Keeping your body under Last Wednesday night I did a message on hearing God in a Noisy World it is available on our website you can download it a listen to it. Or just listen on your computer. Hearing God on PC Text Proverbs 20:27 The spirit of a man is the lamp of the Lord, Searching all the inner depths of his heart. NKJV Too successfully in the last days & run the race that is before us we need to learn how to receive guidance from the Holy Spirit. 1 Cor 14:10 there are, it may be, so many kinds of voices in the world, and none of them is without signification. KJV We need to listen to our hearts or our spirits. 1 Cor 9:27 I keep my body under control and make it my slave, so I won't lose out after telling the good news to others. CEV So last week we established the fact that you are a spirit and you live in a body and you have soul. Your spirit must born again, you mind must be renewed. But what are you to do with your body where your spirit lives. 2 Cor 5:1 For we know that if our earthly house, this tent, is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens Remember your body is not the real you, your spirit is the real you. Most Christians don t live like they are spirit beings They seem to be unaware they are spirit beings and have the spirit of God living on the inside of them. We allow our bodies dictate how we live. And when we live in the physical senses we will run into trouble. Mind, will, and emotions. You can t accurately listen to your heart and follow the Holy Spirits leading. Your Spirit and Your Body 1 Page
1 Cor 9:27 says your spirit has a part to in controlling your body. NKJV says it this way; 1 Cor 9:27 But I discipline my body (myself) and bring it (myself) into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified. Who is the I in this verse? If Paul considered the body to be the real Paul, he would have said myself and bring myself into control. Paul understood that he was spirit being and lives or is housed in a body. Bottom line his inward man was to control the outward man. Paul made a strong statement in Romans 12:1 he considered giving our bodies to God. He realized we can live a victorious Christian life without doing this. He was not talking to sinners. He was talking to believers that they need to do something with bodies. 2 Cor 5:17 says old thing pass away and all things become new. This is true in regards to your inward man. Your spirit is the new man, the new person. Your body did not change at all when you were born again. Your body will always want to do things is not supposed to do. Controlling Your Body If your body never wanted to anything wrong, Paul would not have said I keep by body in control. You don t have keep something in control that doesn t get out of control. Car if it s not moving you don t have to control it. 2 Page
When it starts to go down the road you need to keep your hands on the wheel so it stays in control. So the same way you steer your car to control and guide it, your spirit needs to control your body. Otherwise your body will be our control you. What happens if constantly give into the flesh rather than walking according to the Spirit? Gal 6: 8 For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption That why it is so important to keep our body under the control of your spirit and indwelt by the Holy Spirit and learn how to listen to your heart. Your spirit does not have a sin problem, your flesh does. Your spirit wants to obey the Word of God. The problem is with outward man your body and your renewed mind. Why? The reason is very simple, your body will always want to fulfill the desires of the flesh. In order to live a victorious Christian life, your inward man must control your outward man. Gal 5: 16 I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. 17 For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. How do you keep your body disciplined and under the control of your spirit? Be a doer of the Word for a starter. The same principles you use to believe for others needs in your life. You apply those same principles to taking control of your body. Say what you believe according to God s Word 2 Cor 4: And since we have the same spirit of faith, according to what is written, "I believed and therefore I spoke," we also believe and 3 Page
therefore speak and James 2: 14 What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him? 17 Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. That s what Paul did. First, he to believe according to God s Word. He believed he was able to control his body and bring it under the control of his spirit (Phil 4:13 we can do all things). Paul spoke what he believed: I keep discipline body. I keep under control: (1 Cor 9:27). He made a faith statement. He acted on his faith. He daily presented his body as a living sacrifice to God. He submitted to his spirit, and not his flesh (Romans 12:1, Gal. 6:8). What Did Jesus Say About the Body? Matt 18: 8 "If your hand or foot causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you. It is better for you to enter into life lame or maimed, rather than having two hands or two feet, to be cast into the everlasting fire. 9 And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you. It is better for you to enter into life with one eye, rather than having two eyes, to be cast into hell fire. Jesus wasn t literally cutting off you hand, foot or poking out your eye. It s about crucifying the desires of the flesh, you re to daily put to death all the wrong things your body wants to do, Rom 8: 13 For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live and Gal 5: 24 And those who are Christ's have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. Once you choose to stop something your flesh has been enjoying for long time, it is probably not going to feel good. It might feel like you poked your eye out. 4 Page
If you want to walk closely with God and fulfill his plan for your life it important obey the Word. Say no to your own desires no matter how much you flesh dislikes it. Contemporary English Version Rom 8:12-14, 12 My dear friends, we must not live to satisfy our desires. 13 If you do, you will die. But you will live, if by the help of God's Spirit you say "No" to your desires. CEV Gal 5:24 And because we belong to Christ Jesus, we have killed our selfish feelings and desires. CEV Left to itself, your flesh will simply lead you into sin and you into trouble. We just have to accept the fact that you will have a body to contend with as long as you live on this earth. Once this becomes a reality in your life, you can determine to keep your body under the control your spirit according to the Word. Control What You Say There is one important step all should take if the really desire to listen their hearts and live a spirit ruled life. Control What You Say The most difficult part of the body to keep in control is the tongue James 3:8 says but no man can tame the tongue. This true for sinner and saint alike Some believers who consider themselves moral upright people, they wouldn t thing cheating or stealing BUT they wouldn t they re to tell you about rumors and slander they ve heard about people. They hurt people with their words. They believe they are moving right along when in reality they are deceiving themselves. They are limiting themselves with God and limiting their ability to hear what the Holy Spirit is saying to their hearts. 5 Page
Christians who refuse to crucify the flesh and stop gossiping should read the entire book of James He talks strongly about the consequences of not controlling the tongue James 3:6 And the tongue is a flame of fire. It is a whole world of wickedness, corrupting your entire body. It can set your whole life on fire, for it is set on fire by hell itself. New Living Translation Proverbs 18:21 says our tongue has the power to bring death or life into our lives. You might be thinking I haven t been doing such a great job controlling my tongue. That is step recognizing you have a problem, admit you ve fallen short. Tell Your Body What To Do The best way to your tongue or any other part of your body under control is find out what the Word has to say on that subject. Once you ve discovered that then be a doer of the Word even if you don t feel like it. Listen to what the Holy Spirit prompting you to do and make your body obey. Examples Sunday mornings Don t feel that good I ll watch a TV preacher. My friend that is when your spirit needs rise up and Body I don t care the Bible says we re not to forsake the assembling of ourselves together Heb 10:25 You re going whether you like it or not. Now if you have a 102 temp obviously you can t. It does not hurt to talk to your body like that. We should never let our bodies dictate what we re going to do. Smith Wigglesworth said I don t ask Wigglesworth how he feels, I tell Wigglesworth how he feels. You re the only one who can do it. Your entire Christian walk will be hindered if your body is not kept in the control of your spirit. Hebrews 12:1 brings this out also. We need to lay aside anything that will slow us down. 6 Page Sin = strip it away
Weight = indicates there might something that is not necessarily sin, but it hinders from living totally committed to God. We need to get rid of and shed something that are slowing us down. If you want to fulfill God s plan, get quiet in heart and examine your life in light of the Word. Ask the Holy Spirit to bring to your attention those things you need to lay aside. Decide to become spirit-ruled not body-ruled. Speak by faith I discipline my body. I bring it under the control of my spirit. Then put action to your words by daily presenting your body to God, you can lay aside the weights because you can do all things through Christ who strengthens you. Phil 4:13. Are you ready to win your race and receive God s best 1 Cor 9: 24 Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it. Live with your body under the control of your spirit, this puts you is position to hear the Holy Spirit s leading. Something s we will be looking at: Training Your Human Spirit Learning to Follow the Inward Witness Why Do Christians Sometimes Fail to Follow Their Hearts. 7 Page