Study Notes

I.      Galatians 5:16-Walk in the spirit and not in the flesh

A.    John 6:63-What does it mean to walk in the Spirit?-To walk in the spirit means that you conduct your life in a way that agrees with the word of God

1.       You might have feelings and thoughts that oppose the word, but a person who walks in the spirit will conduct their life based on what the Word says in spite of those thoughts and feelings

2.       A walk in the flesh is a walk that’s in opposition to the Word of God

a.      God says love and you don’t; God says judge not and you judge; God says tithe and you don’t; God says believe and you yield to unbelief; that’s the flesh

b.      A person who walks in the flesh is constantly yielding to their feelings

3.       Philippians 3:14-19-Walking in the flesh reveals that your god is your feelings b/c you don’t do what the Master says, but you’ve crowned your feelings master and do what they say

a.      15-Spiritually Mature believers conduct their life based on the word not feelings

b.      16-Conduct your life based on the Word you know, not by your feelings

c.      19-People who live like that are doomed

B.     John 6:63-There is no profit and nothing to be gained by yielding to the flesh and living a life that opposes the Word of God

1.       Your victory, your safety, your life, your inheritance, and all that God has for you will be obtained only in this walk in the spirit

a.      Destruction awaits the person who will get in the flesh and disagree with the Word

b.      Destruction is waiting for you in the flesh

2.       When you begin to walk in the flesh and oppose God’s word you:

a.      Deuteronomy 28-When a redeemed person yields to the flesh they welcome the very curse that they’ve been redeemed from

b.      Psalm 91:4-Grant Satan access into your life

1)       Ephesians 4:26-27-If you yield to your feelings/flesh, you give Satan place

c.      1 John 5:4-You can’t experience victory

1)       I’m healed b/c the word says it-That’s walking in the spirit

II.     Locating the problem---After hearing that why would you give into the flesh?

A.    Evidence that your spirit is weak is that you keep giving into the flesh-Ezekiel 16:26-30

1.       1-14-That’s his plan for those who walk in the spirit

2.       26-Appealing to the feelings was their worship

3.       27-This lack and defeat didn’t show up until they got in the flesh

4.       28-They are doing these things b/c their inner man is weak

B.     When a person is constantly being moved in a direction that opposes the Word of God, because of their feelings, it is a clear sign that their spirit is weak (check spirit light)

1.       When you find yourself giving into the flesh that’s a sign your spirit is weak and now you need to take the steps necessary to strengthen it

a.      The picture of Christianity to most people is that we are weak vessels who are weak all the time and pray and ask god for strength; but Paul said my inner man gets stronger and stronger everyday and the weak say I’m strong

2.       When a person is constantly agreeing with the Word and choosing the Word in spite of their feelings it’s a clear sign that their spirit is strong-Heb 4:15, Acts 20:23-24, 16:25

C.    Not being able to control your thoughts and emotions is a sign of weakness-Col 1:12

1.       Matt 26:53-Strength is a man who had the power to call 80,000 angels down and anytime and stop this how thing and didn’t do it because his spirit was in control

2.       The ability to control “self” begins with controlling your thoughts and feelings and that cannot happen if your spirit is weak

3.       True will power is not the power of the will, but the power to control the will and the power to control your will resides in your spirit man

D.    2 Corinthians 5:7-Walking by faith is agreeing with the Word and walking in the spirit

1.       There’s something bigger in me than my feelings it’s my spirit

2.       I conduct my life based on my faith in what God said (agreeing), not how I feel

III.   The Battle that must be won: Spirit vs. Flesh-What happens at this battle Spirit vs. Flesh determines who wins the war you or Satan

A.    When you got born again your spirit is made new and wants to do right-2 Cor 5:17

1.       Your spirit has been recreated, your mind has to be renewed, and your body has to be retrained

a.      Flesh-Human nature of man apart from divine influenced; the unrenewed nature

b.      When you got born again your thoughts and habits are still the same

2.       Galatians 5:17-There’s this part of you that has been influenced by God and then there’s this other part that hasn’t and they want two different things

3.       Matt 26:41-Jesus identifies the problem as the weakness of the flesh, not the devil

a.      Prov 18:14-It’s your spirit’s job to support the weakness of your flesh and if you are giving into the flesh the problem is a weak spirit that can’t rule over the flesh

b.      It’s the job of your spirit to make the flesh do what it doesn’t want to do

B.     Inside your tri-part being there is a spiritual hierarchy

1.       My Spirit is supposed to get the command from the Word of God/The Holy Spirit and tell my mind what to think and my body what to do

a.      The life of man was never meant to be governed my his flesh/feelings/senses

b.      We’re not going to act base on how you (soul) feel, but based on what I (spirit) get from the Word of God and the Holy Spirit

2.       The reality is if those two (soul and body) govern your life, defeat is inevitable

a.      2 Cor 10:5-If a thought arises in your mind this is how you (spirit) deal with it

1)       The strengthening of the spirit triggers the renewing of the mind

b.      1 Cor 9:27-If habits or desires rise up in your body this is how you (spirit) deal with it

3.       Proverbs 16:32-He that rules his spirit is better than he that takes a city

a.      Spirit-Agitation, temper, anger, impatience, disposition (as troubled, bitter, discontented), uncontrollable impulse, (as seat of emotion), desire, sorrow, trouble, the will

b.      We’re trying to take a city, a nation and can’t even control our minds and bodies

4.       The enemy wants to keep your spirit under because if your spirit ever rises up in the grace of a Champion and begins to rule your mind and bodyall hope for him is gone-Galatians 5:18, Romans 7:24

a.      Satan can’t do much with a man who won’t yield to the flesh & oppose the Word

C.    You can trace every defeat back to a weak spirit-Proverbs 24:10

1.       There comes a moment in every battle that is going to determine whether or not you win or lose

2.       The enemy preys on the sense the realm through the mind and body

a.      If you’re spirit isn’t strong enough to win the battle in the mind you will lose

b.      You don’t fight with the mind, you fight in the mind with your spirit

c.      The reason you came out of faith and didn’t believe the Word is because your senses told you it wasn’t working and your spirit didn’t rise up and oppose that

d.      Psalm 103, Psalm 23

3.       This is how you walk in the spirit-Romans 8:5

a.      Where your mind goes your body will follow