The whole world around us is pushing sin. Television
and radio are pushing immorality and adultery. The
world’s voice urges your flesh to follow after sin. The
devil pulls at your flesh to get you to go the world’s
way. The world tries to convince you that you’re
being deprived of all the fun and glory of sin. If you
expose yourself to the things of this world, your body
is going to dominate you. But you don’t have to
conform to the world!

In Galatians 5:17 we find that the flesh lusts against
the spirit and the spirit against the flesh. In the Greek,
the word lust means “desire” or “strong desire.” The
body has a strong desire to rule the spirit. The inner
man, or spirit, desires to control the body.

Practicing the things of the spirit will cause you to
overcome the desires of the flesh. It will cause your
spirit to dominate your flesh. You can live without the
torment of one being pulled against the other. Simply
expose your flesh to the things of God instead of the
things of this world. People become addicted to alcohol
or tobacco by exposure. In the same way, practice
godliness. Romans 8:6 says, “…to be spiritually minded
is life and peace.”

icharAs you retrain yourself, you’ll find your unholy
desires will subside. The good news is that it works
both ways. If you continually expose your flesh to
God in your mind and body you’ll enforce the things
of God instead of the things of the devil. You’ll
develop new habits and come to the place where
you habitually live after the things of God instead of
the things of the world. Your desire will be for God
and not sin. God’s way will become your natural way
of life.

The Lord has made some things very clear about
Romans 6-8. These chapters all deal with the
weakness of the flesh and the strength of the spirit.

Romans 6:11-14 says:

Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed
unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our
Lord. Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body,
that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof. Neither
yield ye your members as instruments of
unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto
God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your
members as instruments of righteousness unto God.
For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are
not under the law, but under grace.

When you are born again, you no longer have to be
dominated by sin. You are re-created to live in the
spiritual realm of God. You can walk in the spirit while
you’re here on this earth. Verse 16 says, “Know ye
not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to
obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey?”

You walk in the spirit by yielding to and obeying the
promptings of your own spirit, instructed by the Holy
Spirit. “I speak after the manner of men because of
the infirmity [or the weakness] of your flesh: for as
ye have yielded your members servants to uncleanness
and to iniquity unto iniquity [by training and practice];
even so now yield your members servants to
righteousness unto holiness [by practice]” (verse 19).

Most people yield to the things around them because
that’s the easiest way to go. But the spiritual walk is
in direct opposition to the world around us. If we are
going to let the world entertain us through their
television programs, newspapers and magazines, then
it will be very easy to walk after the flesh. On the other
hand, if we decide to spend time in God’s Word and in
prayer, it will become easy to follow after the spirit.

Gloria Copeland

Jesus continued teaching the disciples about
faithfulness: “For the kingdom of heaven is as a man
travelling into a far country, who called his own
servants, and delivered unto them his goods. And
unto one he gave five talents, to another two, and
to another one; to every man according to his several
ability; and straightway took his journey” (Matthew
25:14-15).

The one who was given five talents made five more.
The one who was given two talents gained two more.
They were faithful with what was given them. “But
he that had received one went and digged in the
earth, and hid his lord’s money” (Matthew 25:18).

After a period of time, the master returned to reckon
with his servants. All reported what they had done
with their talents. To the two who had invested theirs
and increased them, he said, “Well done, thou good
and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a
few things, I will make thee ruler over many things:
enter thou into the joy of thy lord” (verse 21).

Then, the last servant reported to him and said:

Lord, I knew thee that thou art a hard man, reaping
where thou hast not sown, and gathering where thou
hast not strawed: And I was afraid, and went and hid
thy talent in the earth: lo, there thou hast that is
thine. His lord answered and said unto him, Thou
wicked and slothful servant, thou knewest that I reap
where I sowed not, and gather where I have not
strawed: Thou oughtest therefore to have put my
money to the exchangers, and then at my coming I
should have received mine own with usury [interest].
Take therefore the talent from him, and give it unto
him which hath ten talents. For unto every one that
hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance:
but from him that hath not shall be taken away even
that which he hath (Matthew 25:24-29).

When Jesus ascended into heaven, He gave us His
Name, His authority and His power. Then He gave us
our assignments and sent the Holy Spirit to endue us
with the power necessary to fulfill those assignments
(Mark 16:15-20; Matthew 28:19-20; Acts 1:8, 2:1-4).

He said to preach the gospel to every creature, to cast
out devils and to lay hands on the sick. In Matthew
28:20, Jesus told the disciples to teach the converts to
“observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you.”
The Body of Christ is to carry on exactly as Jesus did.
We are to preach the gospel of the kingdom and heal
the sick (Matthew 10:1-8).

You can look at Church history and see the talents
the Master has given each generation. He has brought
one revival after another, waiting for the Church to do
what He commanded. Now we are entering into the
revival of the glory of God and of the Spirit being
manifest to all flesh. Jesus is giving this generation the
responsibility of walking in the spirit so the glory of
God will be revealed in us.

We have a foundation of the Word of God other
generations did not have. More is expected of us. Did
you notice that the faithful servants entered into the
joy of their lord? The higher life—the life lived in the
spirit—that’s where the joy is! Only the faithful will
find it.

It doesn’t matter whether you received five talents
or two. God expects you to be faithful now. Grow
right where you are and become faithful over what
God has assigned you to do. Prove yourself to be
faithful over little, and He will make you ruler over
much (Matthew 25:21).

The wicked and slothful servant didn’t know his master
very well. He didn’t trust his master, so he was afraid.
His master was not a hard man who reaped where he
hadn’t sown. The slothful servant had no faith in his
master because he didn’t know him.

You must become faithful and diligent to spend the
time it takes to get to know God. Set apart time every
day to fellowship with Him and get to know Him
personally. When you know Him, you’ll trust Him. You’ll
know that He rewards you for being faithful!

I don’t want to be numbered among those who are
unfaithful, because to whom much is given much is
required. Those of us who have a solid foundation in
the Word are like the ones with the five talents. We
can’t afford to hide our talents in the ground if we
expect to be blessed. We have to use what God has
given us for His glory. We have to be wise and faithful
servants.

All God is asking and urging us to do is to really live!
We can’t do anything for Him without His abundantly
giving back to us. He is offering us the high life, asking
us to live the quality of life the whole world wishes
they could find. They are seeking it in the things of
this world but never finding it, because this world has
no peace.

God is urging believers to walk in this higher realm,
where they can absolutely dominate the things of
this earth! It is the blessing and joy of the Lord that
we receive when we become faithful.

Did you know when you are born again, you become
a child of God, not a servant? You become a servant
only if you want to. Tell God every day, “Lord, You
can count on me. I love You, and I’m here to serve
You. I deny my own interests. I lay aside the pleasures
of this life, and make myself available to You today.
What do You want me to do?”

When you come to that place spiritually, you’ll begin
to walk in an area with God you thought would be
possible only after you got to heaven! God will take
you to such heights, you will be amazed.

Gloria Copeland