Power Walk Ministries

Guest (Male): Thanks for joining us for today's Power Walk Ministries broadcast. We're glad that you've joined us as Pastor Paul Cannings continues teaching from Second Corinthians chapter 10 in this series titled Battlefield. It's so easy for us to think we're independent and self-reliant. We don't easily ask others for help, but we try to handle life on our own. But when it comes to our walk with God, he desires the opposite for us. God has given us the Holy Spirit to lead and guide us each step of the way, and he wants us to rely on him. Here's Pastor Cannings with today's message called The Holy Spirit.

Dr. Paul Cannings: A year ago, I had to fix something, and so I went to the garage to get some tools to fix it, and it was very hard to fix, and I was trying my best to fix it. And I said, oh man, I was hoping not to spend money on this. It's not still seem to be a major issue. I had to call somebody to get it done. And so I look at him and look at what he was doing, and and I realized something critical that he was doing. He had the right tools. He had the right tools.

I was fiddling with something. I basically knew what to do and not before before YouTube and all that stuff. I I was literally studied it really carefully, and I thought I had it, and and sure enough, he didn't do much different than I. He definitely had a lot more experience on how to go about it, but the tools was critical to how he operated that day. Life has got its challenges, folks. You know, I don't arrive from heaven to speak to you today. I I live on earth like you. I deal with all the issues you deal with every day.

I've raised kids, been in a marriage now at this point, 44 years. I dealt with family, losing family members. I've pastored for over 30 years, and the persons that come out of it better are the persons that had the right equipment and applied it to life. So we've been going through this process of what not to use and why it's important not to use it and why is it important to manage how you deal with the weapons that you need to take to the battlefield because life is a battlefield. The Bible doesn't hide it. He tells us that Satan is going to heaven day and night seeking to destroy us.

Revelation chapter 12 verse 10 says you do not war with the flesh. No, no, you war with principalities and powers. He's telling us this is not a where people may attack you on the job, and all these different things may happen even in the house. We have allowed Satan to come in because maybe we let anger sit around too long. Maybe we telling lies like Ananias and Sapphira, and that invited Satan in. As the Bible says, Christians can be influenced by Satan. They can be possessed by Satan, but they could be influenced by Satan. If we start believing in slanderous things, Satan will get us going.

I mean, there's a list there that the Bible takes us through that teaches us that believers can be influenced by Satan if we allow him to get ingrained in our flesh. He could lead us into sin. If that happens to a believer, the weapons were not properly aligned so that they can function productively no matter what takes place. We went through a list talking about how we wear this armor as we discussed this yesterday. Here's the key thing to this whole process that please do not forget. The Holy Spirit must be triggered in order for all the weapons to come to life.

When we get saved, the person that makes us a brand new creation is the Holy Spirit, then not the weapons first, the Holy Spirit first. Why is that critical in this whole process? And and that's why yes, not some of them come into us now. All the Holy Spirit comes into us. Titus chapter 3 verse 4 through verse 5 says he's poured into us right at the point of salvation just like in the house regenerates us to this life and life abundantly that Christ is talking about. Oh yes, the Bible says when the Holy Spirit comes into us, he he comes in and seals us and provides us all spiritual blessings.

Ephesians chapter 1 verse 3 through 4, all spiritual blessings. So the Bible is saying he's critical for these things, and that's why we have to ignite him. How do we ignite the Holy Spirit? The Bible says one way only, one way only. We must be committed to practice the word of God. Hebrews chapter 5 verse 14 says this is what makes our senses get trained to know good and evil. We we could hear the Bible, we could study the Bible, we could do all these things, and we just be as Pharisaic and Sadducaic if such a word, and a zealot and a high priest as ever ever, and still crucify Christ when he talks about things we don't like because First Corinthians chapter 8 verse 1 and 2, he would literally say a person that is just in the brain studying the Bible and know the word of God.

The Bible is saying that person that's only focused on knowing but not practicing develops arrogance. There's two things we got to look at here that would ignite this process and bring to us what we need in order for all of this armor to ignite and to become generated to be productive for God. Here here's what he's going to say in chapter 2 verse 10 through verse 15. We want to read some of it. He says, but God had revealed it them unto us by his spirit, for spirit searches all things, yet the deep things of God.

Because if a man does not eat solid food and just drink milk, he's telling them in chapter 3, you're not going to grow spiritually if you just want superficial information and you just run on the superficial information and you feel you got it and you move on. He says, no, no, no, no. This spirit wants to take you on a deep dive because the word of God is powerful. It is sharper than a double-edged sword. For what man knoweth the things of a man save the spirit of a man which is in him? Even so the things of God knoweth no man but the spirit of God.

I don't care how intelligent, how many PhDs, how many degrees from seminaries all around the world, he says still would not know God. He says, you have received not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God, which things also we speak not in words which man's wisdom teacheth. He called that chapter 1 verse 20 foolishness, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth coming spiritual things with spiritual. That's why he says a natural man receiveth not the things of the spirit of God, but they are foolishness unto him.

Neither can he know them because they are spiritually discerned. So there's two key words that we have to talk about that helps us to ignite this Holy Spirit that takes us to a major things in the scriptures, major things that shapes us to become sons of God. Romans chapter 8 verse 12 through verse 17. We take on the character of God. That's why the same writer would say, I no longer live. It is Christ that lives in me. For me to live is Christ. To die is gain. Colossians chapter 3, I am in Christ. Christ is in God.

He's telling us we no longer live. That's why denying ourselves picking up the cross transitions us there can happen without the transforming work of the Holy Spirit. So I can't put on the armor until I'm strengthened. And that's why before the armor is talked about in Ephesians chapter 6, he's talking about be strong in the Lord. This word would lead to wisdom. This word will ignite the spirit of God so we walk in the truth. This is the key thing that happens, and it only happens on these two major things, two major things that would lead to this powerful internal powerful being called the Holy Spirit who's fully God, and he's saying when that happens, the whole house comes to life.

Nothing else can work without this. That's why he says before he says that in Ephesians chapter 6 verse 11 through 12, he describes it in Ephesians chapter 3 verse 14 through verse 21, and then he says in chapter 4 verse 12 through 13 there's no way a person can come to the fullness of God without the local church. Impossible. You can't miss church. Don't accept discipleship and grow this way. He says not going to happen. That's what he's saying. The family of God is huge, and he said there's two things that that family can help us to do.

Here's the two things. One, First John talks about this in verse 2 verse 2 through verse 6 is the word no. I need to come to an intimate relationship with God. You see this word no pop up with a husband and wife. They came to each other and they knew one another. The intimacy of the Holy Spirit is huge. Why is that huge? And it could only happen First John chapter 2. John likes this word no is if we practice the word of God, keep it when our flesh is wanting to go in the wrong direction, when our emotions go this way.

Nope, this is what the word of God says I'm doing it. That's why it's denying ourselves. Nope, this is what I am thinking this way because then these weapons of the flesh pop up. I'm keeping what God says, and I am going to go do what God says, and then the second thing comes out of it. The Bible says perfect love cast out fear because I am completely committed to abide in his word, committed to walk in his word. John is saying because that becomes my lifestyle, my pattern, the way in which I function, my goal but in terms of becoming a spiritual person for God's glory.

So I no longer Paul would say walk in the flesh. I now walk in the spirit. So love comes out of me, gentleness come out of me, kindness come out of me, strength for long suffering comes out of me because I am no longer walking in a flesh that strife and anger and bitterness and division come out of us. That's the flesh. It's not the spirit. It's not of God because we didn't ignite the Holy Spirit. Even when we go wrong, these things don't hold us and help us to keep. The Bible says when we walk in the spirit in John chapter 14 he says he will remind us of his word so we can know how to walk.

And in John chapter 16 he will convict us when we sin. And in John chapter 16 verse 7 through 11 is the conviction. In verse 13 is how we get to the truth when a person is practicing the word of God, obeying the word of God because you will know my disciples by the way they love one another. They're committed to do what God says. You will know people who love me because they keep my commandments. John 14 15. They'll keep my commandments. Then you know they love me because the Holy Spirit reminds, convicts, guides into truth.

The Holy Spirit will illuminate the word of God. The Holy Spirit will convict me and lead me so that I start to walk in righteousness. When I walk in righteousness, guess what I just put on? The breastplate. When I walk committed to the word of God, guess what I am doing? I am working out my salvation in fear and trembling. When I am committed to do what God says, guess what I just picked up? The sword of the spirit. And guess what I can now do? I can walk by faith and not by sight. So now I got the shield up, and guess what I am doing because the Holy Spirit is the spirit of peace.

I can put on the shoes of peace, and I can now walk in the powerful movement of the Holy Spirit because the house has been ignited and regenerated to produce life and life abundantly. The way for us to wear the armor is that we got to get the person who keeps us strong because we develop a commitment to him functioning powerfully in our lives is practicing the principles that God teaches. There's a transforming process that could make you live a life that says the sufferings of this present time does not compare to the glory to be revealed.

Stay focused.

Guest (Male): Thank you, Pastor Cannings. Friends, the Lord truly has given us everything we could possibly need to live a life of godliness. From here, let's get into the habit of waiting on the Holy Spirit to lead and guide us in every aspect of our lives. To order this entire series titled Battlefield, call us at 281 260 7402. That's 281 260 7402 or log on to powerwalkministries.org. That's powerwalkministries.org. And when you contact us, learn more about the ministry of Power Walk. We want every person to know God and the life-giving plan of salvation that he has for everyone.

Likewise, we want to equip believers with the word of God so we can spread the gospel even further. Would you partner with us in that ministry by becoming a power walk partner with your prayerful and financial support? We can continue and expand this ministry. Visit us online at powerwalkministries.org. That 's powerwalkministries.org. Or call us at 281 260 7402. That's 281 260 7402. We greatly appreciate your support. And now remember we can't overcome anger, bitterness, jealousy, lust, envy, or any other sinful thought or behavior when we try to get rid of these on our own. Instead, let's rely on the Holy Spirit living in us and experience true freedom.