Study Notes

I.      The life of man was never meant to be governed by his senses (mind & body)-1 Thess 4:2

A.    I (the spirit) is the personal trainer/manager of my soul and body-2 Cor 10:5, 1 Cor 9:27

1.       2 Cor 10:5-If you have thoughts or feelings that oppose the word you get rid of them

a.      The strengthening of the spirit triggers the renewing of the mind

2.       1Cor 9:27-You bring your body into subjection by ruling over the mind

a.      The body can’t go where the mind won’t go

3.       Mind and body are slave to spirit

a.      You have to keep your mind and body 24/7

B.     The man who rules over soul and body and reigns in life-Proverbs 16:32

1.       Every battle in life begins with the battle to rule over your mind and body

II.     One of the main tactics of the enemy is to keep your spirit under the rule of your flesh

A.    Yielding to the flesh reveals that your spirit is under the rule of your flesh-Galatians 5:17

1.       GW-What your corrupt nature wants is contrary to what your spiritual nature wants, and what your spiritual nature wants is contrary to what your corrupt nature wants.  They are opposed to each other.  As a result, you don’t’ always do what you intend to do. NLV-These two forces are constantly fighting each other, so you are not free to carry our your good intentions

B.     Romans 7:14-23-If you’re spirit is slave to your flesh misery is  always the result

1.       14-Carnal-He’s governed by his flesh

a.      He’s under the control of sin; sin has control of his mind and body

2.       15-He doesn’t understand his own actions-he does what he hates and doesn’t do what he desires to do

3.       16-He knows what’s right, acknowledges what’s right, takes sides with what is right

a.      AMP-Habitually-The unrenewed mind trained his body to act a certain way an overtime a habit was formed and now his body just does it

b.      While his body does it, his spirit says this isn’t right

4.       17,20-It’s not his spirit-man that is sinning-1 John 5:18

a.      It’s the sin that remains in his way of thinking and in his habits (flesh)

b.      There’s not sin left in his spirit; it’s left in his thoughts and habits-Rom 7:20 Amplified

c.      18-There’s no good thing in the parts of you that haven’t been influenced by God

5.       18-He desires to do right in his spirit, but he doesn’t know how to perform it

a.      18-AMP-There is a lack of spiritual strength

6.       21-When he (spirit) wants to do right that evil is present in his thoughts and habits

7.       22-His spirit man, his new nature rejoices in the Word of God and wants to do it, but there is something working in his body keeping him from doing it

8.       23-The law in his body is working against what he knows is right in his mind, and it’s bringing his spirit into captivity to the law that’s in his body

a.      You have a man here who knows what’s right, but isn’t doing it

III.   One of the man reasons that Satan wants to keep your spirit under is to keep you from doing what the Word says

A.    It’s not supposed to be that you know what’s right in your head, but your unrenewed nature has taken over your mind and body and it’s dominating your spirit keeping you from engaging the Word of God in your life-Romans 7:23-8:5

B.     Satan doesn’t care how much of the Word you know as long as you’re not doing it; he’d rather you not know it, but if you do he doesn’t want you to do it-Matthew 7:25

1.       The man who knows the word, but doesn’t do it is destroyed

a.      A person who knows what the word says was destroyed

b.      He wasn’t destroyed for lack of knowledge, but for lack of action

2.       If you’re spirit is under, then you’ll constantly be knowing what the Word says and applying very little of it because you can’t make yourself do it

a.      This type of life makes you vulnerable to the storm-Proverbs 25:28, Ezekiel 33:32-33

C.    There’s more to doing what the word says, than just knowing what it says and doing it; there are plenty of people who know what it says, but don’t do it, so there must be more to it than that; How do I perform what I know is right?

1.       8:1-When you know what’s right, but don’t do it there’s potential to feel guilty

a.      To stop doing wrong you need to move past the wrong you’ve done

2.       8:3,4-There’s a way to not yield to the flesh and you have the power to do it so that you can walk in the spirit and do what the Word says

3.       8:5-To walk in the spirit and do the word that you know you have to direct your mind to it and when you direct your mind to it, then your body will follow 

a.      You don’t do what you know, you do what you direct your mind to

D.    If through a strong spirit, you direct your mind to the word and walk in the spirit, you crush every hope the enemy has of destroying you; you are the house built on the rock

1.       The enemy wants to keep your spirit under b/c if your spirit ever rises up in the grace of a Champion and begins to rule your mind and body all hope for him is gone

2.       Satan can’t do much with a man who just keeps doing what the Word says

IV.   You rule over your body by ruling over your soul and you rule over your soul with a strong speaking spirit

A.    It’s vital that we understand that Satan preys on the mind on body through the senses

1.       He’s always preying on your thoughts, feelings, and senses; Appealing to the feelings

a.      “Boy it sure doesn’t look like it’s working” – “Boy you sure don’t feel healed” – “If you’re needs are met I can’t see it” – “Doesn’t that just make you made” – “Would that feel good”

2.       He immediately went to the sense realm with Jesus-Matthew 4

a.      See something physical, miss out on the pain-Matthew 4

3.       Satan preys on the soul with much speaking, endeavoring to wear you down-Pr 7:21

B.     James 3:2-If you can control your mouth you can control your mind and your body

1.       You control the mouth by getting your spirit strong on the Word-Mt 12:34, 2 Cor 4:13

2.       Psalm 103, 1 Samuel 30:8