Romans 8:13 AMP – For if you live according to [the dictates of] the flesh, you will surely die. But if through the power of the [Holy] Spirit you are [habitually] putting to death (making extinct, deadening) the [evil] deeds prompted by the body, you shall [really and genuinely] live forever.

We have to become strong spiritually first by feeding on the Word of God daily in order to take control of our flesh. Galatians 5 lists some of the works of the flesh and they are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, uncontrolled drinking and feasting and “the like” (or things that are similar to these). This is a long list and only controllable by those who are walking in the spirit and after the Spirit of God.

The way that we gain control over our flesh and it’s desires is to learn an important word, “NO”! When we say NO to our flesh at the moment of temptation then we are able to say YES to our spirit! Our spirit wants to do right and wants to serve the Lord. We have to make the conscious decision to allow our spirit to rule over our flesh. Live in the supernatural rather than the natural. Take the high road and do the right thing by saying YES to the spirit. You CAN do it!

Rom 15:6 …that you may with one mind and one mouth glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

The church began in unity. Acts Chapter 2 uses the phrase “in one accord” to signify that the believers that were gathered in the upper room were not just in the same room but that they were united in heart and in mind. It is not enough to just be in the same place at the same time.

You can be under the same roof and be miles and miles apart.

If we are to mature in the Lord we must prefer one another and adjust in our relationships to the point that we experience a unity. The more unity that we experience, the more of God’s power we will see flowing through our homes and churches. Every adjustment we make and every time that we choose to prefer others it is worth the effort that it takes. Walking in love translates to HARMONY and UNITY! God has not called us to be self-serving (alone) but to serve (united with the body of Christ).

Psalms 133:1 NKJV – Behold, how good and how pleasant it is For brethren to dwell together in unity!

And Peter answered Him and said, “Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.” So He said, “Come.” And when Peter had come down out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus. – Matthew 14:28-29 NKJV

Peter saw Jesus walking on the water and wanted to walk with Him. Somehow he knew that he was created to do the supernatural as Jesus did the supernatural. The desire was there. But he didn’t just stop at the desire he wanted to get in on the ACTION! He could have sat in the boat with the rest of the disciples and been awed at the supernatural power of Jesus to walk on the water and take control over the natural elements.

Before he acted he asked (in a round about way) if he could come and walk on the water with Jesus. He made sure that he was acting on Jesus’ will or His Word. (Many times good meaning Christians begin to act prematurely) Make sure that your actions are in line with the will and the Word of God. Faith begins where the will of God is known. Don’t get out of the boat based on someone else getting out of the boat.

Once you are sure that the Lord has told you to do something, DO IT! Jesus walked on the water. Peter walked on the water. We can do all that the Lord has told us to do. Will you do it?

When Jesus heard it, He marveled, and said to those who followed, “Assuredly, I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel! – Matthew 8:10 NKJV

The centurion in Matthew 8 that recognized the authority of Jesus and the power of His word was greatly rewarded and greatly acknowledged by the Lord. In our attempt to gain great faith and operate in great faith we must realize that it only comes by submission.

Submission has become a word that millions of Christians avoid. They want great faith but do not want to submit to anyone or anything. They want the blessings of God without limits and still want to live their lives without limits. It doesn’t (and never has) work like that. In order to have the power of the words of Jesus working in our lives we must first submit ourselves to God and do what He wants us to do.

We should even go further and submit our spirit, soul and bodies to the Lord to glorify Him in our whole being. He gave all of Himself to us and is only right and just to ask us to give all of ourselves to Him. (Romans 12:1-2) Renewing our minds with His Word, controlling our mouth to speak His word only, putting our bodies under by fasting and continuing steadfastly in prayer are ways to totally submit to His lordship…and experience His power. Great submission, great faith and great power!

“Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock. – Matthew 7:24-25 NKJV

You can determine today to never ever be destroyed by a storm again. The Lord has given us a way to live a storm proof life. He has given us the responsibility to protect our lives from destruction. Many times we pray for Him to protect us from calamity but we need to understand that walking in His Word is so powerful. By conducting our lives according to His Word and becoming a “doer” of the Word of God we will stand strong against any and every storm…and continue standing after the storm passes!

Declare yourself as a DOER of the Word today (and everyday from now on!). Commit to do everything that you see in His Word, immediately. He has given us a rock to build our houses upon.

No matter how many storms you have been through and how many times your house has fallen from storm damage, you can begin today to build a fortress on the ROCK by doing the sayings of Jesus. Make His Word first place in your life and others will see your “storm proof life” and begin to ask “how can I do what you have done?”

It’s all about doing the sayings of Jesus!

“Moreover, when you fast, do not be like the hypocrites, with a sad countenance. For they disfigure their faces that they may appear to men to be fasting. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, so that you do not appear to men to be fasting, but to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly. – Matthew 6:16-18 NKJV

Fasting should be as common as giving and praying according to Jesus. Just study Matthew 6. He wants His body to fast. He fasted and it was a part of His lifestyle!

Fasting can be a tough subject for Christians who have never fasted because it deals with the flesh and sacrifice. There are many wrong ideas about fasting that have evolved from many wrong teachings on the subject. The bottom line in fasting is to say NO to your flesh in order to say YES to your spirit and hear from God.

We should be so accustomed to fasting that we are consistently asking the Lord, “do you want me to fast something right now?”. It should be a lifestyle with us. We should live so connected to the Lord that we are willing to give up anything at anytime in order to spend more time in fellowship with Him.

Therefore I tell you, stop being perpetually uneasy (anxious and worried) about your life, what you shall eat or what you shall drink; or about your body, what you shall put on. Is not life greater [in quality] than food, and the body [far above and more excellent] than clothing? – Matthew 6:25 AMP

The words of Jesus about worry were powerful! STOP WORRYING! This was not just a suggestion, this was a “order” from our Commander in Chief.

If you are in the Army, do you have an option to obey orders? NO. Failure to obey a general order or command in the military will result in punishment by courts-martial according to Section 892 article 92 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ). There is no excuse to disobey orders, period.

For far too long we have approached worry as a “character flaw” to be proud of. It is not a “character flaw” and nothing to be proud of. It is sin! …and has to be dealt with as such. A Christian is to run from sin. Identify it and run the other way.

The answer for worry is to get so full of the Word of God that there is no room at all for worry. Trust God, fill your heart with the Word, watch your words, say what the Word says and worry will be a thing of the past!…at last!

“The sheep that are My own hear and are listening to My voice; and I know them, and they follow Me.” – John 10:27 AMP

Hearing and listening are two different things. We can hear but at the same time not listen. This is why Jesus said many times, “Verily, verily, I say unto you He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.” In modern language He would have been saying, “Hey, you guys listen up, pay attention, because what I am about to tell you is extremely important!” I believe that it was very necessary for Jesus to incite the disciples to listen because we all have mastered the ability to “tune things out”. We become very good at hearing what we want to hear. Teenagers have a problem hearing things like, “Clean your room” and “Do your homework”. Adults often have a problem with instructions such as, “Pick up some milk on the way home” and “please pay the insurance premium by next week.” We hear what we want to hear.

Jesus was saying in the above scripture that in order to follow Him we must first, be His sheep, second, hear what He is saying and lastly, listen to His voice.

Are you listening? and are you following?

The steps of a [good] man are directed and established by the Lord when He delights in his way [and He busies Himself with his every step]. Psalms 37:23 AMP

God has ordained that we walk in the steps that He gives to us. The prerequisite is that we delight in His way. What exactly is delighting in His way? Seeking first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness. (His way of being and doing right)

We cannot seek our own good and do what we think is best and then ask Him to direct our steps. We must delight ourselves in His ways first and then our steps can be ordered by Him. We do something and then He does something. There is a man side and a God side to this equation. You do your part and that puts you in a place for God to do His part. (the ball is in our court!)

Before using a GPS unit you must turn the power button on. Once you turn the power button on then it will be able to do it’s job of leading you where you want to go. We turn our power button on when we DRAW NEAR TO GOD. Come into His presence so that He can order your steps. Step 1, step 2, step 3…

Romans 8:14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.

God has provided His Spirit to lead us everyday and in every decision that we must make. Far too often we only depend on our mental ability to make “sound” decisions. Common sense “rules” our life. We must be logical and do things according to some “text book” or our prior training or experience…we think.

When we don’t rely on the Holy Spirit we are left to every other source of guidance. Any other source is totally inferior to the Holy Spirit! He is the Spirit of Truth and will lead us and guide us into all the truth! He knows the future and can lead us in every step that we take BUT we must resolve to move out of our head and into our spirit.

We have to leave the shore of fleshly methods and swim out into the depths of the spirit where God can show us things that we have not seen before. Face it, we are not smart enough to lead ourselves. We need the Leader, the Helper, the Guide to show us the way. He is waiting for us to follow.

Let’s go!