Not living a victorious life...? Here's why.

We don't seem to talk a whole lot about it in church these days, but did you know that, once you have become born again, you are supposed to live in the spirit and not in the flesh...?

Most of us Christians either live a life motored by the flesh, with a little portion of "7th-day spirit-drive" to make us feel spiritual. Very often those who do think that they live spiritual lives, are actually simply stuck in legalism (do's and don'ts), imposing it on others and in so-doing giving a bad name to the freedom Christ has called us to. I actually know very few Christians who live a truly spirit-driven life without having a foot in the flesh...

I myself have lived for many years trapped in legalism (do's and donts), while living a full-blown flesh-driven life. When I got fed-up with the emptiness of religiousness, I shifted the gears into flesh-overdrive and ended up hurting others and getting hurt beyond words myself. It has only been fairly recently that I received a revelation of what living in the spirit really is about, and it changed my life COMPLETELY.

You see, contrary to what you may think, living in the spirit is actually much easier than living in the flesh. You become completely free from feeling offended, from bitterness, unforgiveness, fear, legalism, stress, heaviness, etc. etc.

For example, where living in the flesh means that your life is dictated by how you feel when you get up in the morning, living in the spirit means that you use your God-given ability and right to choose, to decide how you have the right to feel.

Living in the flesh means that we are constantly at the mercy of negative thoughts, fears, and sinful imaginations. The result is that we are constantly hurting others, getting hurt, living in fear and bitterness... and the baggage that we drag along down the road of life gets heavier as we go!

When, however, you develop the mind of Christ, you recognize where thoughts come from, and you come to understand that you can say "no" to negative thoughts and entertain only imaginations that are uplifting. The result is that you feel happy, stress- and fear free, that you make fewer mistakes and better decisions, while receiving much clearer guidance!

A carnal mind needs lengthy therapy to be cured from phobias, depression and other psychological issues, and even then, you will never be entirely set free as long as you are catering for the flesh. A renewed mind, however, can be instantly set free from anything. Because God can!

The reason why baptism is so important, is that it explains the crucial process of dying with Christ, dying to the flesh, and having our spirits (that were dead in sin) resurrected to live life henceforth controlled by our spirit and not by our flesh. If you don't understand the importance of baptism, it's because you don't "get" the importance of becoming a new spirit being. And vice versa.

If you don't die to the flesh, you will remain a slave of your emotions, your carnal mind and the cravings of your body and you can and will not have a life of victory. The good news is that the process of "dying" isn't that difficult IF you are willing to surrender completely to God.

Want a quick check-list to see where you are at?

If you are watching movies without caring whether you see nudity and violence, or whether you hear blasphemy and bad language, you are in the flesh.

If you give yourself to gossip or talking about topics that stir up fear, anger, etc, you are in the flesh.

A person led by the spirit can change his mood from feeling irritated, as he gets up in the morning, to being joyful.

A spirit-led person can easily forgive people who had treated them badly and even bless the person sincerely and generously, because they understand that we do not war against flesh and blood.

If you need guidance on the topic, I want to encourage you to start today by simply asking God to help you. Then, contact a spirit-led person that you trust to advise and guide you and start listening to teachings on YouTube about the renewed mind by knowledgeable and spirit-filled teachers such as Bill Johnson, Bruce Allen, John Paul Jackson, etc.