In Step with the Spirit

Every so often, a person who has confessed Christ as his Savior,  needs to take an inventory.  We must never cease our movement along the path to sanctification.  Perfection will not be achieved in this life regardless of the teachings of John Wesley, but we must never quit our progress.  There will be, at times, what appear to be Godless periods, but trust me, once the Holy Spirit takes up residence, he does not leave.  The lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life always tug at us but we must cleave to the Savior.  For the past several years, I have followed a blog written by Harold “Doc” Arnett.  I have never met him but his words minister to my soul.  His latest entry of August 8, 2011 entitled “In Step with the Spirit” has stirred me to reassess my commitment to daily walking with the Lord.  Perhaps some of the words that he has written as well as scriptures that I have selected to use for each thought in his posting will also stir you.

In Step with the Spirit

Posted on August 8, 2011 by Doc Arnett

(View on docarnett.wordpress.com)

Faith in the face of adversity

Hope in the midst of despair

Love in response to hostility

Peace that surpasses understanding

Gentleness that exceeds all demanding

Forgiveness beyond all wounding

Patience that abounds above all trials

Compassion that flows from a pure heart, a pure mind, and a pure life

Wisdom that seeks the good of others

Knowledge that escapes every aspect of pride

Righteousness that seeks the very face of God

Purity that avoids every appearance of evil

Holiness that spurns every notion of pride

Humility that is never feigned

Contentment in all things

Mercy that never yields to vengeance

Devotion that is unwavering:

May you be so filled with Christ

that every aspect of your nature

reflects your unity with him.

H. Arnett

8/8/11

Faith 

1 Cor 16:13  Be on the alert, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong.
2 Thess 1:4-5  therefore, we ourselves speak proudly of you among the churches of God for your 
perseverance and faith in the midst of all your persecutions and afflictions which you endure. This is a plain indication of God's righteous judgment so that you will be considered worthy of the

kingdom of God, for which indeed you are suffering.

James 1:2-3 Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the
testing of your faith produces endurance.

Hope
Ps 42:5 Why are you in despair, O my soul?  And why have you become disturbed within me?
Hope in God, for I shall again praise Him For the help of His presence.
Job 13:15 Though He slay me, I will hope in Him.
Ps 71:14  But as for me, I will hope continually, And will praise You yet more and more.

Love

Matt 5:44 But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,
Luke 6:31-32 "Treat others the same way you want them to treat you.   "If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them.

Peace

Phil 4:7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
2 Thess 3:16 Now may the Lord of peace Himself continually grant you peace in every circumstance. The Lord be with you all!

Gentleness

Eph 4:1-3  Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called,  with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love,  being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
1 Peter 3:15 But sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence;

Forgiveness

Matt 6:15 But if you do not forgive others, then your Father will not forgive your transgressions.
Matt 18:35 My heavenly Father will also do the same to you, if each of you does not forgive his brother from your heart."

Patience
1 Peter 2:20  For what credit is there if, when you sin and are harshly treated, you endure it with patience? But if when you do what is right and suffer for it you patiently endure it, this finds favor with God.

Compassion with a pure heart, a pure mind, and a pure life
Prov 28:13 He who conceals his transgressions will not prosper, But he who confesses and forsakes them will find compassion.
Col 3:12-13  So, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience;  bearing with one another, and forgiving each other,
Ps 24:4-5  He who has clean hands and a pure heart,  Who has not lifted up his soul to falsehood
And has not sworn deceitfully.   He shall receive a blessing from the Lord And righteousness from the God of his salvation.
2 Tim 2:21  Now flee from youthful lusts and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.
Prov 22:11  He who loves purity of heart And whose speech is gracious, the king is his friend.
1 Peter 1:14-16 As obedient children, do not be conformed to the former lusts which were yours in your ignorance,  but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior;  because it is written, "YOU SHALL BE HOLY, FOR I AM HOLY."

Wisdom

Col 1:9-10  For this reason also, since the day we heard of it, we have not ceased to pray for you and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding,  so that you will walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God;
Col 3:16  Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God.
Col 4:5  Conduct yourselves with wisdom toward outsiders, making the most of the opportunity.

Knowledge

Prov 13:16  Every prudent man acts with knowledge, But a fool displays folly.
1 Cor 8:1-3  Now concerning things sacrificed to idols, we know that we all have knowledge. Knowledge makes arrogant, but love edifies. If anyone supposes that he knows anything, he has not yet known as he ought to know;  but if anyone loves God, he is known by Him.

Righteousness
Prov 21:3  To do righteousness and justice is desired by the Lord more than sacrifice.
Rom 14:17 for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.
1 John 3:10 By this the children of God and the children of the devil are obvious: anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor the one who does not love his brother.
 
Purity
2 Tim 2:16 But avoid worldly and empty chatter, for it will lead to further ungodliness, 1
Col 3:5-7 Therefore consider the members of your earthly body as dead to immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed, which amounts to idolatry.  For it is because of these things that the wrath of God will come upon the sons of disobedience, and in them you also once walked, when you were living in them.
1 Thess 5:21-22  But examine everything carefully; hold fast to that which is good;  abstain from every form of evil.
3 John 11  Beloved, do not imitate what is evil, but what is good. The one who does good is of God; the one who does evil has not seen God.

Holiness

2 Cor 1:12  For our proud confidence is this: the testimony of our conscience, that in holiness and godly sincerity, not in fleshly wisdom but in the grace of God, we have conducted ourselves in the world, and especially toward you.
Ps 75:5 Do not lift up your horn on high, Do not speak with insolent pride.'"
Prov 29:23  A man's pride will bring him low, But a humble spirit will obtain honor.
 
Humility
Prov 22:4  The reward of humility and the fear of the Lord are riches, honor and life.
Phil 2:3  Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves;
Col 3:12   So, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience;
 
Contentment
1 Tim 6:6   But godliness actually is a means of great gain when accompanied by contentment.
2 Cor 12:10   Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ's sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong.
Phil 4:11  Not that I speak from want, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am.
Heb 13:5   Make sure that your character is free from the love of money, being content with what you have; for He Himself has said, "I WILL NEVER DESERT YOU, NOR WILL I EVER FORSAKE YOU,"

Mercy

Nah 1:2  A jealous and avenging God is the Lord;  The Lord is avenging and wrathful. The Lord takes vengeance on His adversaries, And He reserves wrath for His enemies.
Rom 12:19 Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written, "VENGEANCE IS MINE, I WILL REPAY," says the Lord.
Heb 4:16   Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

Devotion

1 Cor 7:35   This I say for your own benefit; not to put a restraint upon you, but to promote what is appropriate and to secure undistracted devotion to the Lord.
Rom 12:9-13   Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in brotherly love; give preference to one another in honor;  not lagging behind in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord;  rejoicing in hope, persevering in tribulation, devoted to prayer,  contributing to the needs of the saints, practicing hospitality.

Unity
Ps 133:1  Behold, how good and how pleasant it is For brothers to dwell together in unity!
John 17:23   I in them and You in Me, that they may be perfected in unity, so that the world may know that You sent Me, and loved them, even as You have loved Me.
Eph 4:1-3    Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called,  with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love,  being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
Eph 4:11-16   And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers,  for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ;  until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ.  As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming;  but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ,  from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by what every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love.
Col 3:14-15  Beyond all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity.

In closing, go back to the first three topics.  They are summed up in the Word by this passage.

1 Cor 13:13  But now faith, hope, love, abide these three; but the greatest of these is love.

Have a Blessed day!