Put The Spirit First · Tuesday, September 4th · Pastor Chris

 

But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him (John 4:23).

One thing you must accord prime importance in your life as a Christian, is to always put the Spirit first; give Him the preeminence in your life. Never allow anything take your attention or focus away from Him; put Him before everything else.

Even in prayer, the Apostle Paul shows us the prime place of the Spirit when he says in 1Corinthians 14:15: "What is it then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will pray with the understanding also: I will sing with the spirit, and I will sing with the understanding also." Observe that praying in the spirit came first. A good number of Christians have this in the reverse. Many who pray in the spirit at all, pray with the understanding first, and then pray with the spirit.

Such believers would have their lives dominated by natural circumstances because they put their understanding first and the spirit last. Hence, no matter what they face in life, they’d respond first from their understanding. This of course, would be a response of fear, agitation, and apprehension; because they’ve only trained themselves to think and reason first from the standpoint of their human understanding. Their answers come from the carnal realm.

The experience of King Asa of Judah shows that it’s dangerous to live this way as a Christian. Asa was a wonderful king, who experienced God’s favour when he assumed the throne as king of Judah. The Lord helped him against his enemies several times because He put the Lord first. However, the Bible tells us that thirty-nine years into Asa’s reign as king of Judah, he became "…diseased in his feet, until his disease was exceeding great: yet in his disease he sought not to the LORD, but to the physicians" (2 Chronicles 16:12).

Rather than seek the Lord, Asa resorted to the doctors for help. The doctors couldn’t help him, and he died of the disease. Let the Spirit always come first in your life. Make it a principle for yourself; to trust the Lord always and seek His help only!

Prayer
Dear Father, I thank you for your love, your grace, and the power of your Word in my life! I thank you also for the fellowship of the Holy Spirit and the blessings I receive as I yield myself to you to have your way in my life, in Jesus’ Name. Amen.

f u r t h e r s t u d y: Romans 8:14 – For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.

 Romans 8:6 - For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.

Daily Scripture Reading

1 Year Reading Plan : Proverbs 14-15; 2 Corinthians 2:5-3:1-6 (2 Year Reading Plan : 1 Thessalonians 4:9-18; Jeremiah 22)