A person walking in the ways of the Lord is a person who is walking in the Peace and Rest of the Lord. This person exercises the Fruit of Peace in every area of their life. They are at Rest in God’s Living Word.
We must put feet to our faith in the Living Word. Our feet must be shod with the preparation of the Gospel of Peace.
Peace is not only a Fruit of the Spirit, but it is also a very important and vital part of the Armor of God.
Ephesians 6: 15 And having shod your feet in preparation [to face the enemy with the firm-footed stability, the promptness, and the readiness produced by the good news] of the Gospel of peace. (Amp. C)
In preparation to face the enemy – We must do this before we face the enemy.
Peace will make you sure-footed and confident with firm footed stability.
Real Faith and Trust in The Living Word of God brings peace and confidence.
Peace will cause you to stand firm on the solid rock. Fear stands on sand.
When the pressure is on, fear runs and cannot stand. When the pressure is on, Peace will remain firm, and we will be able to stand, therefore.
Galatians 5: 22 – 23But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, (23)gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. (NKJV)
Verse 22 (Amplified Classic)But the fruit of the [Holy] Spirit [the work which His presence within accomplishes]
The Fruit of the Spirit are already present in every born-again child of God. Peace, like the other Fruit of the Spirit, must be developed.
When we exercise patience and self-control, which are also fruits of the Spirit, we will also develop peace.
Worry and fear are enemies of and the opposite of peace.
It is impossible to walk in peace and worry and fear at the same time. Whichever you yield to that is what will be functioning in your life.
The law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has authority over the law of sin and death. We are the ones that choose which one is in authority in our lives.
Romans 8:2For the law of the Spirit of life [which is] in Christ Jesus [the law of our new being] has freed me from the law of sin and of death. (NKJV)
If we choose to be carnally or worldly minded, the law of sin and death will have authority in our lives, and we will not walk a life of peace.
If we choose to be Spiritually or God’s Living Word minded, The Law of Life in Christ Jesus will have authority in our lives, and we will be walking a life of peace.
Romans 8: 5 – 6For 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. (6)For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. (NKJV)
Satan cannot do anything to us apart from fear, any more than God can do something for us apart from faith.
Faith moves God because faith is in God.
Fear moves Satan because fear is in Satan.
In order to walk in peace, we must walk in Faith and Love
To put worry and fear under we must replace it with something stronger. The Word of God is stronger than fear and it is a higher Law than fear.
We must develop our faith in the Word of God. The Word is our sure steadfast anchor. In order for us to have faith in the Word we must have knowledge of the Word.
We must speak the Word out of our mouth believing that we receive. Not just once but continually. Our faith will not work beyond our level of confession.
Proverbs 18: 21 Death and life are in the power of the tongue, And those who love it will eat its fruit. (NKJV)
Matthew 12: 36 – 37 But I tell you, on the day of judgment men will have to give account for every idle (inoperative, nonworking) word they speak. (37)For by your words you will be justified and acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned and sentenced. (Amp. C)
1st John 1: 9If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (NKJV)
Amplified Classic – 1st John 1: 9 If we [freely] admit that we have sinned and confess our sins, He is faithful and just (true to His own nature and promises) and will forgive our sins [dismiss our lawlessness] and [continuously] cleanse us from all unrighteousness [everything not in conformity to His will in purpose, thought, and action]. (Amp. C)
A person walking in the ways of the Lord is a person who is walking in the Peace and Rest of the Lord. This person exercises the Fruit of Peace in every area of their life. They are at Rest in God’s Living Word.
You must release peace and choose fear for fear to be able to be in control. Fear and peace cannot exist together. The one that the individual yields to, will be in control.
Peace cancels fear and depression. If you choose fear and depression Peace will not function.
Love cancels hate which brings peace. If you choose hate Love and Peace will not function.
Faith cancels doubt which brings peace. If you choose doubt Faith and Peace will not function
Trust and confidence In God and His Word brings peace and rest. If you choose not to place your trust and confidence in God and His Living Word, you will not be able to walk in Peace and Rest.
How much confidence and trust do you have in God’s Word?
How much trust and confidence do you have in your relationship with God?
There are times when all we have left is our confidence in God and His Word. These are times when we must trust God!
Psalm 25: 1 – 2a UNTO YOU, O Lord, do I bring my life. (2a) O my God, I trust, lean on, rely on, and am confident in You. (Amp. C)
1st John 5: 18b he who has been born of God keeps himself, and the wicked one does not touch him. (NKJV)
Satan cannot do anything to us apart from fear, any more than God can do something for us apart from faith.
Faith moves God because faith is in God.
Fear moves Satan because fear is in Satan.
In order for us to walk in peace we must walk in Faith and Love.
Faith works by love.
Galatians 5: 6 For [if we are] in Christ Jesus, neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, but only faith activated and energized and expressed and working through love. (Amp. C)
Peace Accompanies: Faith, Righteousness, Acquaintance with God, The Love of God’s Word, and Spiritual Mindedness.
A person walking in the ways of the Lord is a person who is walking in the Peace and Rest of the Lord. This person exercises the Fruit of Peace in every area of their life. They are at Rest in God’s Living Word.
What we do during the times of troubles and storms of life will determine the amount of effect they have on us. It will also determine how long they last, when, and if we come out of them.
The troubles and storms of life seldom affect just us. What we do in these times of trouble and storms of life will also affect others around us.
Most people think that peace is an absence of conflict. That is one of the world’s definitions of peace. The real genuine peace of God will bring conflict. One of the biggest fights that we will ever have will be the fight with ourselves to walk in the peace of God.
All of us are looking for an anchor in life, something that is stable and reliable. We are looking for something that we can place our confidence in, something that will bring us rest and peace.
John 16: 33 I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have [perfect] peace and confidence. In the world you have tribulation and trials and distress and frustration; but be of good cheer [take courage; be confident, certain, undaunted]! For I have overcome the world. [I have deprived it of power to harm you and have conquered it for you.] (Amp. C)
Matthew 6: 33 – 34 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. (34)Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble. (NKJV)
Romans 8: 5 – 6For 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. (6) For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. (NKJV)
Peace is a Fruit of the Spirit. It is already present in every Born-Again Believer. It must be believed, called upon, and exercised to be developed.
God is not keeping us from walking in peace! We have to choose whether we walk in peace in our lives or fear and worry.
If we are going to walk in peace in this dark world, we must control our tongues.
Proverbs 18: 21Death and life are in the power of the tongue.And those who love it will eat its fruit. (NKJV)
Isaiah 26: 3 You will guard him and keep him in perfect and constant peace whose mind [both its inclination and its character] is stayed on You, because he commits himself to You, leans on You, and hopes confidently in You. (Amp. C)
If we are going to walk a life of peace in this dark world, we must be God’s Living Word minded and walk the Love Walk.
A person walking in the ways of the Lord is a person who is walking in the Joy of the Lord. This person exercises the Fruit of Joy in every area of their life. The Joy of the Lord is their strength.
Nehemiah 8: 10b… Do not sorrow, for the joy of the LORD is your strength.” (NKJV)
Proverbs 17: 22A merry heart does good, like medicine, But a broken spirit dries the bones. (NKJV)
If we are truly Born-Again, joy is already present in us by the presence of the Holy Spirit. Joy is one of the Fruit of The Spirit listed inGalatians 5: 22 – 23.
Galatians 5: 22 – 23But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, (23)gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. (NKJV)
(Amplified Classic)But the fruit of the [Holy] Spirit [the work which His presence within accomplishes]
Joy is a major Spiritual force.
We must choose Joy and activate it, otherwise it will remain present but in-active.
Joy, like all the Fruit of the Spirit, must be activated by our Faith and exercised regularly in order for the fruits to develop. We must always be Fruit of the Spirit minded.
When we, by Faith in the Living Word, walk the Love Walk it activates and develops the fruit of Joy and all the related fruit of the Spirit.
When we apply our faith to the promises in God’s Living Word, rejoicing in the Lord will bring us to a place of rest in our Faith.
Real Faith is at rest in the Word.
Romans 15: 13May the God of your hope so fill you with all joy and peace in believing [through the experience of your faith] that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound and be overflowing (bubbling over) with hope. (Amp. C)
Hebrews 4: 1 – 3 Therefore, since a promise remains of entering His rest, let us fear lest any of you seem to have come short of it. (2)For indeed the gospel was preached to us as well as to them; but the word which they heard did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in those who heard it. (3)For we who have believed do enter that rest, as He has said: “SO I SWORE IN MY WRATH, ‘THEY SHALL NOT ENTER MY REST,’ ” although the works were finished from the foundation of the world.(NKJV)
We must Rejoice always in every circumstance of life.
I did not say that it would be comfortable or easy, but we can do it. The more we exercise the fruit of Joy by Rejoicing in the Lord the easier it becomes. It will become a lifestyle.
When we read, study, confess, and meditate on the Living Word we must do it believing that it is The Absolute Truth.
What does absolute mean?
Dictionary:Absolute:
1.complete; perfect2.free from limitations, restrictions, or exceptions; unqualified.
3.having unlimited authority.4.undoubted; certain: the absolute truth.
5.not dependent on, conditioned by, or relative to anything else; independent
6.pure; unmixed.
God Himself Is Love – Absolute Love,
God Is Absolute Life,
God Is Absolute Light,
God Is Absolute Truth,
God Is Absolute Integrity,
God Is Absolutely Steadfast.
God and His Living Word are Absolute Truth! God and His Word are One.
John 1: 1IN THE beginning [before all time] was the Word (Christ), and the Word was with God, and the Word was God Himself.(Amp. C)
God IS Love! The Being Love. Absolute Love.
1st John 4: 8 He who does not love does not know God, for God is love.(NKJV)
1st John 4: 16And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him.(NKJV)
Because God IS Love, The Being, and God and His Word are One, then God’s Word IS Love.
Because God Is Absolute Life and God and His Word are One then God’s Word Is Alive, absolute Life.
John 1: 4 – 5In Him was Life, and the Life was the Light of men. (5)And the Light shines on in the darkness, for the darkness has never overpowered it [put it out or absorbed it or appropriated it, and is unreceptive to it]. (Amp. C)
Hebrews 4: 12For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.(NKJV)
Because God and His Living Word are One and God cannot lie God’s Living Word Is Absolute Truth.
Titus 1: 2in hope of eternal life which God, who cannot lie, promised before time began,(NKJV)
John 17: 17 Sanctify them [purify, consecrate, separate them for Yourself, make them holy] by the Truth; Your Word is Truth. (Amp. C)
God’s Living Word Is Absolute Truth. His Word is His bond.
God’s Word is Absolute Integrity and Absolutely Steadfast.
Just as God never changes God’s Nature or His Ways do not change; neither does His Word.
Hebrews 13: 8Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. (NKJV)
Ephesians 1: 3 – 5 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, (4)just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, (5) having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, (NKJV)
Colossians 1: 21 – 22 And you, who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled (22)in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy, and blameless, and above reproach in His sight— (NKJV)
1st Thessalonians 3: 12 – 13 And may the Lord make you increase and abound in love to one another and to all, just as we do to you, (13)sothat He may establish your hearts blameless in holiness before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all His saints. (NKJV)
A person walking in the ways of the Lord will be a person walking a Holy Life having an established heartor being Spiritually Minded.
The person who is walking in the Ways of the Lord has a life joined to the Heart of God and is pleasing to Him. That person will be Spiritually Minded not Carnally Minded.
Walking a Holy life is walking the Love Walk.
Walking the Love Walk will develop and perfect a Holy Life
Walking a Holy Life or Holiness can only be done in a now moment as we walk the Love Walk.
The Love Walk will separate us from a sinful life.
Ephesians 4: 22 – 24 Strip yourselves of your former nature [put off and discard your old unrenewed self] which characterized your previous manner of life and becomes corrupt through lusts and desires that spring from delusion; (23)And be constantly renewed in the spirit of your mind [having a fresh mental and spiritual attitude], (24)And put on the new nature (the regenerate self) created in God’s image, [Godlike] in true righteousness and holiness.(Amp. C)
God’s Living Word is Absolute Truth. As we walk the Love Walk in obedience to God’s Living Word the Truth of His Word abiding in us will Sanctify us causing us to walk a Holy life unto The Lord.
John 17: 17 Sanctify them [purify, consecrate, separate them for Yourself, make them holy] by the Truth; Your Word is Truth. (Amp. C)
A person walking in the ways of the Lord having an established heartor being Spiritually Minded is a person who has been Saved, Justified, and made Righteous by the Grace of God.
Justified = Just as if I never Sinned.
Righteous = Right Standing with God.
Grace = Unmerited Favor.
When we receive Jesus as our Lord and Savior by God’s free gift of Grace, He Justifies us making us Righteous or putting us back into right standing with God Himself by His Grace.
Ephesians 2: 4 – 9 But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, (5) even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), (6) and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, (7) that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. (8) For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, (9) not of works, lest anyone should boast. (NKJV)
Romans 5: 6 – 11For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. (7) For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. (8) But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (9) Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. (10) For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. (11) And not only that, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation. (NKJV)
2nd Corinthians 5: 21For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. (NKJV)
Romans 3: 22 – 26even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe. For there is no difference; (23) for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, (24) being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, (25) whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed, (26) to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. (NKJV)
Ephesians 1: 4 – 6 just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, (5) having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, (6) to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved. (NKJV)
Colossians 1: 12 – 14Giving thanks to the Father, Who has qualified and made us fit to share the portion which is the inheritance of the saints (God’s holy people) in the Light. (13) [The Father] has delivered and drawn us to Himself out of the control and the dominion of darkness and has transferred us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, (14) In Whom we have our redemption through His blood, [which means] the forgiveness of our sins. (Amp. C)
Ephesians 1: 7 – 10 In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace(8) which He made to abound toward us in all wisdom and prudence, (9)having made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He purposed in Himself, (10) that in the dispensation of the fullness of the times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth—in Him. (NKJV)
Colossians 1: 20 And God purposed that through (by the service, the intervention of) Him [the Son] all things should be completely reconciled back to Himself, whether on earth or in heaven, as through Him, [the Father] made peace by means of the blood of His cross. (Amp. C)
Ephesians 1: 11 – 14 In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will, (12) that we who first trusted in Christ should be to the praise of His glory. (13) In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, (14) who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory. (NKJV)
Because of the Mercy and Loving-Kindness of God, He imparted His abundant Grace toward Mankind.
God Is Love. All the Ways of the Lord flow from Love, God Himself.
Holiness flows from Righteousness, which flows from God’s Grace, which flows from God’s Mercy and Loving-Kindness, which flows from Love, God Himself.
John 1: 16 – 17For out of His fullness (abundance) we have all received [all had a share and we were all supplied with] one grace after another and spiritual blessing upon spiritual blessing and even favor upon favor and gift [heaped] upon gift. (17) For while the Law was given through Moses, grace (unearned, undeserved favor and spiritual blessing) and truth came through Jesus Christ.(Amp. C)
Psalm 5: 11 – 12 But let all those rejoice who put their trust in You; Let them ever shout for joy, because You defend them; Let those also who love Your name Be joyful in You. (12) For You, O LORD, will bless the righteous; With favor You will surround him as with a shield. (NKJV)
The Bible is the full of God’s Mercy and Loving-Kindness. It is the Gospel of Grace.
Acts 20: 24But none of these things move me; nor do I count my life dear to myself, so that I may finish my race with joy, and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God. (NKJV)
The Word of Grace is able to build us up, strengthen us, and give us our rightful inheritance.
Acts 20: 32 And now [brethren], I commit you to God [I deposit you in His charge, entrusting you to His protection and care]. And I commend you to the Word of His grace [to the commands and counsels and promises of His unmerited favor]. It is able to build you up and to give you [your rightful] inheritance among all God’s set-apart ones (those consecrated, purified, and transformed of soul). (Amp. C)
2nd Timothy 2: 1SO YOU, my son, be strong (strengthened inwardly) in the grace (spiritual blessing) that is [to be found only] in Christ Jesus. (Amp. C)
1st Corinthians 15: 10 But by the grace (the unmerited favor and blessing) of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not [found to be] for nothing (fruitless and without effect). In fact, I worked harder than all of them [the apostles], though it was not really I, but the grace (the unmerited favor and blessing) of God which was with me. (Amp. C)
A person walking in the ways of the Lord having an established heart, or who is Spiritually minded, will be a person who is walking in God’s Mercy and Loving-Kindness.
Psalm 103: 17 But the mercy and loving-kindness of the Lord are from everlasting to everlasting upon those who reverently and worshipfully fear Him, and His righteousness is to children’s children (Amp. C)
God has extended His Mercy and Loving-Kindness towards us so that we can have a relationship with Him. God desires a love relationship with us.
Psalm 103: 11 – 12 For as the heavens are high above the earth, so great are His mercy and loving-kindness toward those who reverently and worshipfully fear Him. (12) As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us.(Amp. C)
Verse 12– Pre-Cross – He removed our transgressions from us; Post Cross– He completely canceled and blotted them out.
Colossians 2: 13 – 15 And you who were dead in trespasses and in the uncircumcision of your flesh (your sensuality, your sinful carnal nature), [God] brought to life together with [Christ], having [freely] forgiven us all our transgressions, (14) Having cancelled and blotted out and wiped away the handwriting of the note (bond) with its legal decrees and demands which was in force and stood against us (hostile to us). This [note with its regulations, decrees, and demands] He set aside and cleared completely out of our way by nailing it to [His] cross. (15) [God] disarmed the principalities and powers that were ranged against us and made a bold display and public example of them, in triumphing over them in Him and in it [the cross]. (Amp. C)
God wants our fellowship so much that He paid a tremendous price in order to have a relationship with us. The price God paid was the death of His only begotten Son Jesus.
It was because of His mercy and compassion that He sent Jesus.
The entire mission of Jesus was to reveal God’s Love and Mercy and to make a way for man back into a relationship with God. Where there was no way Jesus became the Way. We can trust in the Mercy of God.
John 3: 16 For God so greatly loved and dearly prized the world that He [even] gave up His only begotten (unique) Son, so that whoever believes in (trusts in, clings to, relies on) Him shall not perish (come to destruction, be lost) but have eternal (everlasting) life. (Amp. C)
A person walking in the ways of the Lord having an established heart or who is Spiritually minded will be a person who is walking in God’s Mercy and Loving-Kindness.
As believers, it is essential that we know and understand God’s Love and Mercy. That we develop trust in His Love and Mercy.
This is the message that He so deeply desires for the world to know. It is our message to a dark and hurting world.
If we are to have faith and confidence in God, we must trust in His mercy.
We must Develop Faith in the Mercy of God. God is faithful to His mercy.
Deuteronomy 7: 9Therefore know that the LORD your God, He is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and mercy for a thousand generations with those who love Him and keep His commandments; (NKJV)
The entire Word of God emphasizes God’s Love, Mercy, Compassion, and Goodness. We can trust in His Mercy. His Mercy endures forever.
Psalm 145: 8 – 9The Lord is gracious and full of compassion, slow to anger and abounding in mercy and loving-kindness. (9) The Lord is good to all, and His tender mercies are over all His works [the entirety of things created]. (Amp. C)
Psalm 86: 15 But You, O Lord, are a God full of compassion, and gracious, Longsuffering and abundant in mercy and truth. (NKJV)
Psalm 25: 10 All the paths of the Lord are mercy and steadfast love, even truth and faithfulness are they for those who keep His covenant and His testimonies. (Amp. C)
Psalm 32: 10 Many are the sorrows of the wicked, but he who trusts in, relies on, and confidently leans on the Lord shall be compassed about with mercy and with loving-kindness. (Amp. C)
Even pre-cross God shows us His deep desire to pour out the abundance of His Mercy.
When God was instructing Moses on how to build the Sanctuary, God did not put a seat of Judgment on top of the ark, but He put a seat of Mercy.
Exodus 25: 21 – 22You shall put the mercy seat on top of the ark, and in the ark you shall put the Testimony that I will give you.(22)And there I will meet with you, and I will speak with you from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubim which are on the ark of the Testimony, about everything which I will give you in commandment to the children of Israel. (NKJV)
GOD IS LOVE! WHEN YOU KNOW GOD, YOU KNOW LOVE HIMSELF THE PERSON.
LOVE IS NOT ONLY AN ACTION WORD REQUIRING ACTION BUT IT IS A PERSON.
ALL GENUINE LOVE IN ACTION FLOWS FROM THE PERSON LOVE GOD HIMSELF.
1st John 4: 7 – 8 Beloved, let us love one another, for love is (springs) from God; and he who loves [his fellowmen] is begotten (born) of God and is coming [progressively] to know and understand God [to perceive and recognize and get a better and clearer knowledge of Him]. (8) He who does not love has not become acquainted with God [does not and never did know Him], for God is love. (Amp. C)
When we know God IS LOVE we know His ways. To Know His Ways is to Love Him.
All of God’s Ways are Love.
Matthew 22: 35 – 40And one of their number, a lawyer, asked Him a question to test Him. (36)Teacher, which kind of commandment is great and important (the principal kind) in the Law? [Some commandments are light–which are heavy?] (37)And He replied to him, You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind (intellect). (38)This is the great (most important, principal) and first commandment. (39)And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as [you do] yourself. (40) These two commandments sum up and upon them depend all the Law and the Prophets.(Amp. C)
Romans 13: 8 – 10 Owe no one anything except to love one another, for he who loves another has fulfilled the law. (9)For the commandments, “YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT ADULTERY,” “YOU SHALL NOT MURDER,” “YOU SHALL NOT STEAL,” “YOU SHALL NOT BEAR FALSE WITNESS,” “YOU SHALL NOT COVET,” and if there is any other commandment, are all summed up in this saying, namely, “YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.” (10)Love does no harm to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law. (NKJV)
A person walking in the Ways of the Lord will be a person guided by the Holy Spirit.
This person being guided by the Holy Spirit will be a person who habitually exercises and develops the Fruit of the Spirit.
All of the Fruit of the Spirit flows from and are founded in Love.
Galatians 5: 22 – 23 But the fruit of the [Holy] Spirit [the work which His presence within accomplishes] is love, joy (gladness), peace, patience (an even temper, forbearance), kindness, goodness (benevolence), faithfulness,(23)Gentleness (meekness, humility), self-control (self-restraint, continence). Against such things there is no law [that can bring a charge]. (Amp. C)
Because of the presence of the Holy Spirit within every Born-Again person they already have the ability to walk in the Ways of the Lord present within them. Even though the Fruit of the Spirit is already present in the Born-Again person that fruit must be developed.
The Holy Spirit will always guide this person in the way of Love, The Love Walk.
1st Corinthians 13: 4 – 8a(Amplified Classic)
A person walking in the ways of the Lord:
Will Endure Long
Will Be Patient and Kind
Will not be envious or boil over with jealousy.
Will not be boastful or vain glorious.
Will not display themselves haughtily.
Will not be conceited (arrogant and inflated with pride
Will not be rude (unmannerly) and will not act unbecomingly.
Will not insist on their own rights or their own way for it is not self-seeking.
Will not be touchy or fretful or resentful.
Will not take account of the evil done to them [they pay no attention to a suffered wrong
Will not rejoice at injustice and unrighteousness, but rejoices when right and truth
prevail.
Will bear up under anything and everything that comes.
Will be ever ready to believe the best of every person.
Their hopes are fadeless under all circumstances.
They endure everything without weakening.
Their Love will never fail, never fade out, or becomes obsolete, or comes to an end.
Love describes all that God IS. His very nature and all of His ways. All of God’s Ways are Love.
Love is the root, foundation, and entire reason for all that God has done, is doing, and ever will do.
Love covers all of time and eternity.
Love is the reason for all of creation that is in time and eternity.
Love is the reason that Jesus was sent.
Not only was it the Fathers Love that sent Jesus, but it was also Jesus’ own Love that sent Him. For they are One
John 10:30 I and the My Father are One. (NKJV)
Not only are God The Father, God The Son Jesus, and God The Holy Spirit absolutely One but God’s deep desire is that we are one. Not only one with each other but also One with God The Father, God The Son Jesus, and God The Holy Spirit.
John 17: 21 That they all may be one, [just] as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be one in Us, so that the world may believe and be convinced that You have sent Me. (Amp. C)
Love is the reason for His entire life, death, burial, descent into Hell, and His resurrection from the Dead.
Love is the reason that He ascended into Heaven where He is seated at the right hand of God The Father making intercession for us.
Love is the reason for the coming of the Holy Spirit and His abiding in us.
Love is the reason for the Baptism in the Holy Spirit. He is a very special Love Gift from the Father Himself.
Love is the reason for, the root, the foundation, and the source of all of the Promises and
Commandments. All of the dos and don’ts
Love covers all of the covenants and the entire Bible.
The Bible is a Book of Love. A Love Covenant.
This wonderful book the Bible covers all of Time & Eternity,
Psalm 37is a chapter which details the way of the person who is walking in the Ways of the Lord having an established heart being Spiritually Minded vs the person who is carnally minded and not walking in the ways of the Lord.
Psalm 37: 1 – 40FRET NOT yourself because of evildoers, neither be envious against those who work unrighteousness (that which is not upright or in right standing with God).
(2)For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither as the green herb.
(3)Trust (lean on, rely on, and be confident) in the Lord and do good; so shall you dwell in the land and feed surely on His faithfulness, and truly you shall be fed.
(4)Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He will give you the desires and secret petitions of your heart.
(5) Commit your way to the Lord [roll and repose each care of your load on Him]; trust (lean on, rely on, and be confident) also in Him and He will bring it to pass.
(6)And He will make your uprightness and right standing with God go forth as the light, and your justice and right as [the shining sun of] the noonday.
(7)Be still and rest in the Lord; wait for Him and patiently lean yourself upon Him; fret not yourself because of him who prospers in his way, because of the man who brings wicked devices to pass.
(8)Cease from anger and forsake wrath; fret not yourself–it tends only to evildoing.
(9)For evildoers shall be cut off, but those who wait and hope and look for the Lord [in the end] shall inherit the earth.
(10)For yet a little while, and the evildoers will be no more; though you look with care where they used to be, they will not be found.
(11)But the meek [in the end] shall inherit the earth and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace…. (Amp. C)
Psalm 112: 1 – 10 Praise the LORD! Blessed is the man who fears the LORD, Who delights greatly in His commandments. (Amp. Classic*fears – reveres and worships) (2)His descendants will be mighty on earth; The generation of the upright will be blessed. (3)Wealth and riches will be in his house, And his righteousness endures forever. (4)Unto the upright there arises light in the darkness; He is gracious, and full of compassion, and righteous. (5)A good man deals graciously and lends; He will guide his affairs with discretion.(6)Surely he will never be shaken; The righteous will be in everlasting remembrance. (7)He will not be afraid of evil tidings; His heart is steadfast, trusting in the LORD. (8)His heart is established; He will not be afraid, Until he sees his desire upon his enemies. (9)He has dispersed abroad, He has given to the poor; His righteousness endures forever; His horn will be exalted with honor. (10)The wicked will see it and be grieved; He will gnash his teeth and melt away; The desire of the wicked shall perish. (NKJV)
Psalm 1: 1 – 5 BLESSED (HAPPY, fortunate, prosperous, and enviable) is the man who walks and lives not in the counsel of the ungodly [following their advice, their plans and purposes], nor stands [submissive and inactive] in the path where sinners walk, nor sits down [to relax and rest] where the scornful [and the mockers] gather. (2) But his delight and desire are in the law of the Lord, and on His law (the precepts, the instructions, the teachings of God) he habitually meditates (ponders and studies) by day and by night. (3)And he shall be like a tree firmly planted [and tended] by the streams of water, ready to bring forth its fruit in its season; its leaf also shall not fade or wither; and everything he does shall prosper [and come to maturity]. (4)Not so the wicked [those disobedient and living without God are not so]. But they are like the chaff [worthless, dead, without substance] which the wind drives away. (5) Therefore the wicked [those disobedient and living without God] shall not stand [justified] in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous [those who are upright and in right standing with God]. (6)For the Lord knows and is fully acquainted with the way of the righteous, but the way of the ungodly [those living outside God’s will] shall perish (end in ruin and come to nought). (Amp. C)
A person walking in the ways of the Lord having an established heartor who is Spiritually minded is a person who will love his enemies.
Luke 6: 27 – 36But I say to you who are listening now to Me: [in order to heed, make it a practice to] love your enemies, treat well (do good to, act nobly toward) those who detest you and pursue you with hatred, (28) Invoke blessings upon and pray for the happiness of those who curse you, implore God’s blessing (favor) upon those who abuse you [who revile, reproach, disparage, and high-handedly misuse you]. (29)To the one who strikes you on the jaw or cheek, offer the other jaw or cheek also; and from him who takes away your outer garment, do not withhold your undergarment as well. (30)Give away to everyone who begs of you [who is in want of necessities], and of him who takes away from you your goods, do not demand or require them back again. (31)And as you would like and desire that men would do to you, do exactly so to them. (32)If you [merely] love those who love you, what quality of credit and thanks is that to you? For even the [very] sinners love their lovers (those who love them). (33)And if you are kind and good and do favors to and benefit those who are kind and good and do favors to and benefit you, what quality of credit and thanks is that to you? For even the preeminently sinful do the same. (34)And if you lend money at interest to those from whom you hope to receive, what quality of credit and thanks is that to you? Even notorious sinners lend money at interest to sinners, so as to recover as much again. (35) But love your enemies and be kind and do good [doing favors so that someone derives benefit from them] and lend, expecting and hoping for nothing in return but considering nothing as lost and despairing of no one; and then your recompense (your reward) will be great (rich, strong, intense, and abundant), and you will be sons of the Most High, for He is kind and charitable and good to the ungrateful and the selfish and wicked. (36)So be merciful (sympathetic, tender, responsive, and compassionate) even as your Father is [all these]. (Amp. C)
There are only two mindsets. Everything that we do is either Carnally minded or Spiritually minded. One or the other. There is no middle ground.
A person walking in the ways of the Lord having an established heart is Spiritually minded, and God’s Word ruled. God and His Living Word is first place in this person’s life. They are not ruled by their senses, emotions, or feelings.
Romans 8: 1 – 2 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.(2) For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death. (NKJV)
Romans 8: 5 – 6 For 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. (6) For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. (NKJV)
A person walking in the ways of the Lord having an established heartor being Spiritually Mindedis a person who has put themselves in a place to know His Ways and what our ways are supposed to be.
1st John 4: 15 – 16Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. (16)And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him. (17)Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as He is, so are we in this world.(NKJV)
A person walking in the ways of the Lord having an established heartor being Spiritually Minded has put themselves in a place where they can be led by the Holy Spirit in every area of their lives.
Psalm 25: 1 – 2a UNTO YOU, O Lord, do I bring my life. (2a)O my God, I trust, lean on, rely on, and am confident in You… (Amp. C)
Psalm 25: 4 – 5aShow me Your ways, O Lord; teach me Your paths. (5a)Guide me in Your truth and faithfulness and teach me,…(Amp. C)
God Himself has an eye on our path of life and He Himself will teach us how to choose.
Psalm 32: 7 – 8 You are my hiding place; You shall preserve me from trouble; You shall surround me with songs of deliverance. Selah (8) I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will guide you with My eye. (NKJV)
Verse 7 = what David said to God.
Verse 8 = what God said in response to what David said.
A person walking in the ways of the Lord having an established hearthas their focus on God’s Word. God’s Living Word is abiding in their hearts.
John 15: 7 If you live in Me [abide vitally united to Me] and My words remain in you and continue to live in your hearts, ask whatever you will, and it shall be done for you. (Amp. C)
A person walking in the ways of the Lord having an established heartis always prepared and ready unmoving no matter what happens.
Philippians 4: 13I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. (NKJV)
Philippians 4: 13I have strength for all things in Christ Who empowers me [I am ready for anything and equal to anything through Him Who infuses inner strength into me; I am self-sufficient in Christ’s sufficiency]. (Amp. C)
Psalm 23: 1 – 6A Psalm of David. THE LORD is my Shepherd [to feed, guide, and shield me], I shall not lack. (2)He makes me lie down in [fresh, tender] green pastures; He leads me beside the still and restful waters. (3) He refreshes and restores my life (my self); He leads me in the paths of righteousness [uprightness and right standing with Him–not for my earning it, but] for His name’s sake. (4) Yes, though I walk through the [deep, sunless] valley of the shadow of death, I will fear or dread no evil, for You are with me; Your rod [to protect] and Your staff [to guide], they comfort me. (5)You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my [brimming] cup runs over. (6)Surely or only goodness, mercy, and unfailing love shall follow me all the days of my life, and through the length of my days the house of the Lord [and His presence] shall be my dwelling place. (Amp. C)
A person that knows the Lord and is walking in His Ways has an established Heart. Paul had an established heart, a consistent way of life. His life was built upon the Rock Jesus Christ.
Proverbs 4: 23 Keep and guard your heart with all vigilance and above all that you guard, for out of it flow the springs of life. (Amp. C)
Colossians 3: 1 – 3 IF THEN you have been raised with Christ [to a new life, thus sharing His resurrection from the dead], aim at and seek the [rich, eternal treasures] that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. (2) And set your minds and keep them set on what is above (the higher things), not on the things that are on the earth. (3) For [as far as this world is concerned] you have died, and your [new, real] life is hidden with Christ in God (Amp. C)
Galatians 5: 25 If we live by the [Holy] Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit. [If by the Holy Spirit we have our life in God, let us go forward walking in line, our conduct controlled by the Spirit.] (Amp. C)
A person walking in the ways of the Lord having an established heartis fixed, steadfast, unwavering, trusting in the Lord always and in all circumstances no matter what those circumstances are.
A person walking in the ways of the Lord having an established heartdoes not weaver in times of trouble or distress.
He does not waver because he knows that he is not alone. God Himself is with him.
A person walking in the ways of the Lord having an established heartdoes not worry, fret, or fear. They do not focus on the problem but on the answer
God has a deep desire for us to know Him and to know His Ways. He is not holding back.
He wants us to know Him.
God by the Holy Spirit is continuously revealing Himself to us as we study the Living Word, Pray, and walk the Love Walk.
We must position ourselves for God to be able to reveal Himself to us.
In order to know God and Walk in His Ways we must please the Lord.
In order to please the Lord, we must be people of Faith. Faith works by Love.
Hebrews 11: 6But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. (NKJV)
The people listed in Hebrews Chapter 11 all pleased God. They were people of Faith.
Paul was a man of Faith. He had a deep desire to please God and to Know Him.
Philippians 3: 7 – 10 But whatever former things I had that might have been gains to me, I have come to consider as [one combined] loss for Christ’s sake. (8) Yes, furthermore, I count everything as loss compared to the possession of the priceless privilege (the overwhelming preciousness, the surpassing worth, and supreme advantage) of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord and of progressively becoming more deeply and intimately acquainted with Him [of perceiving and recognizing and understanding Him more fully and clearly]. For His sake I have lost everything and consider it all to be mere rubbish (refuse, dregs), in order that I may win (gain) Christ (the Anointed One),(9) And that I may [actually] be found and known as in Him, not having any [self-achieved] righteousness that can be called my own, based on my obedience to the Law’s demands (ritualistic uprightness and supposed right standing with God thus acquired), but possessing that [genuine righteousness] which comes through faith in Christ (the Anointed One), the [truly] right standing with God, which comes from God by [saving] faith. (10)[For my determined purpose is] that I may know Him [that I may progressively become more deeply and intimately acquainted with Him, perceiving and recognizing and understanding the wonders of His Person more strongly and more clearly], and that I may in that same way come to know the power outflowing from His resurrection [which it exerts over believers], and that I may so share His sufferings as to be continually transformed [in spirit into His likeness even] to His death, [in the hope] (Amp. C)
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