in us.

[9] But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.
[10] And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.
[11] But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.

If we are truly born again, the Spirit of God lives inside us. We are a temple to the Holy Spirit.

1 Cor. 6:19-20
[19] What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?
[20] For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's.

Back to Romans 8:
[15] For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.
[16] The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:
[17] And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.

Any time we feel fear we can know it is not of the Lord. We don't worship Him in fear, we worship Him in love. We are adopted sons and daughters, and He loves us! We are joint-heirs with Christ, through His righteousness. Very important to keep reminding ourselves of this!

So how do we walk in the Spirit? It's really quite simple. Once we are truly born again, we're already doing it. If we have the Spirit of God in us, the righteousness of Christ acts as a cloak for our sins, and the Father sees them no more. We are freed from bondage, have no reason to fear, and are loved as the Lord loves His Son. Now, we are definitely not to take advantage of this and sin at will, and I may get more into that in a future blog or two, we'll see. For now, I hope this has been encouraging and I hope you can take something good away from it. Thanks for reading!

The very big misconception regarding Daniel 9

Hey everyone, I'm back. I know, my loyal fanbase around the world has missed me, and I apologize! Let's just say I had writer's block for a bit, but I hope the Lord uses me and helps the ideas flow through my head again!

So I figured I'd kick things off with something that I had discovered a little while ago, something that the majority of Christians don't agree with me on. (Shocking, I know.) Daniel chapter 9 and the 70 weeks. Now, I definitely don't have all of this resolved, and I could be off on a few things, but I believe the 70 weeks mean a very different thing to a lot of people. Hopefully I can dissect the verses here and give you some insight about my take on this. I believe Daniel 9:24-27 is a Messianic prophecy alone, and that I think the 70 weeks may be completely fulfilled.

Christian legend has it that there will be "The Antichrist" that will establish a peace treaty with 3 1/2 weeks (years) of peace, then he'll turn and have 3 1/2 years of terror. I'm very hesitant to use the term "The Antichrist," since the Bible never uses it to describe one man. The man is referred to as the man of sin, son of perdition, little horn, abomination of desolations. There are many antichrists in the world, there isn't just going to be one, with a nice fancy title like that. We'd be deceived if we were waiting for something like that to happen. So this treaty idea is mainly based on Daniel 9:24-27. I'm not sure how and where it originated, but I don't believe it's correct. Let me give you the verses:

[24] Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy.
[25] Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times.
[26] And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined.
[27] And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.

I'll dive in and see what the scoop is with all this. Before I do, I just want to say that I don't have the timing down the way some others do. I haven't really personally studied the idea of weeks being years, and all that. My goal here is to just give you what I feel the passage is about.

Look at what the seventy weeks establish in verse 24: to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy. Does any of this sound familiar? The Lord Jesus Christ has accomplished all of this in his birth, death, and ressurection.



Now let's compare the highlighted area with verses about what Jesus has accomplished:


Isaiah 53:10 Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand.

Isaiah 53:5-6 But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.

Hebrews 8:12 For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more.

Romans 4:5 But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.

Romans 5:21 That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord.

2 Cor. 1:21 Now he which stablisheth us with you in Christ, and hath anointed us, is God;

So hopefully you can see a similar thread running through Daniel 9:24 and the other verses I've provided. Jesus Christ has reconciled us from our iniquities, brought in everlasting righteousness, and put an end to transgressions. Daniel 9:24 is talking about Christ. It's a Messianic prophecy. Let's continue!

To be completely honest I'm not too sure about verse 25 and 26. It gives a seven week and threescore and two week timeframe for the building of Jerusalem to the Messiah. I do think the building of Jerusalem is a figurative phrase, relating to the building of the Body of Christ though.

Verse 27 is the verse that I feel gets misinterpreted in mainstream Christianity.

And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.

Somehow this verse is taken out of the previously established Messianic context of the passage and it is ascribed to "The Antichrist." If this is what you've been taught as a Christian I encourage you to take a closer look with me.

The Bible wouldn't go from describing something Jesus has accomplished to talking about a treaty from an antichrist in the same breath. If we look at verse 27 with Jesus in mind we see a completely different picture.

"And he shall confirm the covenant" - What does this mean? Doesn't God work through covenants? The Old Testament and New Testament mean Old Covenant and New Covenant. Jesus Christ is the promise of the new covenant, and verse 27 is addressing it.

Is. 55:3 Incline your ear, and come unto me: hear, and your soul shall live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David.

For more insight into this let us read further into verse 27. What does this covenant achieve? In the midst of the week (3.5 years into the 7, the length of Jesus' ministry) the sacrifice and oblation (religious gifts) will cease! The blood of Christ becomes the only atoning sacrifice, and all others become an abomination to the Lord.

I want to finish this little study with a question. Why would the 70 weeks be unfinished to this day if Jesus Christ has already finished the transgression, made an end to sins, reconciled our iniquities, brought in His everlasting righteousness for us, and annoited us with his Holy Spirit?

I know this hasn't been my most thorough and definitive study I've done, and for that I apologize. I've just had this burden for a little while and wanted to shed some light on some things that I had discovered from it. Like I said, I don't have a full understanding of the weeks/years, the timeframe, and things like that. However I hope you take away from this the idea that Daniel 9:24-27 is solely about Jesus Christ, and does not have anything to do with an antichrist making a treaty that he will break halfway through his rule.

I feel Christians have to be prepared for some tough times ahead, and that there is a chance that we may see the man of sin in our lifetime. It's important for us to know what's going on, and what to expect. If we're looking for a peace treaty with Israel or something of that nature, we may not even notice him until it's too late! Who knows. There is much out there in the Christian world that is accepted dogma that just isn't true. We have to all dig into our Bibles ourselves and know that we all have the Teacher inside us in the Holy Spirit!

Now to balance out what may seem to be a little bit of gloom and doom, it's also important to remember that the Lord has conquered sin and death, loves us beyond belief, and laughs at those that plot against him. He's on our side, and we really don't have anything to worry about.

Thanks for reading!