HOW TO WALK IN THE SPIRIT

By: Rick McFarland

Copyright 2018 ©

All rights reserved. This text cannot be reproduced

in any form or fashion without the express permission
of the author.
Unless otherwise noted, all scriptures are from
the NEW KING JAMES BIBLE® Copyright© by Thomas
Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
 Table of Contents

Introduction- My Story 1
Chapter 1- The Two Sides of Grace 6
Chapter 2- Spiritual or Carnal? 10
Chapter 3- A Bright Light Shining in a Dark Place 14
Chapter 4- Paul’ Struggle 19
Chapter 5- Two Laws 26
Chapter 6- It’s a Mindset 30
Chapter 7- Flip the Switch! 34
Chapter 8- Set Your Mind 39
Chapter 9- Killing the Rats 45
Chapter 10- The Downward Spiral 50
Chapter 11- The Law of Focus 56
Chapter 12- You need a 4:8! 62
Chapter 13- The Power of Beholding 67
Chapter 14- Let your Dagon be a By-gone 72
Chapter 15- Graze and Gaze 77
Chapter 16- Worship, Praise, and Thanksgiving 83
Chapter 17- Prayer 87
Chapter 18- What about Maturity? 91
Chapter 19- The Discipline of the Mind 97
Chapter 20- In Conclusion 100
Epilogue- 103
 Introduction
My Story

My story is probably not much different than yours.

When I began my relationship with Christ, I had an
assurance in my heart that I was forgiven of my past
sins, and I would go to heaven when I died. I asked
Christ to come into my life when I was 12 years old.
The church I attended did a good job of proclaiming
the gospel - that Jesus Christ died for our sins, so we
could one day go to Heaven. They did a good job as it
was their specialty, and they preached this gospel
every Sunday. Every sermon focused on what Christ
did for sinners and concluded with an invitation to give
their lives to Christ.
Now, I do believe an invitation to receive Christ
needs to be presented at every church service, but
those that have already believed, need to hear the
second part of the gospel message - how to live the
Christian life after they have believed.
I know some of you are saying, “I did not know
there was a second part of the gospel”. Well, there is
a second part. It involves how to live the Christian life
after you have received Christ.

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 There is a gospel to unbelievers. The gospel means
good news. It is good news to sinners. This message is
- Jesus died for your sins, and if you believe and receive
what He did for you personally, He will place you in
right standing with Himself allowing you to enter His
presence when you die. Again, this is the gospel, but it
is only part of the gospel. It is good news to the
unbeliever. However, there is another part to the
gospel. It is good news for those who have believed!
Many Christians have heard the good news, which
led them to trust in Christ for the forgiveness of their
sins, but they have not heard any good news since!
Praise God, there is a gospel to the believer. This is
what this book is all about. I want to proclaim by the
grace of God, this great gospel to you - the believer,
which involves walking in the Spirit.
After I began my relationship with Christ, I strayed
from Him when I discovered cars and girls at the age of
16. I remember as a teenager imagining what awaited
me out “there” in the forbidden things of life, much like
the prodigal son did, which led him to leave his father
for the far country. (Luke 15) Due to not being taught
how to walk with Christ, I strayed from Him for five
years. Praise God, He did not let me stray any longer!
One typical night at the local bar, He captured my

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attention. A strong feeling came over me, and I no
longer wanted to be there. The next night I returned
to the bar, but the same feeling came over me again!
Unable to ignore the feeling of wanting to leave the
bar, I decided to head home. I turned on the television
once I arrived and heard a preacher talking about
giving your whole heart over to God. I knew within
myself that God was talking to me. He wanted my
whole heart.
I didn’t know if I could give up some of my sins, but
I was willing for God to help me overcome them, so my
heart would be totally His.
I decided to start attending church again and see
where it would lead me. I located the church nearest
to my home, where I met some college students, and
plugged into their group. They encouraged me to
participate in a discipleship program that met at 6:00
a.m. in the morning. I’m guessing the early morning
start was to develop discipline, or perhaps, just a way
to see how dedicated and sincere we were!
I was taught what most Christians are taught. To
live a victorious Christian life, you needed to do certain
things. First, you needed a daily quiet time with the
Lord, and it really needed to be the first thing in the
morning, the earlier the better. Second, you needed to

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read your Bible every day. Finally, attending church
regularly and staying in an accountability group or
meeting with an accountability partner was a must.
I could not argue with any of these disciplines
since they are all found in the Bible. However, I was
surprised to find, after diligently following these
disciplines, I continued to struggle with certain sins in
my life. I found myself in a cycle - the more I tried to
apply the principles I was taught for a victorious life,
the more I fell short, and sinned more than ever
before!
I remember my feelings of anguish and disgust,
causing me to cry out to God, pleading for His help to
gain victory over my sins. I would remain depressed
for days before concluding that I wasn’t trying hard
enough, then I would try again. Of course, it was only
a matter of time before I fell again, starting the whole
process over again. I came to realize, my failure to
attain victory over sin wasn’t due to not trying hard
enough, but from trying to get victory in the first place.
I realize this may sound strange, but bear with me. We
are about to look into the truth of the gospel, which
brings freedom and liberation from misconceptions
and sin patterns that keep us in prison.
After years of living in defeat, the Lord showed me

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what my answer was - walking in the Spirit. I had heard
this phrase many times but did not really know what it
meant, let alone how to do it! Thanks be to God who,
in His mercy, showed me both. This book entails what
God has shown me about walking in the Spirit. It has
transformed my life and I believe it will do the same for
you.

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 Chapter 1
The Two Sides of Grace

I have lived to see two major movements in the

body of Christ, the Word of Faith movement in the
1980’s, and the Grace movement we are currently
experiencing.
These two movements complement each other.
Faith without grace becomes works, and grace without
faith is fruitless. The balance of grace and faith is
imperative for a healthy Christian life. I am thankful
God has brought the revelation of grace to the body of
Christ. Without it, we are left to our own works in an
attempt to merit salvation and
blessing from God. This is futile,
and impossible, because God
can only accept perfection.
There has only been one person
who has met this requirement,
and you are not the one! Jesus
Christ is the One! He lived under
God’s law and completely
fulfilled it in His perfect life and
death.

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 Our vertical relationship with God is based upon
the perfect obedience of Jesus Christ, not our
imperfect version of obedience. Jesus is the reason for
our blessing from God, not our own works.
I thank God this message is being preached in a
growing degree throughout the body of Christ. It is the
basis for the Christian life. I call this “cross grace”. This
is the grace that comes by way of the cross. Through
the cross, we have forgiveness of our sins and are
justified vertically with God. However, there is an
aspect of grace that has not been taught much at all. It
is the horizontal aspect of grace. I call this
“resurrection grace” – the grace that came to us
through the resurrection of our Lord Jesus.
We received the new birth, the indwelling
presence of the Holy Spirit, and the fruit of the Spirit
through the resurrection of Jesus. We could not have
received any of these gifts had Jesus not rose from the
dead.
Cross grace governs our vertical relationship with
the Father. However, resurrection grace governs our
lives in this world, in our relationships at home, work,
and toward all people. Resurrection grace is God’s
power, strength, and ability, enabling us to live a
supernatural life that we could not live by our own

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strength. This resurrection grace is given to us that we
may be a billboard for Jesus to everyone around us.
Walking in the Spirit has everything to do with
walking in resurrection grace. If we don’t walk in the
Spirit, we are still saved but no one else around us
would know it! I believe, if a Christian only understood
cross grace, they would continue to live a similar
lifestyle as they did prior to being saved, they just
wouldn’t feel as guilty about it!

We are Jesus did not die and rise again

called to so we can live like we used to. We
live a are called to live a powerful life,
powerful energized by the Spirit, to be a
life, testimony of God in us to all that we
energized by encounter.
the Spirit, This outworking of the
to be a
resurrection grace of the Lord is
testimony
referred to in the Bible as “walking
of God in
in the Spirit”. In this book we will
us to all
that we look at what this means and how to
encounter do it.

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 Questions for Discussion

1. What is the difference between cross grace and

resurrection grace?

2. If a believer does not understand resurrection

grace how will it impact their Christian life?

3. What connection is there between walking in

the Spirit and resurrection grace?

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 Chapter 2
Spiritual or Carnal

Before we take on what walking in the Spirit is, let’s

first look at spirituality and carnality. What does it
mean to be spiritual? What does it mean to be carnal?
For years, I thought in order to be spiritual I had to
go through a long process of maturing to get there.
However, I have discovered the Bible does not teach it
that way.
Spirituality and carnality are not something
you arrive at through a process. Walking in the
Spirit is integral to being spiritual.
Let’s look at the what the Bible says about being
spiritual or carnal.

1 Cor. 3:1 And I, brethren, could not speak to you as

to spiritual people but as to carnal, as to babes in
Christ.

Here we see that a Christian can be either spiritual

or carnal. A Christian is different than an unbeliever in
that a Christian has been made spiritually alive unto

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God. The Holy Spirit is joined to a believer’s spirit. (1
Cor. 6:17) This enables a Christian to receive God’s life
and revelation. However, a Christian also has flesh.
They can either live from the Spirit within them or they
can live from their flesh. Being spiritual means that
one is influenced by and walks in the Spirit. Being
carnal means that one is influenced by and walks in the
flesh.
We will look at what it spirituality
means to walk in the Spirit and carnality
later, but for now I want you to are not
see that spirituality and processes, but
carnality are not long rather
processes, but rather decisions decisions on
on what source to live from – what source
the Spirit or the flesh. It is to live from -
important to note, an the Spirit or
unbeliever is never referred to
the flesh
as carnal in the New
Testament.

1Co 2:14 But the natural man does not receive the
things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to
him; nor can he know them, because they are
spiritually discerned.

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 Here, we see that an unbeliever is called the
“natural man”. An unbeliever is spiritually dead and
does not possess the Holy Spirit. (Rom. 8:9) An
unbeliever is completely natural, living by his five
senses and his own resources. A Christian is connected
spiritually to God and can receive His empowerment.
A Christian is a superman or superwoman! However,
it is also true that a Christian can walk naturally and live
according to their flesh. Again, this means they are
carnal.
Now that we see that being spiritual or carnal is a
decision we make and not something we arrive at
through a process, let’s look at the subject of walking
in the Spirit.

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 Questions for Discussion

1. What does it mean to be carnal? What does it mean

to be spiritual?

2. Does it take a long time of maturing to become

spiritual? Why or why not?

3. According to this chapter what is an unbeliever

called?

4. Why is an unbeliever called the natural man but a

believer ruled by their flesh called carnal?

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 Chapter 3
A Bright Light Shining in a Dark Place

I don’t think anyone likes to be stuck in a dark

room. If you try to move around in a dark room you
are liable to trip or fall over something you cannot see.
The answer to a dark room is
The answer simple – turn on the light!
to a dark Although the solution is simple,
room is when it comes to dealing with
simple -turn
spiritual darkness in our lives,
on the light!
we seem to complicate things!
If a person tried to deal with natural darkness the
way many Christians try to deal with the spiritual
darkness of sin and addiction in their lives, it would be
a sad sight to behold. Just imagine someone sitting in
a dark room and trying to make it leave by yelling at it!
Praying and fasting to make the darkness leave would
only frustrate us with the lack of progress. Trying to
bind the darkness would fare no better. Trying to take
authority over it in Jesus’ name would also fail to solve
the matter. Some might even try to find out when, and
how, the darkness started in hopes of finding an
answer.

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 These things are really dumb, considering there is
such a simple solution, are they not? Well, it is equally
dumb trying to expel spiritual darkness in that way. The
same way you overcome a dark room is the same way
you will overcome the spiritual darkness of sin and
addiction – by turning on the light!

Gal 5:16 I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall
not fulfill the lust of the flesh.

Here Paul offers a bright light that shines in the

darkness. The lust and sin of the flesh are spiritual
darkness. Walking in the Spirit is tantamount to
turning on the light. I don’t know about you, but I see
hope in this verse! If I will only walk in the Spirit, I will
not fulfill the lust of the flesh. There is our answer to
sin and the flesh! But, there is just one problem, Paul
did not tell us how to do it!
It appears like Paul had Walking in
taught the Galatians how to walk the Spirit is
in the Spirit when he was with tantamount
them at a prior time, and here he to turning
just brings it up in his letter to on the light
them. I am reasonably confident

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they already had an understanding of what he was
writing about, but it leaves me scratching my head
2000 years later! It does me no good knowing the
answer to something if I don’t understand the
meaning, or how to arrive at it.
There have been times I wished I could have visited
Paul up in Heaven, grabbed him by his robe collars and
said, “Paul, you told me to walk in the Spirit in
Galatians, but what in the world does that mean and
how do I do it? You did not leave me with that
information!” I can imagine Paul gently removing my
hands from his robe and quietly telling me, “Rick, I did
tell you what walking in the Spirit means and how to do
it, just not in my letter to the Galatians. I did however,
tell you what it means and how do it in my letter to the
Romans.”
Romans is the first book written to the church. It is
the first of 21 epistles, or letters, that he wrote to the
church. God had Romans put first for a reason.
Romans is the foundational book for the church. Every
major doctrine established in Paul’s writings, is first
mentioned in Romans, then these doctrines reappear
in subsequent books. This is true concerning walking
in the Spirit. The Law of First Mention is foundational
for Bible interpretation. The basic premise of this Law

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is that to understand a word or subject in the Bible, it
is important to study how the word or subject was first
used.
The book of Romans is the first to define what it
means to walk in the Spirit and how to do it. Based on
the Law of First Mention, the context established in
Romans sets the precedence for how we are to
interpret walking in the Spirit when reading the book
of Galatians or other epistles.
We see the first mention of walking in the Spirit, in
Romans chapter 8. We will need to examine Romans 8
to see what walking in the Spirit is, but first we need to
look at Romans 7 or we will not properly understand
Romans 8.

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 Questions for Discussion

1. What are some ways the world, or religion, try to

deal with the spiritual darkness of sin and
addiction? Are these methods found in the New
Testament letters written to the church?

2. What is the answer for darkness?

3. Where is walking in the Spirit first mentioned?

4. Why is it important to see the first instance of

where a word or phrase is used in the Bible and how
it is used?

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 Chapter 4
Paul’s Struggle

In Romans chapter 7, we see the testimony of Paul

as a young believer. He details his struggle against sin
and his flesh. If we will be honest, we can relate to this
struggle because we’ve either had, or are having, the
very same experience. I am glad Paul left us his
personal testimony of struggle because he leaves clues
to what his problem was, and the solution he found.
Let’s start by looking at the opening line of his
testimony as there are a couple of key points to see.
Then we can look at the rest of his testimony.

Rom 7:14 For we know that the law is spiritual,

but I am carnal, sold under sin.

I want you to see in this verse This means

that Paul called the law spiritual. the law
This means the law can only be can only
fulfilled spiritually. However, Paul be
calls himself carnal here. Please fulfilled
remember, only a Christian is called spiritually

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carnal. An unbeliever is called the natural man. Paul’s
testimony in this chapter is an example of a carnal
believer striving to get victory over their sin and flesh.
In nine verses, Paul lays out his testimony of carnality.
In these nine verses he leaves plenty of clues about
what his real problem was.
When I teach on this section of scripture, I like for
the audience to count how many times he uses the
word “I” as I read it. As you read these nine verses,
please count how many times he uses the word “I” and
how many times he uses the words “me” and “my”.

Rom 7:14 For we know that the law is spiritual, but I

am carnal, sold under sin.
Rom 7:15 For what I am doing, I do not understand.
For what I will to do, that I do not practice; but what I
hate, that I do.
Rom 7:16 If, then, I do what I will not to do, I agree
with the law that it is good.
Rom 7:17 But now, it is no longer I who do it, but sin
that dwells in me.
Rom 7:18 For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh)
nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but
how to perform what is good I do not find.
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Rom 7:19 For the good that I will to do, I do not do;
but the evil I will not to do, that I practice.
Rom 7:20 Now if I do what I will not to do, it is no
longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me.
Rom 7:21 I find then a law, that evil is present with
me, the one who wills to do good.
Rom 7:22 For I delight in the law of God according to
the inward man.
Rom 7:23 But I see another law in my members,
warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me
into captivity to the law of sin which is in my
members.
Rom 7:24 O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver
me from this body of death?

Did you count them? If you did, you will find that
Paul used the word “I” 24 times in nine verses! He used
the words “me” and “my” 11 additional times. So, in
total he used 35 personal pronouns in detailing his
personal struggle with sin and his flesh in just nine
verses!
He left us many clues about his problem! Paul had
“I” disease! Paul had his eyes on himself and was

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 What is a trying to find deliverance in
navel-gazer? himself and by relying on his own
It is someone willpower. Paul uses the words
who only has “will[s]” seven times. Paul’s
their eyes on testimony here is one of being a
themselves “navel-gazer”! What is a navel-
gazer? It is someone who only has
their eyes on themselves. Sin in the flesh is a spiritual
power that can only be defeated by a higher spiritual
power.
Trying to overcome sin and the flesh by willpower
or fleshly schemes is absolutely hopeless and very
exasperating! You can’t defeat the flesh with your
flesh!
Paul finally came to the end of himself and cried
out, “What a wretched man I am! Who will deliver me
from this body of death?” This was one of the best days
Paul ever had even though he was at his lowest point.
This was the day he tried for the last time to free
himself, and finally, he looked away from himself and
turned to another for deliverance. He ran up the
proverbial white flag!
Notice Paul did not ask, “How can I get free from
this body of death?” He instead asked, “WHO will

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deliver me from this body of death?” He knew the
answer was to be found outside himself and it was in
the hands of another person, not himself.
This is when Paul received his life changing
revelation! Paul turned from being a navel-gazer to a
Son-gazer! In doing so, he found his freedom!
What was Paul’s answer to his struggle? It was,
“thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!” vs.
25. (ESV) I want you to notice how complicated Paul’s
testimony was. Whenever you read about his struggle
with sin in those nine verses, you can’t help but start
smiling or laughing in the middle of it because it
becomes a real tongue-twister! You can get tripped up
quickly!
You will also notice that Paul seemed to frequently
repeat himself and seemed to be going around in
circles. That was on purpose folks! He wanted us to
know that when we try to free
ourselves from sin and flesh Paul turned
through our own energy, it from being a
can get complicated real fast! navel-gazer to
You will also find that you end a Son-gazer! In
up circling the same mountain doing so he
again and again, hoping to found his
produce a different result!
freedom!

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That is insanity folks! Living as a carnal Christian is
insane!
It was not until Paul took his eyes off himself and
set them on Jesus that he found freedom. Notice that
in contrast to Paul’s complicated testimony in the
flesh, his testimony of freedom was only nine simple
words! Really, you could boil those down to one word
- JESUS! Paul got the revelation of what it meant to
walk in the Spirit. Walking in the Spirit is all about
Jesus, not about us! Now, let’s look at Romans 8 to see
what Paul learned about walking in the Spirit.

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 Questions for Discussion

1. Was Paul’s testimony of defeat in Romans 7 given

about him as a young believer or before he knew
Christ? What do you base your answer on?

2. Why is the law impossible to keep by your flesh?

3. What clues did Paul leave in his nine-verse

testimony as to what his real problem was?

4. Can you relate to Paul’s testimony of struggle with

sin?

5. What was the answer Paul found to his struggle

with sin? When did he discover the answer?

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 Chapter 5
Two Laws

In Romans 8, we find Paul’s answer to sin and the

flesh. It is our answer as well. The answer is going from
being a navel-gazer to a Son-gazer. It is walking in the
Spirit! The first thing Paul received victory over when
he took his eyes off himself and put them on Jesus was
condemnation!

Rom 8:1 There is therefore now no condemnation for

those who are in Christ Jesus. (ESV)

Condemnation Condemnation is the pit

is the pit navel-gazers are destined to
navel-gazers fall into. Condemnation and
are destined guilt are byproducts of navel-
to fall into gazing. When you focus on
yourself and your failures, you will feel condemned. It
is really self-condemnation, it does not come from
God!
You cannot move on into the life of the Spirit while
being under condemnation and guilt. You cannot live

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and walk according to the Spirit and be a navel-gazer.
It only works if you are a Son-gazer! You will find
freedom from condemnation by looking unto Jesus
Christ, your High Priest, who is sitting at the right hand
of God interceding for you and unto the blood that
speaks better things than that of Abel. (Heb. 12:24)
The next verse shows us that there are two
competing laws that operate in every Christian.

Rom 8:2 For the law of the Spirit of life has set you
free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. (ESV)

The first law mentioned in this verse is the law of

the Spirit of life. This law works in our reborn spirit at
all times. It is continually giving life to our spirit as a
Christian. However, there is another law at work in us.
It is the law of sin and death. This law operates in our
flesh. It is always at work to bring us into sin and death.
Both laws are wanting access to our soul, and our mind
in particular. Our mind is the determinate on which
law will have dominance over us.
Most Christians try to overcome the law of sin and
death by their willpower or fleshly schemes. Did you
know you can try to use biblical disciplines such as

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prayer and other scriptural principles and they can end
up being fleshly schemes? You try to use them to free
yourself from sin, habits, and addictions. They were
not given for that purpose! They were given to receive
what Jesus did, not for you to try to accomplish what
Jesus already did! The law of sin and death can’t be
overcome by willpower or fleshly schemes. It can only
be overcome by a higher law. Just as gravity can only
be overcome by the higher law of thrust and lift, the
law of sin and death can only be overcome by the
higher law of the Spirit of life. If this is true, then how
can we operate in the law of the Spirit of life? By
walking in the Spirit! Before you grab me by my lapels
in frustration, like I wanted to do with Paul, relax, we
are now ready to see what it means to walk in the
Spirit.

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 Questions for Discussion

1. What was the first thing Paul got free from when he
took his eyes off of himself and got them on Jesus?
Why do you think this was?

2. What two laws operate in every Christian? Where

do these two laws operate?

3. What do these two laws want access to?

4. How do most Christians try to overcome the law of

sin and death in their flesh? Does this work? Why or
why not?

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 Chapter 6
It is a Mind-Set!

Where is the first mention of walking in the Spirit

in the New Testament? It is found in Romans 8:4.

Rom 8:4 in order that the righteous requirement of

the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not
according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. (ESV)

The Here we see that the righteous

fulfillment requirement of the law will be
of the law is fulfilled IN US, who walk according
something to the Spirit. Notice how Paul says,
that happens “in us” not “by us”. The fulfillment
in us and of the law is something that happens
through us, in us and through us, not by us or
not by us through our own effort. Paul then
and by our for the first time explains what it
own effort means to walk according to the
Spirit. The Law of First mention is established here.

Rom 8:5 For those who live according to the flesh set

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their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who
live according to the Spirit set their minds on the
things of the Spirit. (ESV)
Rom 8:6 For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the
mind set on the Spirit is life and peace. (ESV)

These two verses give us the scriptural foundation

for what it means to walk or live in the Spirit or in the
flesh. This definition is the standard by which we
should understand its use later in the New Testament.
This would include when it is used in the book of
Galatians. Again, this is based upon the Law of First
Mention, which governs Bible interpretation.
Walking in the Spirit is equivalent to “walking
according to the Spirit” and “living according to the
Spirit”. It is three ways of saying the same thing.
In verse 5, we see that to live according to the Spirit
means that one must set their mind on the things of
the Spirit. Conversely, to live according to the flesh is
to set one’s mind on the things of the flesh. Therefore,
according to the scriptural definition, walking in the
Spirit is based upon a MIND-SET! This is what it means
to be spiritual. Someone who is spiritual sets their
mind on the things of the Spirit. Someone who is carnal

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sets their mind on the things of the flesh. Spirituality
and carnality are both a MIND-SET.
Many people who try to define walking in the
Spirit, use Galatians 5:16 as their starting point, but
this is not wise because it does not provide a sufficient
foundation to do so. This leaves you trying to define
walking in the Spirit yourself, rather than allowing the
Bible to do that for you. It is always a good idea to use
scripture to interpret scripture. When you try to define
things based on a single verse, you are bound to veer
off into the weeds! So, taking the scriptural definition
of walking in the Spirit found in Romans 8:4-6, let’s
plug that into Galatians 5:16 and you can safely
translate the verse this way:
Gal. 5:16 I say then: If you set your mind on the
things of the Spirit, you will not fulfill the lust of the
flesh.
Actual verse:
Gal. 5:16 I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you
shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.

32
 Questions for Discussion

1. According to Romans 8:4-6 what does walking in

the Spirit mean and how do you do it?

2. According to Romans 8:5-6 what is walking in the

Spirit based upon?

3. Understanding that walking in the Spirit is a

decision and not a long process, how is this good
news for someone who has been carnal?

4. What will happen if you don’t let the Bible define

biblical words, phrases, or principles?

5. Why is it not wise to use Galatians 5:16 to define

walking in the Spirit?

33
 Chapter 7
Flip the switch!

As we have seen, walking in the Spirit means that

you set your mind on the things of the Spirit. It is not a
long drawn out process of growth you must attain to
do it.
Walking in the Spirit does not mean to walk around
with your eyes rolled back in your head hearing
heavenly voices! No, it means to set your mind on the
things of the Spirit.
Walking in the Spirit and being spiritual is not a
process, but a decision you make to set your mind on
the things of the Spirit. This is good news folks! This
means that if you have been carnal you can change in
a split second by changing your mind-set!
You can go from setting your mind on the things of
the flesh to setting your mind on the things of the Spirit
in a snap. However, as with most good news there is
also some bad news! The bad news is that you can
switch from being spiritual and walking in the Spirit to
being carnal in a moment as well.
What does it mean to set your mind on the things
of the Spirit? It means that you set your mind and
34
focus on the spirit realm and what is true there. There
is more to existence than just the physical world we
see. Everything we see in the natural comes from the
spirit realm. There is another realm more real and
unchanging than this one! It is called the spirit realm.
Jesus is seated in heavenly
places next to God the Father. This You can’t
is true in the spirit realm. This is a know
good place to set our minds on! what is
true in the
Anything that is true of our reborn
spirit
spirits are the “things in the Spirit”.
realm by
The law of the Spirit of life in Christ
your five
Jesus is in the spirit realm. It is physical
operating in your reborn spirit senses
right now. You can’t know what is
true in the spirit realm by your five physical senses.
You must receive revelation of what is in the spirit
realm from the Word of God and the Holy Spirit.
It is comforting to know that the law of the Spirit of
life is working in my spirit, but I need it to work in my
soul and body, giving me freedom from the law of sin
and death that operates in my flesh. How do you get
the law of the Spirit of life to flow into your soul and
body? You just need to flip the spiritual light switch

35
that controls the flow of the law of the Spirit of life.
What is that switch? The switch is your MIND!
Whenever you are a navel-gazer looking down and
your eyes are on yourself or just on the natural realm
this switch is turned off. When you look up you
become a Son-gazer, and you set your mind on the
things of the Spirit. When we do this the switch turns
on and the Law of the Spirit of life will flow into your
soul and body. It is a law that will work whenever you
cooperate with it. If you look back at any time in your
Christian experience that you were flooded with life
and peace, your mind was set on the things of the
Spirit. There are no exceptions.

Isa 26:3 You will keep him in perfect peace, Whose

mind is stayed on You, Because he trusts in You.

Here we see this spiritual law. God will keep us in

perfect peace if our mind is stayed on Him. Where is
God? He is a spirit and He is in the spirit realm. You
can’t keep your mind stayed on Him and have your
mind set on the natural or on yourself at the same
time! The Hebrew in the verse says that if your mind is
stayed upon the Lord you will experience - “shalom

36
shalom”. It is repeated twice. The translators did not
know how to translate it, so they chose, “perfect
peace”. Shalom is an all-encompassing word of
wholeness and peace. It is similar to the New
Testament word for saved, which is the Greek word
sozo.
Let’s see how this process works when you are at
church. If you go to a good church, you really get into
the worship time and your focus is completely on
Jesus. You are filled with life, peace and joy. When the
Word comes forth and Christ-centered messages are
preached, you are pumped! You are full of life and
peace. Why? Because during the entire service your
mind was completely set upon the things of the Spirit.
However, the service has to end and as you walk
into the foyer, sister Bucket-mouth says something
that does not bless you, or brother Flip-a-lip has
something negative to say. On top of that, all the
problems you had going into the service are still there
waiting for you and your mind goes back to focusing on
them. You quickly lose that life, peace, and joy. Why?
Because your mind moved from the things of the Spirit
to the things of the flesh. You flipped off the switch to
the law of the Spirit of life.

37
 Questions for Discussion

1. What does it mean to set your mind on the things

of the Spirit? What are the things of the Spirit?

2. What is the switch that causes the law of the Spirit

of life to flow into your soul and body?

3. What do you think “perfect peace” means

practically in your life?

4. Why do many people find themselves experiencing

life and peace in church more often than out of
church?

38
 Chapter 8
Set your Mind

It is crucial where we set our mind. We have been

conditioned our whole life to have a mind set on the
natural realm. It will take a while to develop a new
paradigm of spiritual thinking. However, it is more
than half the battle knowing how to walk in the Spirit
and operate in the law of the Spirit of life. It helps a lot
when you know what walking in the Spirit is and how
to do it. Let’s look at a passage that talks about walking
in the Spirit but uses different phrasing.

Col 3:1 If then you were raised with Christ, seek those
things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the
right hand of God.
Col 3:2 Set your mind on things above, not on things
on the earth.

Here in the book of Colossians, Paul tells us to seek

those things which are above. He is not talking about
physical things here. We are not to go on our roof and
look for the things up there! He is talking spiritually.

39
We are to see those things above in the spirit realm.
Paul goes on to say, “Set your mind on things above.”
Do you remember what Romans 8:5 said? Paul told us
that those who live according to the Spirit set their
minds on the things of the Spirit. Paul is saying the
same thing here in Colossians. We are to set our minds
on the things of the Spirit, not natural things like our
flesh or our circumstances.

Col 3:3 For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ
in God.
Col 3:4 When Christ who is our life appears, then you
also will appear with Him in glory.

In verse 4, we see that Christ is our life. He is seated

in Heaven, but He is vitally connected to our spirit by
His Spirit. There is an invisible connection between us
and the glorified Lord Jesus in Heaven by the Spirit.
When we set our mind [our switch] on the risen Lord,
the law of life in Jesus flows into our soul and body. We
experience life and peace. This is so simple most
Christians miss it. They make it much more
complicated than it is. That always happens when we
try to serve God by our flesh. As we move forward to

40
verse 5, we see Paul instructing us to do something, but
it is important to take this verse in context or we can
miss how to do it.

Col 3:5 Therefore put to death your members which

are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion,
evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.

Paul tells us to put to death your members which

are on the earth. Many Christian hear this and attempt
to kill themselves! They try using willpower to kill the
fornication and evil desires that lurk within their flesh.
In doing so, they end up with the same testimony Paul
had in Romans 7. It just seems we are never able to
pull this off. God never intended for us to pull this off!
I want you to see a pivotal word in verse 5. The
verse starts with the word “Therefore”. When you see
this word, you need to ask yourself, what is it there for?
It is a connective word from the verses that precede it.
Therefore, the way we are to put to death our
members on the earth is by doing what He told us to
do in verses 1-2. How are we going to put to death our
members which are on earth? It is by setting our mind
on things above. When we do this, the Spirit will put

41
to death our members which are on the earth. Let’s
look at a verse in Romans that shows us this.

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.

In this verse, we see how we are going to put to

death the members of our body, or here, the “deeds of
the body”. It is BY THE SPIRIT! Do you see that? It did
not merely say for you to put to death the deeds of the
body. It says by the Spirit you put to death the deeds
of your body. That is a huge difference! How does the
Spirit put them to death? It is when you set your mind
on the things of the Spirit, the Spirit will flow into your
soul and body and put them to death! The law of the
Spirit of life in Christ Jesus sets us free from the law of
sin and death!
You might be thinking that this is just too easy!
Beloved, salvation is simple. When you accepted Jesus,
you took your eyes off yourself and put them fully on
Him and the greatest transformation took place - you
went from sinner to saint, from dead to alive. Why do
you think the other transformations you need would

42
be any different or more complicated? We make
things complicated!
Now I want to talk to you about rats!

43
 Questions for Discussion

1. How do the verses in Romans 8:5-6 correlate with

Colossians 3:1-2?

2. How are we to fulfill Colossians 3:5? How can you

know this?

3. According to Romans 8:13 how are the sinful deeds

of your flesh going to be put to death? Please
explain how this works.

4. Why do many struggle with God’s way of victory

through walking in the Spirit?

5. Do you think if getting saved is easy, it would be

hard to experience sanctification and freedom from
addiction?

44
 Chapter 9
Killing the Rats

No one likes rats! If you find one in your house you

want it out as soon as possible! Sin and addictions are
rats in our life. Many have tried to exterminate
spiritual rats by using their own methods and
willpower. This just does not work, it just makes the
rats grow bigger and bigger! We must learn to deal
with the spiritual rats in our life the way the Bible
teaches us to.
An interesting story comes from an early aviation
pioneer, Sir Frederick Handley Page. He tells an
account of being midway through flight when he heard
a rat in the back of his plane. One of those miserable
creatures had hitched a ride and was gnawing on the
fragile control wiring. If the rat was able to gnaw
through it, the aircraft could lose control causing him
to crash. He had to get rid of the rat quickly! Although
Page could not leave the cockpit, he knew of a way to
fix his rat problem. He immediately pulled back on the
control stick and began to climb. The aircraft quickly
ascended to an altitude so high it was hard for him to
breathe, but the noise of the rat stopped! Page

45
 understood he needed to take the rat to an altitude it
could not sustain. As a result, the rat suffocated due to
a lack of oxygen. This is how we are to deal with the
spiritual rats in our life! We saw in the last chapter how
we are to kill the rats of sin and addictions.

Col 3:1 If then you were raised with Christ, seek those
things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the
right hand of God.
Col 3:2 Set your mind on things above, not on things
on the earth.

How are How are we to kill the rats in our

we to kill lives? We need to take them up higher!
the rats in Hallelujah! Take them higher folks! We
our lives? need to take those rats to the throne of
We need God where Christ sits! When we set our
to take minds on the things above where Christ
them up sits at the right hand of God, then those
higher! rats will suffocate and die!
Page did not have to kill the rat himself, he just
made the decision to go up higher and the rarified air
killed it. Likewise, we don’t kill our rats ourselves. We
just make the decision to go up higher and the Spirit

46
kills the rats!
Romans tells us that we are to reckon ourselves
dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus.

Rom 6:11 Even so consider yourselves also dead to sin

and your relation to it broken, but alive to God [living
in unbroken fellowship with Him] in Christ Jesus.
(AMP)

What does it mean to be dead to sin? It is the same

as someone disowning another person and saying,
“You are dead to me!” What does that mean? It means
that all remembrances of that person are removed. All
pictures are taken down and thrown away. That
person’s name is never again mentioned. All thought
of them is avoided.

Psa 31:12 I am forgotten like a dead man, out of

mind; I am like a broken vessel.

This verse in Psalms gives us an idea of what it

means to be dead to something. It is forgotten, out of
mind! What does it mean to be dead to sin? It means

47
you do not focus on it anymore. To be made alive to
someone, means you put all your focus and attention
on them. Many struggle attempting to overcome sin
by their own power. In doing so, their focus is on sin.
This is not being dead to sin, it
Many struggle is being alive to sin! If you are
attempting to
dead to sin, then when
overcome sin
temptation comes, you turn
by their own
power. In your focus from the object of
doing so, the temptation and turn it fully
their focus is upon the Lord seated at the
on sin. This is right hand of God. In doing so,
not being the rat will be killed by the
dead to sin, it Spirit! It’s just that easy folks.
is being alive
to sin!

48
 Questions for Discussion

1. What spiritual rats have you dealt with in your past?

What spiritual rats are you dealing with right now?

2. How did Handley Page deal with the rat in his plane?
How does that natural example show us how to deal
with the spiritual rats in our life?

3. What does it mean to be dead to sin? What does it

mean to be alive to God?

4. If someone focuses on their sin trying to overcome

it, are they dead to it or alive to it? Why is this?

49
 Chapter 10
The Spiral Downward

After Adam and Eve ate us out of house and home,

things went downhill pretty fast from the life in the
Garden of Eden! They had enjoyed a perfect
environment with all they needed. It also says
something interesting about them in the Garden
before the fall.

Gen 2:25 And they were both naked, the man and his
wife, and were not ashamed.

Here we see that they were both naked and were

not ashamed. We know from Genesis chapter 3, it was
not until after they ate from the Tree of the Knowledge
of Good and Evil that they knew they were naked. God
asked them in chapter 3, “Who told you that you were
naked?” Gen. 3:11 Apparently they were not aware of
it until that point. Some teach that Adam and Eve were
clothed with glory before the fall, so they could not see
they were naked. This is a fabrication! Where does it
say that in the Bible? It doesn’t. It does say they were

50
naked and not ashamed, which implies they were just
that - naked!
So how could they not realize they were naked in
chapter 2, but then realize they were naked in chapter
3? Before the fall they both were wholly God focused!
Their minds were fully set upon the spirit realm. When
they ate from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and
Evil, the curse of self-awareness came upon them. I
think this is the worst part of the curse - self-focus.
The fruit of self-focus is
shame and fear. If you The fruit of
struggle with shame and fear, self-focus is
shame and
then you are self-focused.
fear. If YOU
You my friend, are a navel-
struggle with
gazer! I believe that in
fear and
Heaven we will return to a shame, then
state of complete God-focus you are self-
again. You can get some focused. You
heaven on earth now if you my friend, are
will just shift your focus off a navel-gazer!
yourself and put it fully upon
the Lord.
We see that the downward spiral of humanity was
similar to Adam and Eve’s.

51
Rom 1:21 because, although they knew God, they did
not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became
futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were
darkened.
Rom 1:22 Professing to be wise, they became fools,
Rom 1:23 and changed the glory of the incorruptible
God into an image made like corruptible man—and
birds and four-footed animals and creeping things.
Rom 1:24 Therefore God also gave them up to
uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor
their bodies among themselves,
Rom 1:25 who exchanged the truth of God for the lie,
and worshiped and served the creature rather than
the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.
Rom 1:26 For this reason God gave them up to vile
passions. For even their women exchanged the
natural use for what is against nature.
Rom 1:27 Likewise also the men, leaving the natural
use of the woman, burned in their lust for one
another, men with men committing what is shameful,
and receiving in themselves the penalty of their error
which was due.
Rom 1:28 And even as they did not like to retain God
in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased
mind, to do those things which are not fitting;
52
 In these verses, we see the downward spiral of
humanity. What was the problem? They moved their
focus from God to the natural world [creation]. Verse
28 says they did not retain God in their knowledge
[thinking]. They refused to think on anything that was
spiritual and became carnal in their thinking. Once
they did this, the law of sin and death in their flesh had
full control over them. They were handed over to the
lusts of their flesh and enslaved.
If that was how they spiraled downward then what
would be the answer to move upward? It would be to
reverse the process! Instead of focusing on oneself or
just the natural, you would
put your focus
put your focus on God and
on God and
glorify Him as God in your glorify Him as
mind. In doing so the Spirit God in your
will keep you in holiness and mind. In doing
sanctification! Let’s see so the Spirit
another verse that describes will keep you in
this process of a downward holiness and
spiral. sanctification

Eph 4:17 Now this I say and testify in the Lord, that
you must no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the
futility of their minds. (ESV)

53
Eph 4:18 They are darkened in their understanding,
alienated from the life of God because of the
ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of
heart. (ESV)

Here we see that we are not to walk as the Gentiles

walk in the futility of their minds. They were darkened
in their own understanding because they alienated
themselves from the life of God. They were alienated
because of their ignorance. They were ignorant
because of the hardness of their heart. Hardness of
heart was their root problem. How does one become
hardened towards God? It is by refusing to think on or
focus on Him. The Gentiles were completely focusing
on the natural realm. Whatever you focus on, your
heart will be softened to. Whatever you neglect or
don’t focus on your heart will be hardened to. That is
a law folks! Start moving higher today by putting your
focus higher- where Jesus is seated at the right hand of
God. You will soften your heart towards God and
harden your heart against sin!

54
 Questions for Discussion

1. Describe what it means to be God-focused rather

than self-focused.

2. What was the reason for the downward spiral of

humanity found in Romans 1:21-28?

3. What does it mean to be hard-hearted? How can

you become soft-hearted towards God?

55
 Chapter 11
The Law of Focus

The Law of Focus is the law that what you focus on

will influence you and you will be conformed to.
Although the phrase “Law of Focus” is not found in the
Bible, neither is the “Law of Gravity”! However, it is a
law all the same. The Law of Focus can be seen in the
Scriptures.

Rom 12:2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be

transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by
testing you may discern what is the will of God, what
is good and acceptable and perfect. (ESV)

How does one become conformed to the world?

By focusing on the things of the world. We are told
rather to be transformed by the renewing of our mind.
The actual Greek says the “renewal” of our mind.
This does not just mean gaining new truths about
different categories of things like healing,
righteousness, faith, etc., but it also refers to an
entirely new way of thinking. It speaks of a new

56
paradigm in the way we think - from the natural to the
spiritual. When we focus on the things of the Spirit, we
will be transformed by the Spirit.

Eph 4:23 And be constantly renewed in the spirit of

your mind [having a fresh mental and spiritual
attitude], (AMP)

What does it mean to be renewed in the spirit of

your mind? The Amplified brings out that it is having a
new spiritual attitude and way of thinking. It means to
be renewed by developing a spiritual mind. When you
focus upon the Lord you will be renewed!
We can see this law in the Old Testament in picture
form. We can see this in what God directed Jacob to
do when his uncle Laban was trying to cheat him out of
his wages.

Gen 30:37 But Jacob took fresh rods of poplar and

almond and plane trees and peeled white streaks in
them, exposing the white in the rods. (AMP)
Gen 30:38 Then he set the rods which he had peeled
in front of the flocks in the watering troughs where

57
the flocks came to drink. And since they bred and
conceived when they came to drink, (AMP)
Gen 30:39 The flocks bred and conceived in sight of
the rods and brought forth lambs and kids streaked,
speckled, and spotted. (AMP)

This Law of Focus

When the flocks came
will work for us
to drink, they looked
as well as we look
through the water and saw
through the water
the streaked rods, then of the Word and
gave birth to what they behold the Lord
saw! This is the Law of
Focus at work. This Law of Focus will also work for us
when we look through the water of the Word and
behold the Lord.
We also see the Law of Focus at work in the life of
Moses. God called him up for a 40 day and night
retreat on Mt. Sinai to get the law. This is what it says
about the encounter Moses had with the Lord.

Exo 34:28 Moses was there with the Lord forty days
and forty nights; he ate no bread and drank no water.
And he wrote upon the tables the words of the
covenant, the Ten Commandments.

58
Exo 34:29 When Moses came down from Mount Sinai
with the two tables of the Testimony in his hand, he
did not know that the skin of his face shone and sent
forth beams by reason of his speaking with the Lord.
Exo 34:30 When Aaron and all the Israelites saw
Moses, behold, the skin of his face shone, and they
feared to come near him. (AMP)

Moses spent 40 days and nights in direct face-to-

face contact with the Lord. His complete focus was
upon Him. This encounter with the Lord had a
dramatic effect upon his physical body! It says he did
not eat nor drink for 40 days. Many people have gone
40 days without food, but no one has gone 40 days
without drinking! Moses’ body was supernaturally
sustained in the presence of the Lord. This encounter
so effected Moses’ body that when he came down off
the mountain his skin was shining! What do you think
would happen to you if you just focused upon the
Lord? It will have a direct impact upon your soul and
body!
The Law of Focus works in this life and will be in
operation when you pass on to the next life.

59
1Jn 3:2 Beloved, now we are children of God; and it
has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we
know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him,
for we shall see Him as He is.

In this verse, it has not yet been revealed what we

shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we
shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. To the
degree which we see the Lord Jesus, is the degree we
will be like Him! One day when we see Jesus fully as
He is, we will be made like Him by beholding Him! This
transformative work in us can happen now to the
degree we see and behold Him as He is now at the right
hand of God! Behold and become!

60
 Questions for Discussion

1. What is the Law of Focus?

2. What was the impact on Moses’ body by being in

God’s presence for 40 days and nights?

3. How important is it that you accurately see Jesus as

He is? What happens when you do?

61
 Chapter 12
You Need a 4:8!

Walking in the Spirit is not something difficult to

do, nor is it something that causes you to walk around
with your eyes rolled back while hearing voices in your
head. Walking in the Spirit is far from that, it is quite
practical!
Let’s take a look at how practical walking in the
Spirit is as we talk about the subject of worry.

Php 4:6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by

prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your
requests be made known to God;
Php 4:7 and the peace of God, which surpasses all
understanding, will guard your hearts and minds
through Christ Jesus.
Php 4:8 Finally, brethren, whatever things are true,
whatever things are noble, whatever things are just,
whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely,
whatever things are of good report, if there is any
virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—
meditate on these things.

62
 First, I want you to see that worry
worry is
is a focus on the natural realm. When a focus
we worry we cut ourselves off from on the
the law of the Spirit of Life! natural
Therefore, Paul tells us to be anxious realm
for nothing. That is all inclusive! It is
important to note that Paul did not say be anxious for
nothing and then end it with a period. He continued
talking. Why is this so important? Because Paul did
not tell us we should try to stop thinking bad thoughts.
Trying to stop thinking about something is useless. You
will think about it more by trying not to think about it!
Since everyone uses a pink elephant to illustrate this, I
will use a blue gorilla instead! Try to not think about a
blue gorilla. Do not think blue. Do not think gorilla. Do
not think blue gorilla! What are you thinking about? A
BLUE GORILLA! This shows how fruitless it is trying not
to think of something. How do you forget about the
blue gorilla? By replacing it with another thought. It is
by taking your focus off the blue gorilla and placing it
on something else - maybe the pink elephant!
So, am I telling you in this book that you need to
stop thinking about sin, temptation, and your natural
circumstances? No! I am telling you to replace them
by thinking of the things of the Spirit! We shouldn’t try

63
 to stop thinking about things that worry us. We are to
take them to God in prayer. When we do this, where
does our focus turn? That’s right, to God in the Spirit.
They are replaced by changing our focus. When we
turn our cares into prayers and focus our attention on
the Spirit what will be the result? Verse 7 says the
PEACE of God will guard our heart and mind in Christ
Jesus. Do you remember what the book of Romans
says the fruit of being spiritually minded is? Life and
PEACE. (Rom. 8:6)
I don’t know if you are like me, but I have received
peace from a time of prayer only to have the old
anxious thoughts return later, causing me to dwell on
my problem again. What happened to the peace I had?
Yep, it went away. Paul goes on to say in verse 8, that
to keep the peace we need to filter our thinking
through eight things and
When we meditate on them. The only
meditate on the things that can make it past
things of the this filter are the “things of the
Spirit, we will
Spirit”. When we meditate on
be kept in
the things of the Spirit, we will
perfect peace
be kept in perfect peace.
When I was younger, there was a television
commercial for V-8 vegetable juice. It depicted a

64
rundown person slapping his forehead and exclaiming,
“I should have had a V-8!” I have seen so many down-
trodden Christians in my life. When I see them I just
want to yell out, “You should have had a 4:8!” A
Philippians 4:8!

65
 Questions for Discussion

1. Where is your focus when you are worrying?

2. How easy is it to not think something? Why?

3. How do you get free from negative thoughts?

4. Why is it important to take a Philippians 4:8?

66
 Chapter 13
The Power of Beholding

Walking in the Spirit is really a simple concept. We

need help to misunderstand it! Transformation and
freedom are really simple to experience. We see this
in the book of 2 Corinthians chapter 3.

2Co 3:14 But their minds were blinded. For until this
day the same veil remains unlifted in the reading of
the Old Testament, because the veil is taken away in
Christ.
2Co 3:15 But even to this day, when Moses is read, a
veil lies on their heart.
2Co 3:16 Nevertheless when one turns to the Lord, the
veil is taken away.

Here we see a problem with the unbelieving Jews.

They had a veil on their face when the law was read.
When you have a veil over your face, your vision is
restricted everywhere except upon yourself. The only
thing to look at underneath a veil, is at yourself. You
have no other choice but to be a navel-gazer when you

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 have a veil over your face! How do you get rid of the
veil? By looking up to Christ. When you do this, the
veil that causes you to be self-focused is removed. If
you read the law and only see what you must do to
satisfy a holy God, you are putting a
When you
veil over your face. To a veiled
have a veil
person reading the law, the law is all
over your
about them. However, if you see
face, your
vision is that the law was a shadow, fulfilled
restricted by Jesus, and put your eyes on Him,
everywhere that restrictive veil is removed! (Col.
except upon 2:17) Your gaze will be upon the
yourself loveliness of your Savior!
When we turn our focus upon Christ seated at the
right hand of God, the law of the Spirit of life in Christ
Jesus kicks in!

2Co 3:17 Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the
Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.

When the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus

kicks in, you will experience freedom! Trying to change
yourself into God’s image by your own self-effort is
complicated and constantly strains you. All that effort

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doesn’t even work! Folks, you don’t have to try to
change yourself. You can experience transformation
by the Spirit of God!

2Co 3:18 But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as

in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being
transformed into the same image from glory to glory,
just as by the Spirit of the Lord.

Here we see God’s plan for transformation and just

how easy it is. The one qualification for this
transformation process to work is for us to have an
unveiled face. This means our focus can’t be on
ourselves or the natural. Our focus must be on the
risen Lord in the Spirit. Transformation takes place
when we simply behold through a mirror the glory of
the Lord.
The mirror we look through is the Word of God.
We would not even know about Jesus without the
Word. When we focus on the things of the Spirit
shown to us in the Word, this process will take place.
Also, notice where our focus is to be? We are to behold
the glory of the LORD, not the ugliness of ourselves!
When we simply behold the glory of the Lord and keep

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our focus on Him, the law of
the Spirit of life kicks in. We Transformation
will be transformed into the takes place when
same image, from glory to
we simply behold
through a mirror
glory. Will this be by our
the glory of the
works and willpower? No, it
Lord
will be by the Spirit of the
Lord! This is how simple it is folks. Many just can’t
believe it is that easy. People stumble over the
stumbling stone which is Jesus! They think they
change themselves more into the image of the Lord.
No, child of God, just come and behold the Lord
through the Word, and the Spirit will do it for you! This
is the glory of God’s grace! Grace is what God does for
us! Stop struggling and start beholding! You will be
amazed at the transformation in you!

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 Questions for Discussion

1. What does it mean to have a veil over your face?

2. How is a spiritual veil removed from your face?

3. How does transformation into the image of Jesus

occur according to 2 Cor. 3:18?

4. What is the stumbling stone many stumble over?

Why is that?

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 Chapter 14
Let your Dagon become a By-Gone!

Many Christians have become enslaved to

alcohol, drugs, food, smoking, pornography, etc. These
have become idols in their lives. They seek these for
comfort or pleasure, but instead of offering freedom
and satisfaction, they bind and destroy. An idol is
something that replaces God, putting our focus and
affection on it, rather than Him.
As we have seen, the Law of Focus will cause the
thing focused on to have dominion and control in our
lives. If we focus on God, we will experience His
keeping power of holiness in our heart and life. If we
focus on things other than God to meet our needs, we
will soon find those things exercising authority and
power over us and we will be enslaved.
How do we break free from idols that have taken
us captive? It certainly won’t be by exercising our
willpower. The more we struggle against an idol by
telling ourselves not to submit, the more we
strengthen sin in our flesh. Telling ourselves to abstain
from something is operating under the law. Sin is
strengthened in the presence of the law - I can’t, I must

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not, I shall not. Sin at its root is rebellion. Where there
is no law, there can be no rebellion. Once law is
introduced, rebellion can manifest. Again, if we try to
break free from an idol by telling ourselves not to
submit to it, our desire for it will only strengthen. It is
a no-win situation. So, how do we break free from an
idol? By bringing it into the presence of God!
We see this principle in the Old Testament when
the Ark of the Covenant was taken captive by the
Philistines and placed in the temple next to their idol,
Dagon.

1Sa 5:2 When the Philistines took the ark of God, they
brought it into the house of Dagon and set it by
Dagon.
1Sa 5:3 And when the people of Ashdod arose early
in the morning, there was Dagon, fallen on its face to
the earth before the ark of the LORD. So they took
Dagon and set it in its place again.

The Philistines set the Ark of God, which is also

called the Ark of God’s Presence, by Dagon, the great
Philistine idol. They left it there overnight but when
the arose early in the morning, they found their great

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and powerful idol had fallen on its face in the Presence
of God! Instead of falling down and worshipping God,
the Philistines propped up their idol again and left it for
another night.

1Sa 5:4 And when they arose early the next morning,
there was Dagon, fallen on its face to the ground
before the ark of the LORD. The head of Dagon and
both the palms of its hands were broken off on the
threshold; only Dagon's torso was left of it.

The next morning, they once again arose to find

their great and powerful idol, Dagon, prostrate before
the Presence of God. Only this time, something else
happened. Dagon’s head and hands had been broken
off! The head speaks of authority and the hands speak
of power. The authority and power of this idol were
destroyed by being exposed to the presence of God for
a protracted period of time. Notice, the head and
hands were not broken off until the second night the
idol was in God’s Presence.
How will the strong and mighty idol holding you
captive be broken in your life? The same way Dagon
was broken! By bringing the idol in your life with you

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 Just keep into the presence of the Lord
coming into and beholding Him. Most
God’s presence people will not come to God
and beholding with an idol in their life because
and they think God will reject them.
worshipping God knows you can’t free
Him and your yourself from the power of the
Dagon will idol in your life. He will break its
soon become a power for you! It may not
by-gone! break immediately, but most
assuredly it will! Just keep coming into God’s presence,
beholding and worshipping Him, and your Dagon will
soon become a by-gone! Focus on the Lord instead of
the idol, and its head and hands will be broken off, and
you find yourself free from it! Praise God!

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 Questions for Discussion

1. What is an idol?

2. Have you had, or do you have an idol in your life?

3. What does it mean to operate under the law when

trying to say no to an idol that has taken hold of
you?

4. What caused Dagon to be broken? How will an idol

in your life be broken?

5. What do the broken head and hands of Dagon

represent?

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 Chapter 15
Graze and Gaze!

We have seen the importance of setting our minds

on the things of the Spirit. In the next few chapters, we
will look at spiritual disciplines that help us do it. In the
previous chapter, we saw the importance of beholding
the glory of Jesus through the mirror. The Word is the
mirror that shows us the glory of the resurrected Jesus
Christ. Meditating on the word is setting your mind on
the things of the Spirit!

Jas 1:22 But be doers of the word, and not hearers

only, deceiving yourselves.
Jas 1:23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not
a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a
mirror;
Jas 1:24 for he observes himself, goes away, and
immediately forgets what kind of man he was.
Jas 1:25 But he who looks into the perfect law of
liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful
hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed
in what he does.

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 The Word of God is a mirror that shows us the glory
of the Lord. Just as a man can look into a natural mirror
to see His natural face, we look into the spiritual mirror
to see the reflection of Jesus. In the new birth, we have
been born again in the
The Word of image of Christ. As we
God is a mirror behold the resurrected
that shows us Jesus and see Him as He is,
the glory of
we have a glimpse of our
the Lord
new self in Christ.

1Jn 4:17 Love has been perfected among us in this:

that we may have boldness in the day of judgment;
because as He is, so are we in this world.

John reveals to us, as Christ is, so are we in this

present world. How can we know how we are in the
present world in the eyes of God? By beholding how
Christ is right now at the right hand of God. To do this,
we must look regularly in the mirror of God’s Word and
see the perfect law of liberty, which is the gospel and
person of Jesus Christ. We can’t see how we are in this
present world through the eyes of God without seeing
how Jesus is right now at the right hand of God, and we
can’t do that without the Word. The Word is our only

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way to see what is true in the spirit realm. We can’t
connect with the spirit realm with our natural five
senses. We can only know and see what is true in the
spirit realm by the Word of God and revelation of the
Holy Spirit.
Therefore, it is vital that we spend time in God’s
Word. If we look at the Word as a mirror for the
purpose of measuring ourselves to God’s standards, it
will minister condemnation and death to us. However,
if we use the Word as a mirror to behold the glory of
the Lord, we will be transformed into the same image
outwardly as Jesus is now at the right hand of God.
When we look through the mirror in this way, the Word
is spirit and life to us.

Joh 6:63 It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits
nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and
they are life.

The words of Christ and about Christ are spirit and

life. They are the connectors to the law of the Spirit of
life in Christ Jesus. They are the “things of the spirit”.
Any and all truths in the Word that reveal what is true
in the spirit realm are called the “things of the Spirit”.

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We are to set our mind on the things of the Spirit.
Doing this only produces life and peace. Rom. 8:6
It is important to learn to
It is graze and gaze! When we
important to feed on the Word, we also
learn to
need to see the glory of the
graze and
Lord through it. The Word
gaze! When
shows us what the Lord is like.
we feed on
the Word, we Through the revelation of the
also need to Word, we can gaze at the Lord,
see the glory causing us to be transformed
of the Lord into the same image from
through it glory to glory, even by the
Spirit of the Lord.
Without the mirror of the Word to see how the
Lord is, you might think of Him to be quite severe or
harsh. However, when looking at the New Testament,
you see Him as love, having taken our sins and judging
them at the cross. We can see His grace and mercy!
Reading and meditating on the Word are disciplines
that help us set our mind on the things of the Spirit and
therefore walk in the Spirit.
I would encourage you to start in the letters
written to the church and underline the verses that use
the words, “in Him, through Him, by Him, and by

80
whom” and meditate on them. These verses show you
what is true in the spirit realm and what is true in your
born-again spirit. As your mind is set on these things
of the Spirit, you will experience the divine flow of the
law of the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus. You will see
transformation outwardly into the same image from
glory to glory by the Spirit of the Lord!

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 Questions for Discussion

1. When we look into the mirror of God’s Word whose

reflection do we see?

2. Why is it important to behold just how Jesus is?

3. What does the phrase “graze and gaze” mean to

you?

4. Why is it important to focus on the Words of Jesus?

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 Chapter 16
Worship, Praise, & Thanksgiving

Meditating on the Word of God is a powerful way

to set your mind on the things of the Spirit, but it is not
the only way. In this chapter, I want to look at other
ways we can do this. They are worship, praise, and
thanksgiving. These are connected to the Spirit-filled
life.

Eph 5:18 And do not be drunk with wine, in which is

dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit,
Eph 5:19 speaking to one another in psalms and
hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making
melody in your heart to the Lord,
Eph 5:20 giving thanks always for all things to God
the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,

Here, Paul does not define walking in the Spirit.

However, he does instruct us how - by giving thanks,
singing and making melody in our hearts. What all
these practices have in common is they put our focus
completely in the Spirit and upon the Lord, and off

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ourselves and the natural. When we do this, the law of
the Spirit of Life is switched on and flows into our soul
and body. The presence of God is directly tied to
worship and praise.

Psa 22:3 But thou art holy, O thou that inhabitest the
praises of Israel. (KVJ)

The presence of God is experienced when we

praise and worship God because our focus is upon Him
and not us! The law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus
flows to us.

2Ch 5:13 It came even to pass, as the trumpeters and

singers were as one, to make one sound to be heard
in praising and thanking the LORD; and when they
lifted up their voice with the trumpets and cymbals
and instruments of musick, and praised the LORD,
saying, For he is good; for his mercy endureth for ever:
that then the house was filled with a cloud, even the
house of the LORD; (KJV)
2Ch 5:14 So that the priests could not stand to
minister by reason of the cloud: for the glory of the
LORD had filled the house of God. (KJV)
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 We see when the temple was dedicated, the
priests praised and thanked God, and the house of the
Lord was filled with the presence and glory of God.
Again, the presence of God is connected to praise,
worship, and thanksgiving. When we engage in them,
the law of the Spirit of life goes into effect!
You cannot truly worship God and be focused
upon yourself at the same time - that would make you
cross-eyed! In worship, our full attention is upon the
Lord as we behold His glory. As we do this, the law of
the Spirit of life works in us to transform us.
I would encourage you
You cannot
to download Pandora® or
truly worship
Spotify® on your phone and
God and be
make a playlist of many songs focused upon
that exalt or speak of the yourself at the
person of Jesus. This will help same time. That
keep your mind set on the would make
Lord in the Spirit. you cross-eyed!

85
 Questions for Discussion

1. Why is worship and praise of God important?

2. Is the law of the Spirit of life connected to

worship? If so, how?

3. How is self-focus and worship of God

incompatible?

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 Chapter 17
Prayer

Prayer is another thing that will set your mind on

the things of the Spirit. Prayer is communion with God.
The Greek word for prayer is proseuche. This word
means face-to-face prayer. You cannot rightly pray
without being focused upon God. I have noticed, or
rather my wife has noticed, that I can’t have a real
conversation with her until my focus is upon her.
Prayer is the language of dependence. It is
interesting to note, out of the 613 commands in the
Law, not one of them is to pray. The Law depended
wholly upon your own strength and resources to meet
God’s demands. Under the New Covenant, God offers
to satisfy His own demands
for us, in us, and through us. Under the New
That is why we see Covenant, God
exhortations to pray day and offers to satisfy
night in the New Testament. His own
As we draw upon God in demands for us,
prayer, we can see His power in us, and
working in us and through us through us
to fulfill His will.

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 We have established that true prayer is a focused
communication with God. Many people’s prayers
occur during the busyness of their day, either driving
or working. I am not saying it is wrong to pray at those
times, but we need consecrated times of undistracted
focus upon God to engage in communication with Him,
talking and listening. I find it works out best for me
when I listen first and then speak!
I will be honest with you, I have struggled the most
in this area. Much of my prayer happens while I am
doing other things, like driving or working. For some
reason, it has been a challenge for me to get quiet and
talk with God. I have found that just sitting and
beholding the Lord in my heart opens up times of
communication with Him.
While we are on the subject of prayer, let’s talk
about praying in tongues. I think in some charismatic
circles praying in tongues is the great panacea for
everything. Praying in tongues is important and very
useful, but it does not do everything for us. I was under
the impression for years that praying in tongues was
how I would be filled with the Holy Spirit. I would pray
hour upon hour in tongues only to later fall into the
same sins that plagued me. I thought praying in
tongues would make these sinful habits disappear, but

88
they did not. The truth is, praying in tongues is not the
way we are filled with the Spirit. Let’s look at the book
of Acts.

Act 2:4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit
and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit
gave them utterance.

Notice the order in this verse, the early disciples

were first filled with the Holy Spirit, and then began to
speak with other tongues. It does not say, “they spoke
in tongues and were filled with the Spirit.”
Speaking in tongues does not automatically cause
the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus to flow into
your soul and body. What does? Setting your mind
upon the things of the Spirit! So, while praying in
tongues, I encourage you to set your mind on the
things of the Spirit to get the maximum benefit from
praying in tongues.

89
 Questions for Discussion

1. Where is your focus when you rightly pray?

2. Why is it important to have undistracted time for

prayer?

3. Why is prayer the language of dependence?

4. Will praying in tongues itself cause the law of the

Spirit of life to flow into your soul and body? Explain

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 Chapter 18
What about Maturity?

In chapter two, we covered the subject of

spirituality. We learned spirituality is not the end
result of a process or something you grow into, but
rather a mind-set - a decision to focus on the things of
the Spirit. (Rom. 8:5) If we don’t grow into spirituality,
then what is spiritual maturity? Spiritual maturity is
seen in how long we maintain a spiritual mind-set and
how fast we can get back to that mind-set when our
focus shifts to the things of the flesh.
A common trait amongst small children is their
short attention spans! You can assign them a task, yet
it won’t take much to distract them from it. The same
thing goes for young Christians. They are easily
distracted from spiritual things by fleshly things. They
spend more of their time focused upon themselves,
the natural things of life, and their problems. They
often focus on their sins and try to overcome them by
their self-efforts. As we saw with Paul in Romans 7, this
is carnality. A young Christian is not able to start
growing spiritually until they put their focus on the
Lord through the Word of God.

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1Pe 2:2 as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the
word, that you may grow thereby,

It is possible for a Christian to remain a baby for an

indefinite period of time if their focus remains on
themselves and the natural realm. This was true of the
saints in Corinth.

1Co 3:1 And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to

spiritual people but as to carnal, as to babes in Christ.
1Co 3:2 I fed you with milk and not with solid food;
for until now you were not able to receive it, and even
now you are still not able;
1Co 3:3 for you are still carnal. For where there are
envy, strife, and divisions among you, are you not
carnal and behaving like mere men?

The Corinthians were stuck in baby stage. Why?

Because they were so self-centered! Paul, in 1
Corinthians, dealt with many problems in the church,
and all of them were rooted in self-centeredness.
We can see the same thing in the church today.
There are some Christians who have never grown past

92
babyhood although they have been saved for 30 years!
Would it seem strange if you looked into a bassinet
expecting to see a beautiful little baby, but the
occupant had a beard? Yes, of course it would! This
happens every day in the church and it should not be!
It is possible to remain a baby, but when a young
believer sets their mind on the things of the Spirit, they
will start growing. Their maturity level will be seen in
how long they can maintain a spiritual mindset and
how fast they recover from a
carnal one. Let me say this... One cannot
One cannot start growing, start growing,
spiritually speaking, unless they spiritually
are spiritual first. This means to speaking,
have their mind set on the unless they are
things of the Spirit.
spiritual first

Progress in the Christian life is not static. You are

either maturing or you are digressing in maturity. It is
possible to have grown as a Christian and then digress
back to being a baby again. This happened to the saints
in the book of Hebrews.

Heb 5:12 For though by this time you ought to be

teachers, you need someone to teach you again the

93
first principles of the oracles of God; and you have
come to need milk and not solid food.

Here we see, these Christians needed to be taught

again the first principles of the Word of God. They had
come to need milk. This means they had at one point
advanced beyond just milk, but they had come again to
need only milk because they could not handle the meat
anymore. What happened to these Christians? These
Hebrew saints got saved by looking to Jesus for
salvation. They also heard the message that Jesus was
returning quickly and started witnessing to their fellow
Jews about the soon coming King. However, years had
gone by and the Jews started mocking them and asking
where this Jesus was. They were being persecuted for
their faith and began to waver. Some had left church
and returned to the temple and were even sacrificing
animals that represented Jesus. They returned to the
law. The law is based upon you and your own abilities
to perform for God. They took their eyes off Jesus and
looked to themselves. They became carnal. In doing so
they reverted to babyhood stage again. What was the
antidote for their problem? The writer of Hebrews tells
them towards the end of the book.

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Heb 12:2 looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher
of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him
endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat
down at the right hand of the throne of God.

How would they start growing again? It was by

LOOKING UNTO JESUS! This is how we will become
spiritual and start growing ourselves. This is how we
are to walk in the Spirit.

95
 Questions for Discussion

1. How can you see maturity in a Christian according

to this chapter?

2. Why do many Christians not mature in their

Christian life?

3. What is needed to start growing as a Christian

according to this chapter? Explain

4. Why did the Hebrew saints regress in their spiritual

maturity? What was the answer for them to start
growing again?

96
 Chapter 19
The Discipline of the Mind

If we are going to walk in the Spirit, we will need to

set our mind on the things of the Spirit. Our mind
needs to be disciplined and trained to think spiritually
and not carnally. A carnal Christian will immediately
start trying on their own to discipline their mind. This
is a focus upon yourself and is the definition of
carnality! We are not called to do anything in our own
strength. No, we are to discipline our mind by the aid
of the Spirit of God and His grace!

2Ti 1:7 For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of
power and of love and of a sound mind.

Here we see we have been given a spirit of a sound

mind. The Greek word for “sound mind” literally
means saved thinking. The Holy Spirit will lead and
empower us to discipline our minds. You need to invite
the Holy Spirit to do this. The Holy Spirit helps some
Christians much more than He helps others. Not
because God is a respecter of persons, but because
some Christians depend a lot more on the Holy Spirit
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than other people do. We only need to ask the Spirit
to help us with this and to remind us when our mind is
on the things of the flesh, and He will. We are not
called to control ourselves. One of the fruits of the
Spirit is self-control. Self can’t control self! The Spirit
will help you control self!
When you start practicing the discipline of setting
your mind on the things of the Spirit you will notice
how often your mind strays back upon the natural
realm. Most people do not realize just how carnal they
are until they start practicing setting their mind on the
things of the Spirit! Don’t be discouraged with
yourself. When you notice your mind is downward on
yourself, your problems, or just natural things, look up
and focus upon Jesus. The law of the Spirit of life will
kick in. You will experience life and peace! You will
find yourself more proficient at this as you practice this
as a new lifestyle.
I think it is important that we make this a lifestyle
and not just something we try to do when we are
tempted with sin. I have found that as I have made this
my lifestyle, I am not tempted very often with areas
that held me in bondage for years. I have found new
freedom. Praise God!

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 Questions for Discussion

1. How does the Holy Spirit help us with walking in the

Spirit?

2. Why does the Holy Spirit help some Christians more

than He helps others?

3. Why is it important to make walking in the Spirit a

lifestyle and not something you just try to do when
you are tempted with sin?

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 Chapter 20
In Conclusion

In conclusion, to walk in the Spirit you only need to

keep your eyes on Jesus and get them off yourself and
the natural realm. As you keep your mind off yourself,
you will find a new level of life and peace in your soul.
Just enjoy Jesus! Don’t make it more complicated than
that.
When you are tempted with a sinful habit, resist
the urge to focus on it and don’t try to overcome it with
willpower. In the end, you will lose this fight. Instead,
just look up and focus on Jesus who is on the throne in
Heaven. In doing so, the Spirit will put that sinful thing
to death for you. Remember how we kill spiritual rats!
Spend time in the Word, looking for and beholding
Jesus! Spend time worshipping and praising the Lord
as this keeps your mind fully set on Him.
When you find yourself anxious about life, or find
yourself upset, this is a sign your mind is set on the
things of the flesh and this world. Don’t get
condemned, just look up and pray! Your answer is
found up, not down! Your main objective should be to

100
continue to behold the Lord and then walk in the flow
of grace that comes from that.
I hope this book has been a blessing to you and the
simple but profound revelation we studied will make a
huge difference in your life! Now, go and walk in the
Spirit!
If you have a testimony on how this book has
helped you, I would love to hear about it. You can send
it to [email protected]

101
 Questions for Discussion

1. What will you find if you keep your mind off

yourself and your problems?

2. When you are tempted by something sinful

what should you do?

3. What should your main objective be?

102
 Epilogue

This book has been designed for personal and

group use.
If this book has impacted your life, please consider
sharing it with others by holding a small Bible study. I
encourage you to find four friends with whom you
would like to share this book.
I advise five sessions be held. At each meeting one
chapter can be read per member followed by a group
discussion of the questions at the end of each chapter.
The chapters are short and four chapters could be
completed during each meeting. If you prefer to
progress more slowly, adding more session times
would be appropriate.
When the book study is completed, I encourage
you to ask if any members in the group were impacted
by the study and if they can then find four other people
to hold the same kind of Bible study.

Rick McFarland

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