“I am the door, and the person who enters through Me will be saved and will be able to come in and go out and find pasture.” (John 10:9)
Really, what else do you need to know? I have been studying the subject of the Spirit vs. the Flesh (the Spirit being choosing to walk with Christ, and the Flesh being our “sin nature,” as it was described in some of my reading.)
The struggle of the spirit and the flesh is constant and what I have been able to determine is, like many things in our lives, it all centers on the choices we make. A left turn or a right turn? And the choice we make is for our soul. Choosing the spirit strengthens the soul, choosing the flesh weakens it. And I think that choice is the meaning behind everything about the spirit vs. flesh battle. Choosing the spirit strengthens the soul, choosing the flesh weakens it.
Now, how is the soul strengthened? By studying the Word. Get into your Bible. Find a Bible that speaks to you, one you will use, and read, and make notes in. Write in the margins, highlight passages and scripture, put little sticky notes throughout your Bible marking pages you like and scripture that speaks to you.
A side note here: One of the Founding Fathers, John Adams, was an avid reader. He devoured books. Reading books was the most common way for people to get an education in Adams’ time and he was certainly no exception. He “used” his books—he made notes, writing extensive arguments and thoughts in the margins. My point is this: to get the most out of our study of faith and Christ, we have to get into the Bible, use it and study it. So when you’re reading your Bible and something jumps out (trust me, it will), get a highlighter and
mark it.
Gregory Dickow says we have to keep “pouring the word in,” like water. I think he is absolutely right. The spirit vs. flesh battle is exactly that, a battle, a fierce one, and the more we pour the water of the word in, the more we will be able to drown what the flesh is trying to do to us. And I mean that. The flesh is trying to do things to us. It is trying to keep us from reading the Word, getting its message, and practicing its teachings.
Further, we have to know our Faith and what it is. What is it to you? How much faith do you want to have? For me, it is an unconditional commitment, an absolute, unwavering belief in Christ, as the Son of God, who died on the cross for our sins (erasing them forever), and He rose again. Now, just think about this. He died for us. I love the scripture, and it is my favorite, Romans 5:6 – “When we were unable to help ourselves, at the moment of our need, Christ died for us.” Every day, I read that scripture several times to simply get the magnitude of its meaning. Christ died for us, taking all of our sin, to erase sin from robbing our soul of a life with Him. We owe Him. As Christians, whether you are new in the faith or have been a Christian for 70 years, we owe Him.
Once we reach the crossroad of faith, we step into Grace. Grace comes through faith in Jesus Christ. And what I truly feel is the key, Prayer. We must open that line of communication with God and Christ every day. It is a direct talk with Christ and God, and believe me, they hear us, and they are listening. They want to know how we’re doing. When things are good, you get a promotion, you’ve had a good day, your child does well in school, tell them, they want to know. And when you are troubled, they want to know. Everything from the car won’t start to how to deal with an illness in the family. If there is anything I have learned since I began my Journey of Faith in 2004, it is the fact that Christ wants you to talk to Him. God wants you to talk to Him. They want to know. Tell them. Everything.
So walking in the Spirit is all of these things for me. And just like athletes, we have to “go to the gym” every day. We have to read our Bibles, build our faith, feel the Grace of God, and pray to Christ and God every day.
Which brings me back to the scripture at the top of this post where it says, “…. go out and find pasture.” For me the pasture represents freedom, peace, the knowing that God is with me.
Today, take some time. Find the pasture.
