1Jn 3:14 We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death.

Are you saved and full of the Spirit of God? If you are then you will love for God Himself is love. When love lives and dwells in your inner man it will be a natural expression for your outer man.
So check your fruit, what are you producing? If you find yourself short tempered, agitated, worn out and frustrated you are filling your heart with the wrong thing. Take a moment and think about it, are you sowing to the Spirit? If so your life will evidence it.
Selah

Exo 27:2 And thou shalt make the horns of it upon the four corners thereof: his horns shall be of the same: and thou shalt overlay it with brass.


The alter was meant for one purpose- killing of the fleshly sacrifice.
Brass is always the biblical symbol for judgment. The horns were for tying down the freshly offered flesh. Though the animal was killed the nerves in that meat could still be active and cause this flesh offering to spasm and possibly even flop it's way of the alter.
Grab the horns of the alter when you give your fleshly self to Christ. Not even the smallest part of the old self can be preserved lest it hinder your walk with Christ.

1Co 15:31 I protest by your rejoicing which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily.

Like Paul we are to die daily to the old man, laying down our wants and desires to seek His will.
Remember unless one experiences death that same one can never know the power of the resurrection.

Phlilipians 2:1,2

1.Therefore if there is any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the spirit, if any affection and mercy,
2. fulfill my joy by being like minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind.

Acts 2:1
When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.

I would like to draw attention to Philipians 2:2; And Acts 2:1, and the words; being of one accord, or one accord in one place.

This situation is the key to receiving the power and being filled with the Holy Spirit. First in Acts the disciples and others about 120 people where gather in one place and waiting on the promise of Jesus that He would send the Holy Spirit. Now they were all in tune with one another, they did not know what to expect, but they were doing what they were told to do.
Then when the Holy Spirit came upon them they all were filled with the Holy Spirit and received spiritual gifts.
My point is today when do you see or hear of people gathered together in one accord, or like minded, some people are thinking spiritual thoughts while others are thinking on numerous worldly things, like I want to get out of here, I'm hungrey, I can't wait to see the football game, and so on. That is a huge problem not being focused on God can be what hinders or even can stop the work of the Holy Spirit.
This is not because of lack of the Holy Spirit's power, but rather mans focused on the world and not the spiritual realm.

To wholly conquer sin the believer needs but a moment; to deny the self he needs an entire lifetime.
Only on the cross did Jesus bear our sins; yet throughout His whole life He denied Himself. The same must be true of us.

To the degree the believer is enlightened by the Holy Spirit into apprehending the pitiful condition of being fleshly, to that extent will his struggle with the flesh be intensified; and more often manifest in failures. In defeat he will be shown more of the sin and frailty of his flesh that he may be aroused to increasing indignation at himself and an ardent determination to contend with the sin of his flesh.
SUch a chin reaction my extend protractedly until at last, experiencing the deeper work of the cross, he is delivered. That the Holy Spirit should lead us this way is truly fraught with meaning. Before the cross can do it's deeper work there must be adequate preparation.Struggle and failure supply just that.
Apropos to the believer's experience, although he may agree mentally with God's accessment that the flesh is corrupted and irredeemable, he may nevertheless lack the clear spiritual insight that accurately appreciates the defilement and corruption of the flesh. He may suppose what God says to be true. But though the believer would never say so he still tries to tinker with his flesh.
This battle extends over a long periods marked by more defeats than victories, until it finally seems victory over the flesh is unrealizable.
Many believers ignorant of the salvation of God, attempt to conquer the flesh by battling it. They hold victory depends on the measure of power they have. These therefore earnestly anticipate that God will grant them increased spiritual power to subdue his flesh.
During this time the believer continues on one hand to wage war and on the other hand to try improving or disciplining his flesh.
He prays, he searches the bible, he sets up many rules ("do not handle, do not taste, do not touch") in the vain hope of subduing and taming the flesh.
He unwittingly tumbles into the trap of treating the evil in his flesh as due to a lack of rules, education and civilization.

Watchman Nee

Originally Posted by Boanerges

So check your fruit, what are you producing?

epic quote is epic

Matthew 26: 40,41

40: Then He came to the disciples and found them sleeping, and said to Peter, "What? Could you not watch with Me one hour?
41. Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak."



My Thoughts:

I have a problem with anger, and many times I follow my fleshly self and what I call the root man, my root man is anger I seem to stay on a very low boil, I compare it to the simmering stages of a valcano.
I believe that with God and doing my best to walk in the spiritual realm it is in those times I win a battle.
Unfortunatly sometimes my flesh takes over and I errupt.
But I still fight to not let that part of me win out.
One day I believe I will have won the battle completly, but that will be when I reach Heaven.

Take a moment out in the midst of your busy day and remember how good your God is to you. Remember His faithfulness, His loving kindness, His mercy, His love, His provision, well that list can and should go on and on. Take a moment and reflect on these things and express your thankful heart to Him. Go ahead, the worthy One is waiting for His child to look up.


Psa 136:1 O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever.
Psa 136:2 O give thanks unto the God of gods: for his mercy endureth for ever.
Psa 136:3 O give thanks to the Lord of lords: for his mercy endureth for ever.
Psa 136:4 To him who alone doeth great wonders: for his mercy endureth for ever.
Psa 136:5 To him that by wisdom made the heavens: for his mercy endureth for ever.
Psa 136:6 To him that stretched out the earth above the waters: for his mercy endureth for ever.
Psa 136:7 To him that made great lights: for his mercy endureth for ever:
Psa 136:8 The sun to rule by day: for his mercy endureth for ever:
Psa 136:9 The moon and stars to rule by night: for his mercy endureth for ever.
Psa 136:10 To him that smote Egypt in their firstborn: for his mercy endureth for ever:
Psa 136:11 And brought out Israel from among them: for his mercy endureth for ever:
Psa 136:12 With a strong hand, and with a stretched out arm: for his mercy endureth for ever.
Psa 136:13 To him which divided the Red sea into parts: for his mercy endureth for ever:
Psa 136:14 And made Israel to pass through the midst of it: for his mercy endureth for ever:
Psa 136:15 But overthrew Pharaoh and his host in the Red sea: for his mercy endureth for ever.
Psa 136:16 To him which led his people through the wilderness: for his mercy endureth for ever.
Psa 136:17 To him which smote great kings: for his mercy endureth for ever:
Psa 136:18 And slew famous kings: for his mercy endureth for ever:
Psa 136:19 Sihon king of the Amorites: for his mercy endureth for ever:
Psa 136:20 And Og the king of Bashan: for his mercy endureth for ever:
Psa 136:21 And gave their land for an heritage: for his mercy endureth for ever:
Psa 136:22 Even an heritage unto Israel his servant: for his mercy endureth for ever.
Psa 136:23 Who remembered us in our low estate: for his mercy endureth for ever:
Psa 136:24 And hath redeemed us from our enemies: for his mercy endureth for ever.
Psa 136:25 Who giveth food to all flesh: for his mercy endureth for ever.
Psa 136:26 O give thanks unto the God of heaven: for his mercy endureth for ever.

Hag 1:2 Thus speaketh the LORD of hosts, saying, This people say, The time is not come, the time that the LORD'S house should be built.
Hag 1:3 Then came the word of the LORD by Haggai the prophet, saying,
Hag 1:4 Is it time for you, O ye, to dwell in your cieled houses, and this house lie waste?
Hag 1:5 Now therefore thus saith the LORD of hosts; Consider your ways.
Hag 1:6 Ye have sown much, and bring in little; ye eat, but ye have not enough; ye drink, but ye are not filled with drink; ye clothe you, but there is none warm; and he that earneth wages earneth wages to put it into a bag with holes.
Hag 1:7 Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Consider your ways.
Hag 1:8 Go up to the mountain, and bring wood, and build the house; and I will take pleasure in it, and I will be glorified, saith the LORD.

The Hebrews had the temple we have the Holy Spirit dwelling in us and the body of Christ, many similarities can be seen between the two.
How many Christians are to busy building their own home, lives, kingdoms having no time left to build up the body of Christ, to sow to the Spirit and to seek His will for their lives?
It is no wonder they are constantly seeking and gathering yet never feeling satisfied. Foolishly they expect His blessing on what they are doing while in fact blessing their Christ-less days would do them more harm then good.
How can you be satisfied when the temple of your spirit (His dwelling place) lay in ruins?
In the midst of your daily routine are you putting Him first or does He wait for whatever leftovers your tired soul can muster? Decide to put Hm first and include Him in every aspect of your life and that life will again be rich with meaning and your soul be satisfied.
Selah

Originally Posted by Boanerges

How many Christians are to busy building their own home, lives, kingdoms having no time left to build up the body of Christ, to sow to the Spirit and to seek His will for their lives?

I don't think it's that they have no time. The bottom line is that they have no desire to build up the Body of Christ. Their enthusiasm for the work is gone. They are the seed spoken of in Mk 4:18-19 NIV; seed that is choked by the cares of this world, the lure of money, and materialism. Is there any hope for them? They need our prayers and our willingness to step in and confront them lovingly and persistently.

SLE

Originally Posted by SpiritLedEd

Is there any hope for them? They need our prayers and our willingness to step in and confront them lovingly and persistently.

Amen. There is hope Ed and that hope is Christ drawing and perfecting His bride.

Col 3:5 Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry:

Col 3:5 implores us to "put ot death what is earthly in you".
This is the path towards experience. The therefore indicates the consequence of what precedes it in verse 3; namely you have died. The "you have died" is what God gas achieved for us. Because "you have died ", therefore " put to death what is earthly in you.
The first mention of death is our factual position in Christ; the second our actual experience. The failure of believers today can be traced to a failure to see the relationship between these two deaths.
The putting to death is contingent on the "you have died", This putting to death means bringing the death of the Lord Jesus Christ to bear upon all the deeds of the flesh.Since we are united with Him in His crucifixion we can apply His death to any member which is tempted to lust and immediately put it to naught.
But whence comes the power to so apply the crucifixion of the Lord to our members? It is "by the Spirit" insists Paul, that "you put to death the deeds of their body (Romans 8:13). To put away these deeds the believer must rely on the Holy Spirit to translate His co- crucifixion with Christ into personal experience.
He must believe that the Holy Spirit will administer the death on the cross to what ever needs to die. In view of the fact that the believers flesh was crucified with Christ on the cross he does not need to be crucified again.
All which is required is to apply, by the Holy Spirit,the accomplished death of the Lord Jesus on the cross to any particular wicked deed of the body that now tries to rise up.

Watchman Nee