Okay, so we have a pretty good idea of what it means to have the Spirit and what the Spirit can do in us, but how can we practice this? How can we actually begin the transformation from the flesh to the Spirit? The simple answer is to read your bible. Boring and predictable? Remember that these words were written out of divine inspiration and have the power to change lives. If the bible is the word of God, then the way we hear from God is to read his word. It’s like how when I started to read Ephesians and really focus on what it was saying, suddenly these truths began to stick out. I didn’t cause them to stick out, God did, and even if it was me who began to focus more, it was God who wrote these words through his people inspired by the Holy Spirit.
So read your bible, yes, but then what? What can we do with all of this information. Even just in Ephesians there is what feels like an overload of information, I didn’t even get half of what was in Ephesians written on here. It’s not just about reading, but also about thinking of the things you read. This should be a simple and obvious truth, but one that can be just as difficult to manage. A change in mind is a difficult ordeal. Take, for instance, when I was so distracted while reading through Ephesians that it took me what felt like 10 times longer to read through it than it should have. It took a change in mind to focus on it. Read this passage from Philippians to get a good understanding of this simplistic truth:
“Finally, brother and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever it pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable – if anything is excellent or praiseworthy – think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me – put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.”
- Philippians 4:8-9
This means to read it and to ponder it and to read it again and ponder it again. Whatever is true, noble, right, pure, etc. We have already seen so many examples in how to act as a Christian in the latter 3 chapters of Ephesians and that’s just one book of many!
In conclusion, I will write out a quick synopsis of what I learned in Ephesians and the corresponding sections where I got it from:
Paul calls us to walk worthy of our calling. We have been saved through Christ and are proof of his love by the very fact that we have been adopted to be heirs of God. We are asked to be a dwelling place for God and therefore represent him in our actions through his Spirit, which has sealed us for the day of redemption.
Read these verses for reference: Eph 4:1, 2:8, 3:10, 3:18, 2:22, and 1:13-14
Thank you for reading. I hope that you were able to learn something new through what I learned and have shared with you. Even if that knowledge is just to know how and why a Christian is expected to act in Christ.