Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are from the New King James Version of the Bible Copyright © 1979, 1980, 1982,  Thomas Nelson, Inc.

The Law of the Spirit of Life

Copyright © 2012  Sharah LaGail Wyatt

First Love Ministries International

P O Box 163974, Ft Worth, TX 76161

United States

www.ps27fr.org

New Edition 2012

Printed in the United States of America.  All rights reserved under international copyright law. Contents and/ or cover may not be reproduced in whole or in part in any form without prior written consent of the publisher.

Contents

The Law of the Spirit of Life

The Effect of Righteousness

According to the Inward Man

CHAPTER ONE

The Law of the Spirit of Life

Freedom can only be fully understood through experiencing it.  Every human being that has ever lived was born with an innate awareness of the existence of this thing called freedom.

The hunger for freedom has charted the course of the entire human race.  Untold millions have risked or given their life to obtain freedom – not only for themselves, but also for millions of others.  The pages of history are forever marked by the pursuit of freedom, because within every one of us there is a knowing that we were created to be free.  Yet, to hunger for something does not always mean that we understand it or know how to pursue it.  Often, we want the freedom but are unwilling to pay the price to obtain it.  However, if we really understood just how much difference the freedom would make in our life, no personal cost would be too great to offer in exchange for it.

Romans 8.2 tells us that the Law of the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus has made us FREE from the law of sin and death.  We need to let the weight of this vital truth sink deep into our heart – The Law of the Spirit of Life has made us free from the tyranny of sin and death!  We have been liberated from its bondage.  We no longer have to live shackled to the consequences of the law of sin and death – because the Law of the Spirit of Life has made us free.

FREEDOM BY EXPERIENCE

Do you remember a time when you were in bondage to a particular sin in your life?  Do you remember how free you felt after that sin was removed from you?!  When you were in sin, you probably wanted to be free from the bondage you felt under it.  But once you really experienced freedom from sin, was the freedom not far greater, far more wonderful than you had previously thought?!  You could only really know freedom through experience.

“There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the spirit.”  – Romans 8.1

There is no condemnation IF we walk according to the Spirit, and not according to the flesh.  The Law of the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus has already made us free from the law of sin and death.  But in order for us to experience that freedom, we must walk according to the Spirit.

Our mind is a major factor in walking according to the Spirit.  Romans 8.5-6 explains – “Those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the spirit set their minds on the things of the spirit.  For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.”

It has often been thought and even taught that our mind is carnal or fleshly, and that in using our mind we are walking in the flesh.  But this is not necessarily the case.  According to Romans 8.5-6, it is what we set our mind on which determines whether we are walking in the flesh or in the spirit.

Romans 8.7 says that the carnal mind is enmity against God, for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be.  The word “enmity” means the bitter attitude or feelings of an enemy or of mutual enemies.  The carnal mind is an enemy to God.  It is influenced by the world.  We know from James 4.4 that whoever wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.

The carnal mind is in opposition to the Word of God.  Romans 8.8 concludes that “those who are in the flesh cannot please God.”  We know from Hebrews 11.6 that without faith we cannot please God.  Now we are instructed in Romans 8 that without living in the Spirit we cannot please God.

True sons of God are led by the Spirit of God (Romans 8.14).  In order to live according to the Spirit, we must set our mind on the things of the Spirit.  As long as we keep our mind focused on the Spirit of God, He will guide and direct us according to Spirit ways.  If we walk in the spirit, we will not fulfill the lusts of the flesh (Galatians 5.16).

A NEW WAY OF LIFE

One very interesting verse in regards to walking in the Spirit is Galatians 5.18:   “But IF you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.”

As New Testament believers, we are glad of the fact that we are no longer under the Law.  What we have not always taken into account is HOW we are not under the Law.  We know that Jesus fulfilled the Law and redeemed us from the curse of the Law through His substitutionary sacrifice (Galatians 3.13).  We are no longer under the Law but under grace (Romans 6.14).

But is that all there is to it?  Is there nothing more for us to do after we have accepted Jesus as our Saviour?  What we must understand is that the work of Christ was to give us a new way of life.  Living in that new life is not based upon our own good works.  However, once we have stepped in to our new life, we must live in a new way than we lived in our old life.

That is why we must walk according to the Spirit.  The old life meant living in the flesh, carnally minded.  The New Life means living in the Spirit, spiritually minded.  So as long as we live according to the rules, or the way, of the new life, we are no longer under the law of the old life.

God gave the Law to the Children of Israel because they did not have the inner-leading of the Holy Spirit.  They were spiritually dead, just as all people were before Christ’s work of Redemption.  God gave them the Law so that they could know and walk in His ways.  The only way that they could live according to what was right and pleasing to Him was through observing the Law.

The Law was given for their good.  The Law taught them about cleansing their food, their bodies, and household utensils.  It taught them how to act toward one another, how to love and do right toward their neighbour.  The Law instructed them in sexual purity, honesty in business affairs, and how to worship and live fully devoted to the Lord.  Without the Law, they didn’t know how to live in God’s ways.  They had no leading without the Law.

Now, for those who have been reborn into spiritual life through Jesus, it is a different story.  We have the Spirit of God indwelling and leading us.

John 16.13 says that the Holy Spirit has been given to lead us into ALL TRUTH.  We are not without leading in what is right and pleasing to God because we have His Spirit living inside us.  As we live according to the Spirit, we are no longer under obligation to the Law.  We have the inner-leading of the Holy Spirit teaching us right from wrong and directing us in God’s way of doing things.

Malachi 3.6 tells us that God does not change.  The principles He has laid out in His Word are as changeless and pertinent to us today as they were the day He established them.  But now, through the agent of His Spirit, He has provided for us a far better way to live according to those principles.

If we live according to the Spirit, our deeds will be right and pleasing to God.  We will fulfill all the requirements of the Lord’s Word if we follow the leading of the Holy Spirit.

LIVING ACCORDING TO THE SPIRIT

When we live according to the Spirit, the Law of God will be fulfilled in our life – only it will be accomplished by the inner-leading of God’s Spirit and not through the natural pursuit of the letter of the Law.  We will act properly toward our fellow man, live a life of worship and dedication to God, eat what is good for us, practice good health, and even do the seemingly trivial things such as washing our hands when we are supposed to – not because we memorize and practice the Law, but because we are in tune and obedient to the leading of the Spirit.

He will guide us into all Truth – perfectly satisfying God’s will and desire in our life, keeping us from danger and calamity, and leading us into all the Lord’s goodness and blessing.

This is what it means to live in the Law of the Spirit of Life.  It was for freedom that Christ Jesus set us free (Galatians 5.1 ESV) – and that freedom comes only through living in the Law of the Spirit of Life.

There is absolutely nothing which is more liberating than being led by the Spirit of God.  It completely eliminates all guess-work.  When we live and walk in the Spirit, we live totally FREE.  Real freedom can only be realized through living according to the Spirit, because that is where the Life-flow of God abides and operates.  Without that Life-flow, bondage to the law of sin and death is the result.

As we make it our pursuit to live according to the Spirit, keeping our mind set on God and allowing His Spirit to lead us in everything we do, we will know and experience the freedom that comes only by living in Him.

CHAPTER TWO

The Effect of Righteousness

Righteousness is among the most foundational elements of life in God provided through the substitutionary sacrifice of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.  Righteousness is key to our experiencing the fullness of all the benefits which God has provided for us.  If we do not understand Righteousness, we will remain largely out of touch with the blessings and benefits which Christ’s redemptive work affords.

II Corinthians 5.21 tells us, “For He made Him (Jesus) who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”

Through Christ’s redemptive work, we have been placed in right-standing with God.  When we give our life to Jesus, our unrighteousness is replaced with His Righteousness.  Through receiving Jesus as Lord, we are transformed by righteousness and thereby empowered to live righteously in every sphere of our life.

The Scriptures reveal that anyone who is in Christ is a new creation – the old degenerate nature has passed away, and all things have become new (II Corinthians 5.17).   When we receive Jesus into our life, we put off our former nature and manner of life, and put on the new nature which is created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness (Ephesians 4.22-24).

God’s righteousness, God’s nature has become our nature.  Righteousness is not only within us, but it is who we are.  We have been made the righteousness of God in Christ.  Righteousness is our true identity.

THE WORK OF RIGHTEOUSNESS

Isaiah 32.17 reveals, “The work of righteousness will be peace…”  Peace refers to the state or condition of wholeness and completeness.  Christ’s work of Righteousness restored mankind back to the original position of peace with God – making it possible for every person to enter into right relationship with God through faith in Jesus Christ.

Peace indicates a condition of absolute totality – where nothing is absent, missing, broken, out of place, or out of order.  Righteousness produces such a state of being.  The force of Righteousness at work causes things to be made right – which produces peace, quietness and assurance forever.

Psalm 145.17 instructs, “The Lord is righteous in ALL HIS WAYS, gracious in all His works.”  The Lord is righteous in everything He does.  And since the work of Righteousness produces peace, the implication is that nothing God does is ever incomplete, out of line, out of order, or deficient in any area.

As already mentioned, our new nature in Christ has been created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness (Ephesians 4.24).  We have been made righteous with God’s righteousness.  Therefore we have the certainty that through His righteousness we can be righteous in all our ways just as He is righteous in all His ways.

EFFECTING RIGHTEOUSNESS

Isaiah 32.17 mentions both the work of righteousness and the effect of righteousness.  The particular usage of “work” in this verse denotes effort, labour, purposeful action; a specific kind of activity or way of working – while the usage of “effect” in the same verse indicates the result of (something); anything brought about by a cause or agent; influence or action on something.

In context, Isaiah 32.17 implies that the effort, purposeful action, and specific operation of Righteousness will be peace, and the influence, outcome, and direct result of Righteousness is quietness, assurance, and confident trust forever.

The word “effect” not only can be used as a noun (as illustrated in the above verse), but can also carry a verb tense.  In such case, “effect” means to bring about; produce as a result; to cause; accomplish; make operative.  To give effect to something means to put into practice and make operative.   It is therefore evident that working righteousness effects righteousness.  Righteousness is the cause, or the agent, by which quietness and confident trust are directly brought about.

One example of this principle is found in James 5.16: “The effectual, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.”  Interestingly, this verse also incorporates effect and righteousness into its core theme.

“Effectual” denotes producing, or able to produce the desired effect.  Some translations of James 5.16 use “effective” in place of “effectual”.  The definition of “effective” includes producing a definite or desired result; efficient; operative; active.  It is the Righteousness of God within a person, put into action, which produces a definite and desired result.  Righteousness causes prayer to be operative, efficient, and effective in its working.

TAKING THE WAY OF RIGHTEOUSNESS

II Corinthians 6.14 warns, “Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers.  For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness?  And what communion has light with darkness?”

We are to be witnesses and demonstrations of God’s Love and Righteousness to those who do not believe or practice His ways, but we are not to yoke up nor enter into partnership with those who walk in darkness – to do so would be to compromise the way of Righteousness which we have embraced (Proverbs 12.26).  One cannot practice righteousness while at the same time mingling with the world and with the world’s ways.  As the Scriptures indicate, righteousness and lawlessness have nothing in common, and light has no fellowship with darkness.

Dealing righteously produces peace.  But dealing unrighteously produces calamity.  Those who follow righteousness and mercy find life, righteousness, and honour (Proverbs 21.21).

Proverbs 11.18-19 discloses, “The wicked man does deceptive work, but he who sows righteousness will have a sure reward. As righteousness leads to life, so he who pursues evil pursues it to his own death.”

Any path outside of righteousness is fatal.  It is Righteousness – God’s way of doing and being right – which leads to Life.  Following righteousness provides direction as well as protection:

“The righteousness of the blameless will direct his way aright” (Proverbs 11.5).

“The righteousness of the upright will deliver them” (Proverbs 11.6).

“Righteousness guards him whose way is blameless” (Proverbs 13.6).

We each have been given the ability to choose which course we will follow: Righteousness or that which is contrary to God’s thoughts and God’s ways.  When Righteousness is our focus and pursuit, the Righteousness of God within us will direct our way aright and guard us.  “The way of righteousness is life, and in its pathway there is no death” (Proverbs 12.28).

Proverbs 12.17 assures, “He who speaks truth declares righteousness, but a false witness, deceit.”  When we speak truth and live truth it declares Righteousness.  If we are to live righteously, then we must not deal falsely with our neighbour, nor practice deception in any form.  Righteousness does not walk contrary to the Law of Love, nor of any ordinance or commandment of the Lord.

If we are uncertain how to walk in righteousness, we have only to seek the Word of God which provides all the direction we need.  II Timothy 3.16 reveals that “all Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for instruction in righteousness.”  And Psalm 23.3 tells us that the Lord, our Great Shepherd, leads us in paths of righteousness for His Name’s sake.

Psalm 4.5 urges, “Offer the sacrifices of righteousness, and put your trust in the LORD.”

When we offer righteousness as a holy sacrifice to the Lord, endeavouring to follow His ways of uprightness and truth, it will produce wholeness and well-being in every detail of our life, and bring blessing to those around us.  As we put our trust in Him, He will bring His Righteousness to fruition in our life.

The Work of Righteousness will bring peace, and the Effect of Righteousness quietness and assurance forever.

CHAPTER THREE

According to the Inward Man

The most important part of our being is also the part which is most hidden.  Veiled and obscured from sight, the unseen part of us is actually the real us.  The Scriptures call it the hidden man of the heart and the inward man.  Hidden though it may be, our inward man was created to be the leader, overseer, and dominant force of our whole being.

The Lord created man as a three-part being: we are a spirit, we have a soul (mind, will, emotions), and we live in a body.  According to the Lord’s design, our spirit is to be in authority over our soul and body, keeping them under submission at all times.  Never was our body nor any area of our soul intended to take dominance over our spirit. Although many allow their body or their soul to take the lead in their life, such is not the order in which the Lord created for us to function.

Romans 8.5-6 instructs, “Those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the spirit the things of the spirit.  For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.”  If we live attentive to our flesh – to our physical and soulish senses – our flesh will control our life.   Conversely, if we live attentive to our spirit – our inward man – then our spirit will be in control of our life and being.  Living focused on the flesh brings barrenness and death, but living focused on the spirit brings fruitfulness, life, and peace.

LIVING INWARDLY

“For I delight in the law of God according to the inward man” (Romans 7.22).

We may not always be inclined to live dominated by and under the control of our reborn spirit – quite the contrary is usually the case for many.  Living according to our inward man is a choice we must make and continually affirm.  As we daily choose and yield to the leadership of our spirit (which is yielded to the Holy Spirit), living according to the inward man will grow progressively easier and commonplace, and the inclination toward the flesh will become more distant and foreign to our nature.

When we give our life to the Lordship of Jesus and our spirit is reborn, the Holy Spirit comes to live within us.  Through the Holy Spirit’s indwelling, our spirit is connected directly to God’s thoughts, God’s desires, and God’s ways.  It is the Holy Spirit’s particular responsibility to lead and guide us in the way of Truth.  Our responsibility is to remain in tune, yielded, and obedient to His leadership.

In the Gospel of John, Jesus said, “If you love Me, you will obey My commandments. And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Advocate to be forever with you – the Spirit of Truth.  That Spirit the world cannot receive, because it does not see Him or know Him.  You know Him, because He remains by your side and is in you” (John 14.15-17 Weymouth).

As born-again Believers, the Holy Spirit not only lives with us but He also lives within us.  Once we have received the Lord into our life, we are no longer helpless vagabonds without any direction.  We now have the Holy Spirit as our Guide on the inside – leading us and showing us the right way to live.  With such a marvellous Teacher within us, we should give all the more earnest heed to Him and make every effort to attend to His guidance at all times.

Before His departure, Jesus disclosed to His disciples, “I have much more to say to you, but you are unable just now to bear it. But when He has come – the Spirit of Truth – He will guide you into all truth.  For He will not speak of His own accord, but all that He hears He will speak, and He will make known the future to you.  He will glorify Me, because He will take of what is Mine and will make it known to you.  Everything that the Father has is Mine, that is why I said that the Spirit of Truth takes what is Mine and will make it known to you” (John 16.12-15 Weymouth).

Everything we would ever need to know, all the help and guidance we could ever require is present within us through the Holy Spirit.

Living outwardly – focused on the physical and soulish realms – diverts our attention away from our spirit and distances us from the leading of the Holy Spirit.  Living inwardly – alert and attentive to the voice of our spirit – positions us to hear the Holy Spirit clearly and for Him to guide us in the right paths.

Jesus instructed that where our treasure is, there our heart will also be (Matthew 6.21).  If we delight in the law of God according to our inward man, that is where our attention will be.

Psalm 1.2 reveals that one whose delight is in the Law of the Lord, that one meditates in His Law day and night.  Because the Law of God is what he treasures, his thoughts are on God’s Law, God’s Word, all the time.  It is what he is constantly thinking and meditating upon.

This one has chosen to esteem and hold dear the Law of God, therefore the Law of God is predominant always in his mind and heart.  Instead of being attentive to the counsel of the world and allowing things going on around him to control his decisions, he is living inwardly – attentive to the Law of God resident in his heart – and allowing God’s law to rule the decisions he makes.

OUR REAL NATURE

“The true Jew is not the man who is outwardly a Jew, and true circumcision is not that which is outward and bodily.  But the true Jew is one inwardly, and true circumcision is heart-circumcision – not literal, but spiritual.  Such a man receives praise not from men but from God” (Romans 2.28-29 Weymouth).

True circumcision is the circumcision of the heart.  Who we are inwardly is our true self.  Our real nature comes not from our external flesh, but from our spirit.  The real us is the inward man – the hidden man of the heart.  We should therefore seek to always respond from this our true nature.  To act otherwise is to not be true to who we really are.  We are spirit-beings created in the likeness and similitude of God – reborn men and women transfused in our inner man with the love of God, kindness, tenderness of heart, humility, honour, faithfulness, purity, uprightness, patience, endurance, wisdom, and discernment.

If our heart has been circumcised and devoted to the Lord, His nature has replaced our former nature.  Our continual pursuit should therefore be to live according to His divine nature within us.  When we act and conduct ourselves based upon our physical and soulish senses, or react from outward, earthly impulses to the circumstances and situations around us, we are acting contrary to and against our true self.

Our real nature is that which comes out of our inward man – the true person of our being which resides deep within our interior, distanced from the strain and commotion of external life, and close to where the presence of the Spirit of God abides.  It is that part of us – the inward man – which we should seek to take the lead in what we do and think.  When we give precedence to our spirit, our body and soul will come in unity with and follow the ways of the Lord which we have perceived in our inner man.

ADORNED WITH THE INNER MAN

“Do not let your adornment be merely outward… rather let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God”  (I Peter 3.3-4).

Our outward, bodily appearance is not the principle issue.  What matters the most is our inner disposition.  The Scriptures admonish us to cultivate the incorruptible beauty of a gentle, gracious, and quiet spirit.  By doing so, we clothe not only our inner man but also adorn our outward man with a far greater appearance than any earthy garb could ever afford us.

Our outward man is mortal, but our inward man is immortal.  The outward man is subject to decay, change, erosion, and death in this earthly environment.  However, the inward man is free from the presence of all such corruption and ruin.     II Corinthians 4.16 explains, “Therefore we do not become discouraged (utterly spiritless, exhausted, and wearied out through fear).  Though our outer man is [progressively] decaying and wasting away, yet our inner self is being [progressively] renewed day after day” (AMP).

By devoting our attention to the adornment of our inner man, we are cultivating an incorruptible and eternal beauty which graces not only our inner disposition, but which also continually infuses our outward, mortal man with life and vitality.

True and lasting beauty and goodliness of appearance comes from beauty within.  It matters not how “good-looking” we may be on the outside – if we are ugly on the inside, we will soon cease to be lovely on the outside.  Consequently, if our heart and life are devoted to godliness and we are inwardly infused with the loveliness, gentleness, and graciousness which comes from the Spirit of the Lord, we will radiate with a beauty – even in our outward man – to which the Godless world could never hope to attain.

Cleanliness, decency of attire, and proper grooming of our mortal bodies is very important – the Scriptures instruct repeatedly of the necessity of attending properly to cleansing and clothing these earthly vessels of ours.  Yet, such practices are not nearly as important as the adornment and proper cultivation of our inward man – for this is the real us.  Our body is merely the house or container in which we live, but our spirit is who we are.  We should honour the Lord in attending to the needs of our outward man, yes, but never to the neglect of the more superior part of our being – our spirit.  It is when we give our attention foremost to living according to the inward man that we will rightfully be able to attend all other areas of our existence.

“There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, WHO DO NOT WALK ACCORDING TO THE FLESH, BUT ACCORDING TO THE SPIRIT” (Romans 8.1).

We are spirit beings and we were created to respond and conduct ourselves from out of our inward man.  There is no guilt, no condemnation to those who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus.  Our spirit is the powerhouse and control centre of our entire being.  If we fail to live out of our inward man and yield that authority to another entity, we are essentially pulling the plug on the power by which we operate, shutting down all controls, and transferring the responsibility to a source which is not and can never be qualified to run the operation.

Let us therefore give earnest heed to delight in the law of God according to this most sacred and precious creation – our reborn spirit.  Let us seek all the more to live inwardly and to walk according to our true nature – the nature of the Spirit of God within us.

Let us live our life according to the Inward Man, and allow the Law of the Spirit of Life to have pre-eminence in all we are and all we do.  For the Law of the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus has made us FREE!

Prayer to Receive Salvation

and the Holy Spirit

Having a close, intimate relationship with God begins by making Jesus the Lord of your life. God desires to be a close and dear friend to you and to enjoy fellowship with you. Because He is a gentleman and respects your right to choose, He won’t just force His friendship on you. You have to let Him know that you want Him in your life. He is just waiting to get to know you personally. So if you’ve never asked Jesus to be the Lord of your life, pray this prayer now:

Lord, I want You in my life. I want to get to know You intimately. Lord Jesus, come into my heart, be my Lord. I believe that you died for my sins on the Cross, that You bore my punishment in hell, and that God raised You from the dead, to be seated at His right hand as my Advocate. I repent of the wrong things I’ve done, I renounce the past, the devil and everything he stands for. Jesus, I receive You as my Saviour and my Friend. I will love You and serve You all the days of my life. Fill me with Your Holy Spirit. Take my life and help me to be just like You. Amen.

Once you have given your life to God, you are now born-again. You are now a part of God’s family. As you receive Jesus Christ as Lord of your life, spiritual death is taken from you and you become a new creature in Christ—you are born again. It is the Holy Spirit that makes your new birth possible. The Holy Spirit comes to live within you when you receive Jesus into your life.

In Salvation (receiving Jesus as Saviour), the Holy Spirit baptizes us into Jesus. Then Jesus baptizes us into the Holy Spirit. Jesus said “You will receive POWER after that the Holy Spirit has come upon you” (Acts 1.8). Jesus baptizes us into God’s very own power and holiness so that we can live a life full of the greater works He has called us to do as His Anointed Body. Baptism with the Holy Spirit and Fire are received synonymously. The FIRE spoken of here is referencing the Power and Holiness of God. In order to obtain from heaven the Holy Spirit, it is first necessary that you know that your sins are blotted out, that the Blood of Jesus Christ has cleansed your heart and cleansed you from the sinful nature, the inherent nature of sin. When you have repented of a life apart from God and believe Christ’s sacrifice on the cross for your sin, you are transferred (baptized) into the body of Christ, and become a member of His body.

After you become a new creation, God’s desire and plan is that you receive the Baptism in the Holy Spirit. The Baptism in the Holy Spirit is received by faith in God. Jesus said: “If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!” (Luke 11.13).

When you ask the Heavenly Father for the gift of the Holy Spirit, He will fill you with the Holy Spirit to overflowing and you will speak in tongues as the Holy Spirit gives you the utterance.

Speaking in tongues is simply speaking in a language that only God understands (even you will not understand it). This happens as the Holy Spirit prays through you about things you may not know or that you may not know how to pray about (Romans 8.26).

The Holy Spirit was given by Jesus to be our Helper. When you pray in tongues, the Holy Spirit searches your heart and prays through you the perfect will of God (Romans 8.26-27). You actually utter secret truths and hidden things which are not obvious to the understanding of your mind (I Corinthians 14.2).

To pray in tongues, you need to realize that speaking with an unknown tongue is the voice of your heart. Speaking in a tongue or language you know is the voice of your human mind (unless one of the nine vocal gifts of the Spirit of God is in operation through you as God may move upon you). The Holy Spirit of God will give you utterance to speak in tongues, the same as your mind gives you thoughts to speak (Acts 2.4).

To speak in tongues, you must cooperate with the Holy Spirit and trust Him. The Apostle Paul said in I Corinthians 14.14, “If I pray in an unknown tongue, my spirit [by the Holy Spirit within me] prays, but my mind is unproductive…” Notice that it was Paul who did the speaking and the Holy Spirit supplied the words.

Ask the Holy Spirit to take charge of your tongue; then yield your tongue to His use. You cannot speak in your own language and in the gift of speaking in tongues at the same time, just as you cannot speak in English and French at the same time. When your voice and tongue begin forming syllables around the expressions that your heart desires to release, you will also speak in tongues. It will be your tongue, your breath, your vocal cords and you will be actively forming words. You will supply the sounds, but the Holy Spirit will supply the words – words that are unknown to you. Continue to speak the words that the Holy Spirit gives to you. Like a child learning to speak, you will grow and develop in the new language that the Holy Spirit is giving to you.

When you ask your Heavenly Father for one of His promises – such as the Baptism of the Holy Spirit – you can be confident that the gift given is from God. If you want to receive your baptism in the Holy Spirit, ask Him now:

Heavenly Father, I am a believer. I am Your child and You are my Father. Jesus is my Lord. I believe with all my heart that Your Word is true. Your Word says that if I will ask, I will receive the Holy Spirit. So in the Name of Jesus Christ my Lord, I am asking You to fill me to overflowing with Your precious Holy Spirit. Jesus, baptize me in the Holy Spirit. Because of Your Word, I believe that I now receive this gift and I thank You for it. Holy Spirit, rise up within me as I give praise to God. I fully expect to speak with other tongues as You give me the utterance.

Now begin giving sound to the expressions in you heart. Speak and hear the Holy Spirit speaking through you. Rejoice in Him because you have just been endued with God’s very own power. And His power is in you to help you to live a life that is free from sin and fully pleasing to Him.

About the Author

Sharah LaGail Wyatt is Founder and President of First Love Ministries International aka FERVOUR™, with an extensive background in the fine and performing arts and in ministry. She is a member of the International Convention of Faith Ministries (ICFM), and is a contributing author and affiliate minister of the online ministry of CFaith.com. As a gifted teacher, writer/author, graphic artist, musician and composer, Sharah desires to lead people of all ages into the presence of God and into developing a lifestyle of faith, worship and intimacy with Him.

Sharah began the journey as a writer in her early childhood. Her young repertoire grew to include original short stories, poetry, adaptations, theatrical scripts, and musical compositions. She began writing Biblical teaching articles at the age of fifteen, and has continued consistently in this field through to the present.

She has authored numerous articles on topics including prayer, holiness/purity, wisdom, faith, love, worship, healing/restoration and living in Christ. She is also the author of several books including: She is also the author of several books including: In Christ You Stand, The Lost Virtue of Dignity, Redeemed from Fear, A Place Called Completely Whole, In His Presence: the meaning of true worship.   Her monthly ministry publication, first published in 2005, is currently distributed in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, East Africa, Argentina, Pakistan, India, Singapore, and the Philippines.   Her young adult publication,  FERVOUR™, is distributed quarterly.

Further information about First Love Ministries International can be found on the following page.

First Love Ministries International

A Christian Ministry organization, serving more than 50 nations on six continents with the teaching of the Gospel of Jesus Christ: Encourages pastors, leaders and general public with monthly ministry letters that are distributed to individual households and churches in nine nations: Provides financial aid for academic education to children and orphans in economically depressed regions through the Marion Education Fund™.

The vision of First Love Ministries International is to help believers worldwide to come to the fullness of knowing Jesus the Anointed as their first love, to help them to grow in faith and in intimacy with God, and to equip them through the teaching of the Word to be all that He has called them to be and to experience fullness of life and heaven on earth in every area of their life. It is not enough to just know about God or about what His Word says— the mission of First Love Ministries International is to help believers live it.

The official Website of First Love Ministries International, www.ps27fr.org, features a full Study Centre exhibiting numerous Online Articles written by Sharah LaGail Wyatt, along with a topical Question & Answer section also compiled by the author. The site also includes a sub-site for FERVOUR™—the Young Adult ministry of FLMI. The website continues to receive recurrent visits from more than 60 nations on six continents.

First Love Ministries International

PO Box 163974, Fort Worth, TX 76161

United States

www.ps27fr.org

Table of Contents

The Law of the Spirit of Life

The Effect of Righteousness

According to the Inward Man