The Refining Part 4
"Walking in the Spirit"
Part A
by Ricci Johnson-Wilson
Opening Prayer:
Father God, as we turn to Your Word today, I am reminded how powerful our study in Romans has been. The lessons You provide are life-changing. Lord, I thank You for the transformative power of Your Word and I ask that Your Word will continue to do its work within each of us. We ask that You continue to prepare us for the days ahead, mature and refine us and develop us in You. Amen
Our focus is Romans Chapter 12.
This chapter of the Bible is an incredibly powerful one. Paul was passionate about Jesus Christ and he was driven to convey the mysteries of the gospel of Christ to all who would listen. His greatest desire was to convey the truth of Gospel to both Jew and Gentile to ensure all who were willing, would hear the true message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Paul took time to understand his audience. He related what they were going through, included whether they were Jew or Gentile and took stock in their background so he could touch them right where they stood. He says many times in the scriptures that he desired to bring them into the fullness of the Gospel message, bring understanding to the Covenant promise and reveal how Jesus fulfilled the Law. He knew how to teach the Jews that Jesus is the One, the Messiah that they had been waiting for. He knew how to work with the Gentiles who had not had the training or righteous upbringing that those who’d been trained in the Law received. He would impart within them the hope of the promise of the Gospel, eternal life, and teach them of the One True God, the only One they could hold onto in hopes of a life everlasting. Paul knew how to reach the people and how to train and develop them. He was not only a church planter, he was also a man who sought to develop people into men and women of God.
Chapter 12 is about how to live out a life of righteousness.
Romans 12: 1-2: “I beseech ye brethren by the mercies of God that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service and be not conformed to this world, but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove, what is that good an acceptable and perfect will of God.”
You could just chew on those two verses for days, and we did that in “The Refining Part 2: The Bridal Preparations.” Now, as we move into chapter 12, we see how to apply this in our lives. What does it mean to present ourselves, our bodies a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God? What does it mean? We studied a few weeks ago about ministry and how God gives each of us the grace that we need to function in the capacity He has created us to function in, no more and no less. When we try to put ourselves in a position we were not created for, we end up in conflict both inside and out. It is like trying to fit a square shape into a round hole. You are going to get pretty banged up trying to do that and still not accomplish what you’re attempting to do.
As we move further into the chapter, Romans 12:9-13 says: “Let love be without dissimilation. Abhor that which is evil, cleave to that which is good. Be kindly affectionate one to another with brotherly love in honor, preferring one another, not sloppy in business, fervent in spirit, loving the Lord. Rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing instant in prayer, distributing to the necessity of the saints; given to hospitality.”
This passage is the practical application part of loving our brethren. Often, we can find the “loving our brethren” part the easiest. They are fellow Christians, fellow warriors in the Kingdom. We stand together, we war together, we pray together. When we do this day after day, it creates a bond.
For years our staff members have been coming together on the phone to pray, so when we come to the Gatherings and can actually pray in the same room, a connection has already been developed. The same holds true with our intercessors. Even though we may not see one another for months at a time, we have prayed together in our prayer cells and on our corporate line and when we come together in the same room and pray, something is ignited in the spirit realm. It’s a spirit-to-spirit connection that takes place.
Consider for a moment when Mary, pregnant with Jesus, went to see her cousin Elizabeth who was pregnant with John the Baptist. Upon hearing the voice of Mary, the Bible says that the baby (John) leaped within Elizabeth’s womb. Why? A spirit-to-spirit connection took place between Jesus and John. This is about a spiritual connection with our brethren. We are going to see this occur more and more in the days ahead. In areas where persecution is prevalent, this will be a lie-saving gift from our Lord. We will sense the Spirit of God within our brethren in a way we’ve never experienced before.
When we are on this journey in the Lord, those who walk with you have spiritual connection with you, creating a bond that is hard to break. It is easy to weep with that person, it is easy to celebrate with that person, and it is easy to go to your knees in prayer for that person when they are hurting or if they are in a life and death situation. It is easy to go to prayer for them because you have developed a love for them. When we come together in one room, our prayers are elevated to a whole new level. Our spirits become united as we pray for the nation, our president, or when we repent for the atrocities that have been committed on this land with one goal in mind: to save this nation and pave the way for revival to sweep across this land. We don’t stop there; we are pressing through to see reformation sweep across this nation so that it can become what God created her to become—a beacon of light unto all the nations, drawing all men unto God.
Here we are, intercessors—we come together, and when we see each other we just embrace. We have intercessors pray on our corporate line, we have Joel’s Army intercessors that pray in their prayer cells and when we all get together in one room, it is like a fire that fills the building! We become a powerhouse of prayer! This is the kind of powerhouse that gives birth to the move of God that changes the course of nations. That is what takes place when we come together. So to pray together for those that we spend 5 days on our knees weeping for becomes pretty easy, because the connection has been developed and matured.
Paul gives specific instructions on how to maintain fellowship of the Spirit and a life of holiness with our brothers as well as our enemies. Paul says, “Let love be without dissimilation.” In other words, it should not be a phony love. He adds that love abhors that which is evil and cleaves to that which is good. That word, “cleave to that which is good,” means to be glued together. When He said, “A man shall leave his mother and father and cleave to his wife,” that means to be glued together or united as one with a single purpose. Cleave to that which is good. When we know we are headed on the right path, we need to hold onto that truth. Grab hold of it like your life depends on it and super-glue it to your heart, then run with the freedom it provides.
To be continued next week…
Blessings & Love,
Ricci Wilson
