Aglow In The Spirit: The Secrets of Walking in the Supernatural

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But it is true to say that Christian joy is deep and firm rather than superficial and flimsy. The reason we know this is that the Bible describes Christian joy as flourishing right in the midst of pain and suffering. Romans 5:3 says, “We rejoice in our sufferings.” 1 Thessalonians 1:6 says, “You received the word in much affliction, with the joy of the Holy Spirit.” 2 Corinthians 8:2 says, “In a sever test of affliction, their abundance of joy and their extreme poverty have over flowed in a wealth of liberality.” The Bible describes the Christian's growth and development in much the same way as apples are grown and harvested. As believers, we are "planted" when we are born again into a relationship with Jesus. The Holy Spirit then lovingly nourishes and prunes us so that our lives "grow" the character traits of Christ. Scripture calls these traits the fruit of the Spirit and tells us that spiritual fruitfulness is the Lord's goal for all believers. A man reaps what he sows. The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life." This outpouring of the Holy Spirit that began at Pentecost is continuing all over the world today. Men, women, and children alike are being baptized in the Holy Spirit by Jesus. All Christians receive the Holy Spirit at salvation, but to become effective Christians they need to also receive the empowering of the Holy Spirit.

AA)Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. 15 ( AB)Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep. 16 ( AC)Be of the same mind toward one another. ( AD)Do not set your mind on high things, but associate with the humble. Do not be wise in your own opinion. Is it your desire to be a fruitful Christian, one whose life and actions reflect the character of our Lord Jesus so you will attract others to Him? If so, why don't you stop right now and pray the following prayer of commitment:. For I say, ( F)through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, ( G)not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt ( H)to each one a measure of faith. 4 For ( I)as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function, 5 so ( J)we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another. 6 Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is ( K)given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, let us ( L) prophesy in proportion to our faith; 7 or ministry, let us use it in our ministering; ( M)he who teaches, in teaching; 8 ( N)he who exhorts, in exhortation; ( O)he who gives, with liberality; ( P)he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, ( Q)with cheerfulness. Behave Like a Christian One middle-aged well-to-do widow let herself be convinced by her prayer group's prophesy that she was to marry a very attractive, but unstable young man much younger than she, although she had many doubts. The marriage was a tragic mistake, and after spending much of her money, the young man deserted her.First, Christian joy is not an act of will-power, but a spontaneous, emotional response of the heart. Christian joy has this in common with all joy, whether Christian or not. Paul also invites us to use our “power of reason” to prove to ourselves what is “the good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” Why do we read the Bible daily, meditate on what we read, pray, attend Christian meetings, and share in preaching the good news of the Kingdom? Is it because the congregation elders exhort us to do so? True, we are thankful for the helpful reminders of the elders. But we engage in Christian activities because we are moved by God’s spirit to demonstrate our heartfelt love for Jehovah. Furthermore, we are personally convinced that carrying out such activities is God’s will for us. ( Zech. 4:6; Eph. 5:10) It brings us much joy and satisfaction to realize that by leading a truly Christian life, we can be acceptable to God.

At Pentecost, the prophet's words were first fulfilled when the disciples and followers of Jesus, 120 in all, received the outpouring and empowering of the Holy Spirit. Be industrious: Or “Be diligent.” The Greek spou·deʹ used here literally means “swiftness of movement or action; haste; speed.” ( Lu 1:39) However, in many contexts, it denotes an “earnest commitment in discharging an obligation; eagerness; earnestness; willingness; zeal.” This Greek word appears at Ro 12:8 in the expression “let him do it diligently.” It is rendered “industriousness” at Heb 6:11 and “earnest effort” at 2Pe 1:5. The related verb spou·daʹzo has been rendered “be . . . diligent” ( 2Pe 1:10) and “do your utmost” ( 2Ti 2:15; 4:9, 21; 2Pe 3:14). Pride is natural, but resides in the spirit of man. Envy is natural, but resides in the spirit of man. And so it is with jealousy and anger and strife and self-pity and resentment and bitterness and covetousness and hatred and selfishness. These all come from the inner spirit of a person, but they are not called spiritual in the Bible. They are called natural, because no special, supernatural influences of the Holy Spirit are needed to produce them. We produce these things by our own nature. So they are called natural.Paul further states: “Do not loiter at your business. Be aglow with the spirit. Slave for Jehovah.” If we detect a tendency to be sluggish in our ministry, we may need to revise our study habits and to pray more intensely and more often for Jehovah’s spirit, which can help us to combat any lukewarmness and to renew our zeal. ( Luke 11:9, 13; Rev. 2:4; 3:14, 15, 19) The holy spirit energized the early Christians to speak about “the magnificent things of God.” ( Acts 2:4, 11) Likewise, it can move us to be zealous in the ministry, to “be aglow with the spirit.”

In other words, Jesus says He must live in us, His words must remain in our hearts, and we must be vitally united with Him if we are to be fruitful. Just as a stalk nourishes an entire plan causing it to sprout leaves and flowers, so we will grow in Jesus' love, His patience, His joy, and His peace as we actively take our spiritual nourishment from Him.

In verse 2 Paul says that he does the very thing that he commands in Romans 12:12: he rejoices in hope, specifically, hope in the glory of God. He promises that if we ___________________________________________ and He _____________________________, we will ________________________________. You can avoid many spiritual trials and errors by benefiting from the experience of other Christians. Here are five suggestions to help you move ahead in your ongoing Christian walk. 1. Receive the baptism in the Holy Spirit