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Discussion Forum : Devotional Thoughts : Living the Daily Death

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PaulWest
Member



Joined: 2006/6/28
Posts: 3405
Dallas, Texas

 Living the Daily Death

The daily death is accomplished through a spiritual dynamic activated by faith. We are able to put to death the deeds of our body through the Holy Spirit on account of our actual deaths having occurred in Christ. This is precisely what separates the regenerate from the unregenerate. The unregenerate can only fall back on willpower to suppress the outward workings of the flesh. Inside him, however, the body of sin is untouched on account of his old man still being alive in Adam. He can have no power over the body of sin until the axe is at last laid to the root of his Adamic engrafting (Luke 3:9; Romans 6:6-14; 11:24). The old man is crucified with Christ so that the believer can be made free from the body and power of sin.

But if this is true, it may be asked, why then do believers find themselves reuniting with the former lusts of their old, unregenerate states: i.e. internet pornography and losing their temper? According to plain scripture, the lusts of our flesh are manifest when we cease to walk in the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:16).

When Christ died on Calvary, our rebellious flesh was not crucified with Him, nor was Satan’s influence over the world’s system banished. This was not God’s purpose in sending His Son. Christ’s death did not automatically delete the contents of the mind; the recollection of all the illegal pleasures and passions we indulged in while yet in our pre-conversion still remained. The bad files were not deleted, but instead given the possibility to be overpowered and buried beneath new files. The old files were left in the memory bank to be a reminder and a warning to the child of God: if left unrenewed and ungirded by the Holy Spirit, the mind will seek to be reunited with the former lusts which once ruled the heart.

The Lord could have spiritually lobotomized us at rebirth, and reprogrammed our flesh to automatically be allied with the Holy Spirit, but then He would have reduced us to robots. Instead, He tests our love for Him by gauging our willingness to suffer voluntarily in the flesh through the example set by Christ. God expects us to collaborate with His Spirit in the putting to death of sinful impulses. This is walking in the Spirit (Matthew 16:24; Romans 8:13; I Peter 2:21; 4:1; I John 2:6).

The believer must decide that he will voluntarily humble himself before God in order to receive the daily grace to put to death the lusts of the flesh (Matthew 5:29; Romans 13:14; Colossians 3:5). God will not make that decision for him. The believer can choose to let his mind wander down paths of vanity, or he can choose to mortify the vain impressions through the law of the Spirit of Life in Christ and thus taste of New Covenant liberation. The gaze by which he looks unto Christ is always deliberate (John 8:32, 36; II Corinthians 3:17).

When the believer purposes in his heart to live for God, two powers – two laws – begin squaring off within the battlefield of his vessel (Romans 7:19-23; 8:2). As the believer walks in the Spirit’s light, a power is granted which enables him to overcome the whole world, along with every allurement of his selfish flesh and all the atheistic arguments of his carnal intellect, of the love of money and soul-depression, of high-mindedness and the boastful pride of life, of fear and anxiety, of explosions of anger and impatience, of the lust of the eyes, and any other quality of Satan which seeks to usurp God’s authority. Take away the Holy Spirit’s light – even for a moment – and darkness immediately returns to fill the void (Luke 11:34; John 15:4-6).

Yielding to this darkness eclipses the light of God in his vessel and puts the believer under the oppression of a stronghold. It is not a matter of merely suppressing the outward workings of sin which constitutes victory in the life of a Christian. The Lord is able to change our inner wirings to where we are loathe to consider even the faintest impulse of ungodliness in the sanctuary of the new heart.

This divine impartation is where unconverted religious people and the psychological systems of men are at a fatal disadvantage to the real Christian. Without the grace of the New Covenant, the best efforts of men are doomed to the twin shams of either religious legalism or secular humanism.

The repellant power of the Holy Spirit against sin is akin to a beam of light. Within its influence, the power of flesh is banished, the temporal things of earth grow vain and absurd, and Satan runs for his life from the man or woman whose opposition to him comes from walking within that eternal beam (I John 4:4; 5:4-5).

Brother Paul


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Paul Frederick West

 2012/6/2 13:15Profile
brothagary
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Joined: 2011/10/23
Posts: 2556


 Re: Living the Daily Death

paul im not sure if you posted this in response to reading those links i gave you regarding , what i feel was word from god ,and an exortation linked to it

brother i fully agree with what you post here

as you said scince calvary ,now it is posable to cover sinfull habits so to speak ,by them being coverd by new files which are sprinkeld by the blood ,,,, what i feel is the main foundation file is that we are to reckon our selfs dead to sin ,,if one died than all have died ,,we have been married to another through the death of the son ,,we have died to the law of sin and death ,,,,,

being reunited daily with this truth and medtation on this and the death its self of the son,,we die daily ,and our concences are cleansed from old sins ,and we exprence more of the fulness of the power of the blood to set us free ,,,,,,brother i relise this can only be done through the spirit ,,as you said this gaze must be deliberat

just feel one of the tools of the holy spirit is this gaze or stare at the suffering of the son and the blood combined with undertsanding of what it acomlished ,,


brother i agree with you fully

but would yoube so kind to tell me did you post this in responce to reading those links i gave you ,,if so i think you may be slightly mis understanding me probable due to my weak expression of what i feel the lord was saying to me or us ,,,,,the whole core of the season of sepration ,is to live the death daily ,,,,,,,do this in rememerence of me ,,,,and the other link the greatest question ,,is a focas on dieing to the world and its atractions for a season ,to recieve a greater blessing or porshen of spirit ,wher by we are able to contine to die to the world in a greater measure due to becomeing more christ like


blessings

let us go to him out side the camp bareing his reproch

 2012/6/2 22:58Profile
PaulWest
Member



Joined: 2006/6/28
Posts: 3405
Dallas, Texas

 Re:

No dear brother. I haven't read your links yet, but I will. This was just something I posted from my book. No connection.

God bless,

Paul


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Paul Frederick West

 2012/6/3 8:18Profile
brothagary
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Joined: 2011/10/23
Posts: 2556


 Re:

sorry brother ,,,i saw such a contex conection with this post , i yea thought ,yea well ,sorry brother

its just every body seems to be ignoring it

i thought you might not want to talk to me directly about it and this was your way of telling me you didnt agree with it

i was hopeing greg might judge it as well

i had one mature brother judged it
but 2 or 3 , shall every word be esblished

blessings

 2012/6/4 6:14Profile
Blayne
Member



Joined: 2012/5/27
Posts: 274


 Re: Living the Daily Death

Hi! PaulWest
The content of this Post was excellent! Very enlightening.
Thanks! It's these kinna' Posts that makes my visiting here all the more worthwhile.


==================
Living the Daily Death
by PaulWest on 2012/6/2 10:15:05
==================

 2012/6/4 7:07Profile
Heydave
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Joined: 2008/4/12
Posts: 1306
Hampshire, UK

 Re:

Hi Paul,

Thanks for these thoughts. Important truth that we need to co-operate with, be filled and led by the Holy Spirit or we will not overcome the flesh.

Can you give any practical examples of where you have applied these priciples, as I think that would be helpful and encouraging.

Thanks,


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Dave

 2012/6/4 18:22Profile
proudpapa
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Joined: 2012/5/13
Posts: 2936


 Re: Living the Daily Death

Amen, great post

 2012/6/4 21:19Profile
PaulWest
Member



Joined: 2006/6/28
Posts: 3405
Dallas, Texas

 Re:

Quote:
Can you give any practical examples of where you have applied these priciples, as I think that would be helpful and encouraging.


Brother, it all starts in the mind. This is the area Satan attacks all throughout the day. As I explain in my book "Understanding Mortification" (from where this excerpt is taken), it is imperative that we as Christians learn to take control of our thought-patterns (II Cor. 10:3-5). Rebellion against the Word of God always initiates in the mind, through rogue suggestions. For many men, these rogue suggestions present themselves pornographically when triggered by an attractive female. But that is not all. The powers of darkness will also seek to infiltrate your mind via financial worry, grudges, wounded pride, impatience, etc. Any way they can enter, they will seek to take advantage. Once in, they stir the flesh to rise in advocacy of the impulse.

The key is in mortifying the advancement before it can establish a stronghold in the heart. For this offensive we need to collaborate with the Holy Spirit. Our collaborative effort, through the faithful humbling of ourselves, brings the grace to overcome. The key is not in fighting the impulse through willpower, but in ceasing to fight.

This is why so many Christians continue to fail. They fight the onslaught when they should simply stand in Christ's already-won conquest. Instead of fighting, when a pornographic dart sails your way, you should cry out to the Father like a child. Through the holy blood of Christ you can boldly importune God for the grace to quench the dart's fire and shield your mind. If you do this, He will grant it to you immediately - and you will enter into your New Covenant birthright of victory and power by virtue of Jesus Christ's eternal dominion over the power of sin and hell.

It is a glorious victory! And it is for you and me! Through the death of self, Christ manifests His conquering life through us. God has already put us in Him; it is now our business to collaborate with God and reckon ourselves dead to sin but alive unto Him through His Risen Son.

Hallelujah a thousand times!

Brother Paul


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Paul Frederick West

 2012/6/4 21:25Profile
yuehan
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Joined: 2011/6/15
Posts: 562


 Re: Living the Daily Death

What do you mean by 'ceasing to fight'?

Are there any biblical verses which is helpful in illuminating this point?

 2012/6/4 21:48Profile
PaulWest
Member



Joined: 2006/6/28
Posts: 3405
Dallas, Texas

 Re:

Quote:
What do you mean by 'ceasing to fight'?


By this I simply mean 'ceasing to fight' though the natural man's efforts of willpower and determination. You're not strong enough to win the war. Grace is needed to overcome, divine strength through Christ. The fight is His, not yours. Through the strength He gives us, we can do all things (Phil. 4:13), but it is important to recognize where the strength is going. The strength goes to the "inner man" (Eph. 3:16), through His Spirit. The war is spiritual, and a spiritual war must be fought with spiritual weaponry.

Christians lose this war because they keep trying to fight spiritual forces with weapons of flesh and reason. These two are incongruous to each other; they do not mix. When you try to fight spirit with flesh you get legalism. Thus, the first step to victory - true victory - is to "stop" trying to fight the power of sin through natural means. God's way is the answer: let Christ's strength fight it for you.

What struggle is there with light overcoming darkness? A beam of light instantly banishes darkness by virtue of a law. A falcon can glide over a canyon due to the law of aerodynamics overcoming the opposing law of gravity. There is no fight on the falcon's behalf. It's the same with overcoming sin - there is no fight when a man or woman is walking in the Spirit. The fight is in entering the Spirit. The flesh resists, the world opposes, Satan harasses. The eagle pumps its wings higher and higher, fighting gravity, to reach a height to where a rising thermal can finally sustain it. Once in the thermal - in the Spirit - overcoming is effortless. This law of 'aerodynamics' for the Christian is found in Romans 8:2: The law of the Spirit of Life in Christ. In other words, the law of the "Life of Christ".

Quote:
Are there any biblical verses which is helpful in illuminating this point?


All the verses that speak of Christ's life becoming our own. Off the top of my head: John 15:7; Galatians 2:20; 5:16; Philippians 1:21; Colossians 3:3.

Hope this helps.

Brother Paul


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Paul Frederick West

 2012/6/4 23:07Profile





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