Are we living as those born of the Spirit, or are we still reaching for what is comfortable—inferior?
It was prophecied long ago that it wouldn't be our strength, intellectual prowess, wealth, or competency that brings victory but by the Spirit, “Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord of hosts.” Zechariah 4:6. Victory is ours in Christ, and that victory is realized as we walk in the Spirit of the Living God.
From the very beginning–God (Genesis 1:1). He is Spirit (John 4:24), and His offspring are born of the Spirit.
“That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.”
John 3:6
“The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.”
John 3:8.
Identity in the Spirit.
Something that continues to burn in my heart is that we are born of the Spirit, and this new birth has radically changed how we live. The finished work of Jesus changed everything! We are not called to live inferior lives, ones marked by the clay hands of our toiling. We are to live supernatural lives brought about by the Spirit.
We discuss spiritual fruit such as kindness, generosity, joy, and peace as though they are acts, that being something we do rather than who we are because of what Jesus has done.
We desire to see these characteristics in our lives; the question is, have we accepted that these are now innate in us because we are in Christ? Think of it this way: We receive salvation by faith; we receive resurrection life by faith; therefore, we receive all that Jesus is by faith, including being partakers of His divine nature.
Does this mean we walk perfectly? No. We are still undergoing sanctification, and much of that involves living in a constant state of repentance, renewing our minds to what Jesus has done, surrendering to Him, and then walking in the Spirit.
The fruit of our lives is fragrant and flourishing because it proceeds from the Spirit at work in us. “For it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.” Philippians 2:13. Therefore, our lives are a holy rest because we abide in the Vine. It is foundational that our existence is no longer one of trying to become—instead, we live from the monumental truth: We are born of God, indeed the very children of God. God is Spirit; therefore, we are first and foremost of the Spirit.
The Apostle Paul raised an important question, “Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh?”Galatians 3:3. Keeping the verse in context, Paul talked to people who were born again but were being enticed to come under the Law. However, could it be that we experience the same situation?
I don't know if we understand that because of the proximity of our sojourn (being in the world), we can be vexed by the world around us unless we set our minds on things above. We experience frustration and discouragement because we know the Kingdom of God is within us, yet we feel it is hard to walk in Kingdom realities due to our circumstances. Christ, the hope of glory is palpable in each breath, yet with natural eyes, it feels impossible to move in the space of what some might call in-between.
We are given insight into how to move in the space of living as Kingdom ambassadors, that is the marriage of who we are in Christ and our inheritance in the here and now. This passage concerns being justified by faith in Jesus Christ—that we are the righteousness of God in Christ because of Jesus’ atonement. You see, it always comes back to the finished work, and we are told Abraham believed the same Gospel, and it was accounted to him as righteousness.
Why make such a big deal about this?
We tend to choose the inferior even though we live in the supernatural. The natural is so familiar, comfortable, and casual that we slip the old us back on instead of abiding and walking in who we are in Christ. Please read that again.
It is like the Israelites desiring to go back to Egypt, and though it is visible to us when we read about them, it goes unchecked in us because it isn't as visible. It may be because it enters through our thoughts and suggestions and finally manifests through our choices; it is much easier for us to select the natural rather than the Spirit. Part of our choosing is because what is seen is readily available; it's easy to consider what we see as reality.
However, the word of God says, “By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible.” Hebrews 11:3.
Our new normal is in Christ, and all He is has been imputed into our account. Our new normal, our baseline, is who He is. Therefore, our instinctive response is based in Him. We live the high life, the Vine life, resting in Him and allowing Him to produce the fruit of His life in us.
We are not trying to become that would be toil–we are who He says we are!
As our thoughts align with the truth of what Christ Jesus has done and we believe what Jesus says, we walk in who He says we are and enjoy the blessed life in the Spirit.
God’s Glory in Humanity: Living in the Spirit
We are said to be left in our humanity to increase our dependence on God. While that may be true, can you see how the focus is on us and not God? It isn't that it isn't true, but is it the best and only answer—is it Biblical truth? That answer often makes us feel some way—being honest. Even as I write this, my heart is pricked to be still and know He is God.
What does the word of God say?
“But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us.” 2 Corinthians 4:7.
The truth is our humanity does humble us. Still, the greater emphasis is our humanity showcases God. It points to His redemptive work. It demonstrates that He, indeed, is increasing and that we are decreasing. We are being conformed to His very likeness, where there is no residue of who we were, just the evidence of all He is.
Please don't take this to mean we lack personality, emotion, or the capacity to act of our own will—that is not what this means. It indicates that we keep in step with the Spirit, choosing Him—His voice, ways, acts, and heart: Him. Salvation has given us glorious access by the Spirit so that we can respond to the Lord, thereby walking in His ways.
We are tripartite beings. We are spirit beings, have souls, and live in bodies. The flesh is not the body per se; the flesh is the sin principle brought about by the first Adam. Without the distinction, there can be some confusion. We are raised from death to life in Christ when we are saved. The Spirit of the resurrected Christ has made His home in us.
“Thus it is written, “The first man Adam became a living being”; the last Adam became a life-giving spirit.” 1 Corinthians 15:45.
“If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.” Romans 8:11.
-Selah.
The second Adam changed everything. We have been removed from the kingdom of darkness and placed in the high place of the Son. Indeed, John writes, “By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit.” 1 John 4:13, and he goes on to say, “By this is love perfected with us, so that we may have confidence for the day of judgment, because as he is so also are we in this world.” 1 John 4:17. (bold mine).
New Creation, New Responsibilities.
As new creations in Christ, we are responsible for living as Jesus is. We are called out ones. The Apostle Paul, by the Spirit, notes that we are ambassadors. Therefore, we live in the world. However, we receive and use the means from our heavenly homeland. This means we handle things in this life altogether differently.
Consider the words of Jesus in his high priestly prayer:
“I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.” John 17:14.
“They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.”John 17:16
Jesus makes the distinction not once but twice so that we would live from the knowledge of Him and His Kingdom. We live with an awareness that He is our portion; therefore, the impossible is now possible.
In Christ, we have unlimited resources, including angels who do His word according to His will. Our part is knowing Him and walking intimately in Him, so we become His hands, feet, and voice in the earth. Beloved, we are not born again to live mediocracy but extraordinary lives marked by the miraculous.
Do we realize that we are products of His resurrection? Do we even count the truth that He is the first fruit of God’s glorious family and that we are sons and daughters, indeed heirs of God? And this is no small thing, for it is written heirs, not heir apparent. We aren't waiting for our inheritance—we live in it with full access.
“And if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together.” Romans 8:17.
The challenges we face and the length of time we spend in some seasons may be because we still have not embraced the truth of who we are in Christ or even considered our inheritance in Him; that our inheritance is Him.
There has been a change—do we perceive it?
I use the word perceive because it is not natural. Saul offered David his armor, but it was ill-fitting. What an example of us trying to take up the things of the world when we stand in the armor of God. God has gifted us the Spirit; therefore, it is deposited in us through the Spirit, which is why we must walk in the Spirit. Take, for instance, when we read the word of God, He is there, unveiling Christ to us. When we came to Christ, He drew us through the Spirit, and what we know of His is by the Spirit. This doesn't change. The longer we walk with Jesus, the more we release filtering things through this life, but instead, implicitly trust what He says because our hearts are enlightened, and we see the very Kingdom of God with spiritual eyes.
I always say: “You cannot use something you do not know you possess, and often we fight to obtain what Jesus has already provided.” Again, the example of David attempting to put on Saul’s armor. Imagine if he tried to fight Goliath using the flesh instead of relying on the God of Israel. The wrestle is futile and exhausting. But like Jacob, we cease striving and receive when the hip is placed out of joint.
The Kingdom of God cannot be earned—it's received. The Kingdom of Heaven is within us, and we access it by grace through faith, with open hands and hearts that believe we are justified by His blood alone. We are in a season where the natural is coming to the end of itself.
People need supernatural deliverance, and we must walk in spiritual discernment. Not everything seen or experienced is natural. There are demons; there is demonic oppression, and these things cannot be medicated, or counseled-they must be cast out.
There was a gentleman who would walk up and down the street screaming profanities, at times mumbling incoherently, and threatening people as they drove by. Honestly, at first, my husband and I thought he may have suffered a mental illness, drug use, or possibly both. However, after a couple of encounters, my spirit stirred, and I prayed more fervently for him.
One evening, the Spirit rose within me to declare the word of Christ over him, use Jesus' name, and rebuke the demonic force oppressing him. Jesus did it.
May we walk in the Spirit, accessing all Jesus died to give us; we need it, and those in our sphere of influence will benefit.
“For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.” Ephesians 6:12.
Indeed, the Christian walk is not only hard—it is impossible in the natural. “God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.” John 4:24. Our reasonable response to God's gracious gift is “To present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” Romans 12:1-2.
We are living in the last day. Jesus is coming. So many need the light of the glorious Gospel. May we not hide the light but burn bright, reflecting our Savior, Lord, and King so that many will return to the Father’s house. How we choose to move in this season will ripple throughout eternity.
“If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit.”Galatians 5:25.
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Born of the Spirit—
She receives the word with delight.
She set her mind on things above.
She traded the cares of this life for the voice of His Spirit
Her steps became steady, though mystery remained.
Faith—not sight charts each day.
Rooted in grace, clothed in love,
His righteousness wraps her like the dawn.
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Beloved, will you live in the fullness of the Spirit—or settle for the shadow of who you were, a version of yourself you were never meant to sustain?
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