Three Means Complete!

At Adams’s sin, all men at birth inherited their sinful nature and its penalty, which is the separation of a relationship with our Holy Father! So, a sacrifice was needed to take the penalty, which is Jesus His Son. As men, once we face the fact that we are sinners in need of a Savior and ask Christ into our hearts, we are granted salvation by His sacrifice on the cross. Simply put, Christ died, so we don’t have to! At salvation, our separation from God the Father is restored, and death is replaced with eternal life. While the blessing of salvation is huge, what many of us men fail to consider is the gift of the Holy Spirit! 

God the Father is one God in three persons: God the Father, Jesus the Son, and the Holy Spirit. A man’s cry for forgiveness is complete at salvation, and his desire to do good is strengthened. We need Christ for eternal life and the Holy Spirit for our daily life. God didn’t just send His Son to die on the cross so we could go to Heaven; He also sent His Spirit to guide and empower us while we are here on earth.

Through Christ, the relationship with God is restored, and Heaven becomes our future home. The Spirit of God keeps, directs, and grows us until we get there. Without God instilling His Spirit in us, we would be like ships drifting in an ocean with no rudder! While we know our eventual port, with no rudder, we spend time lost at sea facing the challenges of bad weather, headwinds, storms, and more! Through the Holy Spirit, God’s power and guidance live within us. Unfortunately, all too often, we men fail to consider the gift, goodness, and power of this gift!

Remember, God is a loving God. He didn’t save you to live a failed life leading up to Heaven. No! Our salvation seals our destination, but the Holy Spirit abides in us so that we can have victory on earth and be a testimony of His goodness. We can look at numerous examples of men who had no promise of victory on earth, yet through the Spirit of God living in them, they became warriors of their faith!

David was a shepherd, the youngest of his brothers. However, through faith and the Holy Spirit, he was able to kill a giant with just one stone, and he eventually became a king. Paul, who once killed and persecuted Christians, was transformed by the Holy Spirit and became the very voice of God. Billy Graham, a farmer’s son, became a pastor for the Presidents. At salvation, we not only gain eternity in Heaven, but also the Holy Spirit (God Himself) takes up residence in us; this same Spirit not only guides us but also gives us direction, conviction, and power like it did David, Paul, and Billy Graham. The Spirit of God gives us power over sin and transforms us from beggars with no inheritance to children of the Most High!

So, why do so many saved men live in defeat––guys that seem to embrace the thoughts of Heaven yet live in hell and defeat while on Earth? I believe we fail to recognize that the very same power of God that raised Christ from the dead and saved us from hell is the same God that now resides in us! That power is now inside you, but you need to believe, feed, and nurture the Spirit! How do we do this? While the Spirit of God may live in us, our growing in the Spirit takes place when we feed it through the Word of God, prayer, and walking out our salvation in faith!

Men, it is a simple truth – we become what we feed! If we feed our flesh, we will be governed by it. When a saved man chooses to live by the flesh, his spirit man becomes weak and subdued. If we continue to indulge in sin and feed our flesh, we become its slave. However, if we have been saved and set free from our fleshly desires, then why return to our old nature? We have been set free and should strive to live in freedom.

“Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace. The mind governed by the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. Those who are in the realm of the flesh cannot please God.” Romans 8:5-8

Our human spirit is fed and empowered by reading God’s Word and being led by the Holy Spirit. As our spirit man grows, so does our character, faith, boldness, and the power of God within us! God did not save us to live out a defeated life on earth waiting for Heaven. Remember, you were made in the image of God. So, if we are the image of God, then God wants us to also have the character of God: our outward man and the inward man walking out our faith while on earth. As we walk out this faith, then we prove to be His disciples.

“You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead, they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven. You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden.”  Matthew 5:14-16

Like David, we may be tending sheep now, but God wants to use us to prove ourselves as His disciples. When David heard about Goliath mocking God, his spirit refused to accept it and said NO! He stepped out in boldness with a stone! A small stone with big faith can bring down giants in our lives!