By Pastor Chinedu Emmanuel

“It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life. ” John 6:63.

We cannot overemphasize the need to continue to grow spiritually because it will lead to living the life that is fully led by the Holy Spirit. This way, whatever you do will be inspired by the Spirit rather than the flesh. It will be beneficial to yield to the Holy Spirit rather than engaging our flesh. When we yield to the dictates of the flesh, we miss the opportunity to bring divine impact to our families, jobs and finances. Yielding to the flesh also deprives us from been very good witnesses for the Lord. It will leave us in the lower orbit of the carnal, which has limitations and does not fulfill God’s purpose. Instead of living in the higher orbit of the spiritual, where there are no limitations for all who believe and live in this realm where all things are possible. The spiritual life has eternal benefit while the carnal is but only temporal.

We are encouraged in the scriptures also to grow into mature believers. Immature believers are always looking for miracles ONLY. Miracles don’t always authenticate the truth. Demons also perform miracles to deceive people. The magicians of Egypt did their own miracles before Moses too. The primary authentication of the truth is the written word of God. If it is not scriptural, it is not from God even if they raise the dead. Follow the Scriptures, not the miracle trail. “His word is a lamp unto our feet and light unto our path” Psalms 119:105. If you follow the word of God, you will always walk in miracles. God will always perform those words for you anytime and anywhere.

Spiritual life is not just about obedience. The laws of Moses focus on obedience of all the laws not some but, the word of grace focuses on building your faith based on the knowledge of Christ so you can effortlessly live the life of Christ by His Spirit which is in you through faith in His word. Remember without faith it is impossible to please God and faith comes only by hearing the word of God. Jesus is that word, the living word! The written word reveals the living word. That way we live in the power of Christ – to be an expression of Christ and everything He represents; to experience everything He died for; to live by faith; a higher and more powerful order of life; the Spirit life. To enjoy good health, prosperity, freedom from bondages and curses, and all things that pertain to life and godliness.

The Apostle Paul testified that there was a time he only knew Jesus from his mental perspective and had no revelation in his spirit of who Christ is from the Holy Spirit. This is what he said

 “So we have stopped evaluating others from a human point of view. At one time we thought of Christ merely from a human point of view. How differently we know him now!” 2 Cor 5:16 NLT

The transition in his life came when the Spirit of God revealed Jesus to Him. He had a hunger for this revelation. Here is again what he testified

 “But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother’s womb, and called me by his grace,16 To reveal his Son in me, that I might preach him among the heathen; immediately I conferred not with flesh and blood” Gal 1:15 KJV

Take note of the choice of words here…To reveal His son in me

It was a revelation to his spirit not to his intellect or mental realm. That realm of the mental does not understand the things of God. Unfortunately, that is where many Christians operate from. They have no idea whether there is any spiritual reality inside them or not. But we are sprit beings born of God and live in our body. The Bible calls it the NEW MAN, THE HIDDEN MAN OF THE HEART.THE BORN AGAIN MAN. THAT WHICH IS BORN OF THE SPIRIT IS SPIRIT. This is the man Paul was referring to when he said that Jesus was revealed in him!!!

In 2 Cor 5: 14 Paul said “14 Either way, Christ’s love controls us. Since we believe that Christ died for all, we also believe that we have all died to our old life. 15 He died for everyone so that those who receive his new life will no longer live for themselves. Instead, they will live for Christ, who died and was raised for them.16 So we have stopped evaluating others from a human point of view. At one time we thought of Christ merely from a human point of view. How differently we know him now! 17 This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!” NLT

 PAUL DISCOVERED HIS TRUE SELF IN CHRIST, THE NEW LIFE AND IT’S SELFLESS NATURE. THIS NEW LIFE DOESN’T LIVE FOR HIMSELF BUT FOR CHRIST JESUS. THIS NEW LIFE IS CONTROLLED BY THE LOVE OF GOD AND NOT BY THE FLESH. PAUL REALIZED HE IS A NOT THE PERSON HE WAS SEEING AND LOOKING AT WITH HIS PHYSICAL EYES. HE WAS A DIFFERENT PERSON ALTOGETHER. A NEW PERSON!!!

Paul began to live what he now believes for as a man thinketh, so he is. The new life came alive, but not before he got this understanding from the Holy Spirit. The new life was not from Moses and his laws. But from Christ and His grace. Paul was a new man, a man controlled by God’s love. His faith came alive and the Christ within came to the forefront to be seen by all through Paul. This spirit live was ablaze and could not be hidden. The light of Jesus was ablaze. The new life was on and showing.

Spiritual growth is tied to growth in the knowledge of Christ Jesus .The more we know Him the more we are transformed into His image by the Holy Spirit. The less we know Him, the less we are like Him in our lives and we are more likely to fall back to what we are comfortable with i.e., our carnal knowledge, flesh and religion. Which is based on human effort and human presumptions of how to walk with God. But remember, the flesh will always profit nothing!

Pastor Chinedu Emmanuel is the Senior Pastor of Fountain of The Living Word Church, New Jersey.