The Spiritual Hierarchy
I. Proverbs 25:28-The person
who can’t rule over their mind and body and those thoughts, appetites and
desires of the flesh is vulnerable to the attacks of the enemy
A.
If you’ll give into those things rather than
ruling over them you’ll walk in the flesh disagree with the Word of God and
therefore you are vulnerable to the enemy
1. Spirit-Seat of emotion, seat of mental act, desire, will
2. CEV- Losing self-control leaves you as helpless as a city without a wall
3. ERV-People who cannot control themselves are like cities without walls
to protect them
4. GNT-If you cannot control your anger, you are as helpless as a city
without walls, open to attack
5. MSG-A person without self-control is like a house with its doors and
windows knocked out
B.
The person who will rule over their mind and
body is like a walled city, but when the hedge is down the serpent will
bite-Ecclesiastes 10:8, Job 1-3
II.
One of the main reasons we haven’t ruled over the mind and body is
because we haven’t lived the revelation that I am a spirit-being,
I (spirit) have a soul, I (the spirit) live in a body. To rule over the mind
and body you must understand the make-up of man (1 Thess
5:23)
A.
You are a spirit being (John 3:6)
1.
John 4:24, 1 John 5:1-You are born of God who
is spirit and therefore you are spirit
2.
Acts 17:29-My flesh sprung off of my natural
parents, b/c that which is flesh is born of flesh, but my spirit sprung off of
God b/c that which is born of spirit is spirit
a.
2 Cor 5:17, Eph 4:24-When you got born-again your spirit is the part of
you that became new and was created in the image of God and has champion
potential
3.
Your spirit being is the part of you that
will exist forever; it’s the real you
B.
You (the spirit) have a soul
1.
Your soul consists of your mind, will, and
emotions; Soul (Psyche)-Mind, will,
emotions; the seat of the feelings, desires, affections
a.
The way you think; The choices you make; The
feelings you have
2.
Your soul and spirit are not the same as much
as your joints and marrow are not the same (Heb 4:12-NOR-The
Word penetrates deeply making a distinction between the soul & spirit)
a.
The soul like the joints connects my spirit
to my body
b.
The spirit like the marrow is the inside all
my make up
3.
My spirit prays, but my mind is unproductive
(1 Corinthians 14:14)
C.
You (the spirit) live in a body
1.
Your body is the suit clothes your spirit,
through which you operate (Romans 6:13,19)
2.
Your body is not you (Romans 12:1,
Philippians 1:21-24)
D.
When you don’t see yourself as a spirit being
who’s in charge of your soul and body you won’t dominate your flesh because you
think you are your flesh
1.
EX: A general won’t be in charge of the
privates if he thinks he’s a private
2.
Make the distinction between your desires
(the spirit) and the desires of the unrenewed nature
(soul and body)
III.
Inside your tri-part being there is a spiritual hierarchy (pecking
order, chain of command)
A.
The life of man was never mean to be governed
by his flesh/feelings/senses
1.
(ME) 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.
You’re going to have thoughts and feelings
that you can’t yield to
b. The reality is if those two (soul and body) govern your life, defeat is
inevitable
2. 2 Cor 10:5-If a thought arises in your mind
this is how you (spirit) deal with it
a. The strengthening of the spirit triggers the renewing of the mind
b. If you have thoughts, feelings or desires that oppose the word you get rid of them
3. 1 Cor 9:27-If habits or desires rise up in
your body this is how you (spirit) deal with it
a. You keep your body under and bring it into subjection by ruling over the
mind
b. The body can’t go where the mind won’t go
4.
I (the spirit) is the personal trainer of my
soul and body
B.
The day that I got born again was the day
that my life stopped being run by my soul and body and started being run by my
spirit (1 Thessalonians 4:4 AMP)
1.
The chain of command is Spirit first, soul
second, body last
a.
Body and soul are not in charge any more
b.
I (the spirit) don’t take suggestions nor do
I take commands from the soul or body
2.
They don’t get to choose how to think and
feel they are told how to think and feel
a.
They are under me, just like I’m under the
word
C.
***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 body all hope for him is gone-Galatians 5:18, Romans 7:24***
1. Satan can’t do much with a man who won’t yield to the flesh & oppose
the Word
a. If Satan can keep your spirit under, then he can keep you defeated
2.
It’s not supposed to be that you know what’s
right in your head, but your unrenewed nature has
taken over your body and it’s dominating your spirit
a. The man who knows the word, but doesn’t do it is destroyed-Matthew 7:25
b. Satan doesn’t care that you know that the Word says just as long as
you’re not directing your mind to the word and doing what the word says
c. There’s plenty of people who know that the word says and walk in the
flesh
IV. Rule over soul and body and
reign in life
A.
Proverbs 16:32-God puts great emphasis on
ruling mind and body
1. Every battle in life begins with the battle to rule over your mind and
body
2. We’re trying to take a city, a nation and can’t even control our minds
and bodies
B.
You rule over your body by ruling over your
soul and you rule over your soul with the words of your spirit-Romans 8:5
1.
Whoever controls the soul (your spirit or unrenewed nature) controls the body
2.
James 3:2-If you can control your mouth you
can control your body
3.
Psalm 103-David is speaking to his soul and I
(the spirit me) can do the same thing