EZRA: THE BELIEVER AS THE TEMPLE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
Lesson #08
- Memory Verse: 1Joh 5:18
- We have learned that all the past experiences of life with the hurts, fears, insecurities, bitterness, the guilt, and the negative feelings have been stored in the innermost part of man’s soul. It is this buried garbage that cripple’s the believer in his walk with the Lord.
- When a believer does not deal with root causes in his life, subsequent situations keep raising the same negative feelings and compounding the root sins.
- This is why we sometimes see a believer repeat over and over again certain sin patterns in his life.
- The cleansing of the hidden chambers of the soul is a gradual process that we call “sanctification”.
- In other words, cleaning out the garbage of the past does not occur immediately in the believer’s life no matter how committed he is to Christ. Why?
- The Holy Spirit is a gentleman. He deals with the believer in love and waits for our permission and cooperation to work in our innermost being.(2Tim 1:7)
- The Holy Spirit waits for the ideal timing of God to bring things to the surface so that we deal with them.
- It took us a lifetime of years to store the garbage.
- He brings to our conscious mind one small thing at a time.
- If He does not show you something immediately, it does not mean He is not willing. It simply means it is not the right time.
- The Holy Spirit works with the believer in the conviction of sin, in the revealing of truth, in the bringing of encouragement, and in the causing of life-changing restoration. (Joh 14:26; 15:26; 16:8, 14)
- He helps us to see ourselves as we really are. (The revelation)
- He helps us to be what Christ wants us to be. (The restoration)
- An important note: It is the job of the Holy Spirit to do the cleansing and the healing. The believer does not accomplish this by his own works or by worldly methods. The only things the Holy Spirit requires are permission and cooperation.
- Many Christians feel that they must clean up their past life to be acceptable to God.
- The opposite is true.
- Already the believer is acceptable to God through the shed blood of Jesus Christ.
- The Holy Spirit knows best how and what to cleanse in your past that inhibits your spiritual growth and your personal relationship with God.
- In other words, cleaning out the garbage of the past does not occur immediately in the believer’s life no matter how committed he is to Christ. Why?
- How does the Holy Spirit accomplish this work in the hidden chambers of the believer’s soul?
- Read Pro 3:20
- The strongholds of the enemy stored in the hidden chambers of the soul are broken up and removed by the Holy Spirit.
- Then “by his knowledge” truth is built into the empty chambers of the soul.
- The truth of the Word of God cleanses.
- The Holy Spirit uses the Word of God to establish and build God’s truth in us.
- Doesn’t psychology and psychiatry do the same thing? NO.
- The word “psychology” means = study of the psyche, or soul. Psychology can never deal with man’s spirit nor can it forgive sin.
- Comparison between psychology and healing of the hidden chambers of the soul by the Holy Spirit.
- Read Pro 3:20
PSYCHOLOGY | HEALING BY COOPERATION WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT | |
FOCUS | Knowing yourself and the building up of “self” so that you feel good about yourself and your life. The focus is on the dysfunctional systems in your life and other people’s responsibilities to you. | Denying “self” and letting the Holy Spirit build up Jesus Christ in you so that you are exchanging your life for the life of Jesus Christ. The focus is on your responsibility to submit to Christ. |
MEANS | Improving “self” by visualizing and re-living past experiences. Through therapy one relates his internal problems to a therapist. | Permitting the Holy Spirit to bring up the hurts and garbage from the past so that He can deal with it in God’s timing, with God’s love and God’s truth. |
PROCESS | Assigns blame for the root causes of one’s problems. (i.e. childhood environment, bad parenting, dysfunctional family, poverty, deprived childhood, etc.) so that the patient can love himself. | The forgiveness and cleansing of the root causes such as sin, pride, lust, bitterness, etc. so that you can love Christ more. |
RESULTS | The love and self-absorption with self. The process relives, reinforces and justifies the sins and feelings of the past. Symptoms are addressed but the root cause of sin is never dealt with. | The love and worship of Christ. This brings freedom to live a new life in Christ without the encumbrances of the past. Only God can forgive the root cause of sin. |
BASIC BELIEF | Man is basically good. | Man is basically evil because of his sin nature. |
BASIC TEACHING | In order to make faith choices, you must first heal the past. | In order to heal the past, you must first make faith choices. |
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- The Correct Biblical Perspective:
- Read Gal 2:20
- What is it that man must know?
- The believer must know by faith that he is dead to the things of the past.
- The believer must know that he has a new life available to him.
- What is that man must do?
- The believer must exchange his old life for his new life in Christ.
- The believer must let the Holy Spirit live in him by making faith choices.
- The believer must let the Holy Spirit live through him by making faith choices.
- What is it that man must know?
- Read Phil 3:13
- What is that man must do?
- Forget focusing on the garbage of the past that allows it to influence your decisions.
- Focusing on the things that God wants to do through you in the future.
- What is that man must do?
- Read 2Cor 10:5
- What is it that man must do?
- The believer must take captive any negative comments or thoughts and cast them down so they do not become new garbage stored in the hidden chambers of the soul.
- The believer must counter negativity with the positive truth of the Word of God.
- What is it that man must do?
- Read Gal 2:20
- The Correct Biblical Perspective:
By scripture reading.
By scripture memory.
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- The process and the result:
- The Holy Spirit over time exposes all the negative feelings.
- These are the symptoms that come to the surface.
- These are the things that the enemy grabs hold of in your personality to cause destruction in your life.
- When given our permission, the Holy Spirit exposes and deals with the root causes of these negative feelings. (root causes such as the sins of lust, pride, selfishness, lust for power, greed, vengeance, rebellion, witchcraft, etc.)
- When these root causes have been dealt with regarding a particular issue, the negative feelings will not occur again.
- Read Isa 45:3
- The Holy Spirit wants to fill the hidden chambers of the believer’s soul with the treasures of the wisdom and knowledge of God.
- The Holy Spirit wants to reveal to the believer the secrets of Almighty God.
- In our next lesson we will see exactly how the Holy Spirit fills the hidden chambers of the soul with the secret knowledge and wisdom of God.
- The Holy Spirit over time exposes all the negative feelings.
- The process and the result:
HOMEWORK
The Mind of God Working in You
- Application of Cleansing and Healing the Hidden Chambers
- Spend some time in prayer asking God to reveal the things He wants to heal in you.
- Spend some time in prayer listening to the Holy Spirit permitting Him to bring things to the surface.
- As specific incidents or situations are brought to your mind, give the Holy Spirit permission to reveal the root causes of your negative feelings.
- As the Holy Spirit reveals the root cause to you, ask God to forgive and cleanse you.
- Thank God for the cleansing power of the Holy Spirit and the forgiveness through the blood of Christ.
- Pray and ask God to bless and forgive all persons involved in that specific situation that the Holy Spirit first brought to mind.
- Preparation for The Mind of God Working in You
- Read the following scriptures:
- Read Rev 3:1
- Read Isa 11:2
- Read all the scriptures listed in the following chart.
- Read the following scriptures:
Number | The Gospel of John and the Role of Holy Spirit | Isaiah 11:2 | Other scriptures |
#1 | The Holy Spirit will abide with you and in you Joh 14:16 | The Spirit of understanding | The Spirit of holiness Rom 1:4 Phi 2:12-13 |
#2 | The Holy Spirit will teach you all things Joh 14:26 |
Spirit of wisdom | The Spirit of wisdom and revelation Eph 1:17-20 |
#3 | The Holy Spirit will testify of Jesus Christ Joh 15:26 | The Spirit of the Lord | The Spirit of adoption Rom 8:15-17 Gal 4:6 |
#4 | The Holy Spirit will reprove the world of sin Joh 16:8 | The Spirit of might | The Spirit of grace Heb 10:29 |
#5 | The Holy Spirit will guide you into all truth Joh 16:13 | The Spirit of counsel | Spirit of God (truth) Mat 12:28-29 |
#6 | The Holy Spirit will show you things to come Joh 16:13 | The Spirit of knowledge | The Spirit of prophecy Rev 19:10 1Cor 12:7 |
#7 | The Holy Spirit will glorify Jesus Christ Joh 16:14 |
The Spirit of the fear of the Lord | The Spirit of glory 1Pet 4:14 2Cor 3:18 Rom 8:11 |
- Memory Verse: Phil 2:5