Servias Ministries Blog

It is vital to our walk that we mortify the deeds of the flesh!

The word “mortify” means to put to death.

Paul wrote by The Holy Spirit in Romans chapter 8:

13  For when you live controlled by the flesh, you are about to die. But if the life of the Spirit puts to death the corrupt ways of the flesh, we then taste his abundant life.  TPT

Each of us makes daily decisions of which path we take: Life or death.  These two paths are diametrically opposed to each other.  The issue isn’t just one step in the wrong direction, but it is the pursuit of the wrong path and becomes habitual in nature.

If I have a vain imagination, I immediately speak to it and cast it down.  If we allow ourselves to dwell on a vain imagination, we will ultimately take action to fulfill that imagination.  We have the option to decide on what we ponder.

Paul specifically encourages us as he wrote by The Holy Spirit in Philippians chapter 4:

8 Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy-meditate on these things.

In other Words, keep your thoughts continually fixed on all that is authentic and real, honorable and admirable, beautiful and respectful, pure and Holy, merciful and kind. And fasten your thoughts on every glorious work of God, praising Him always.

He also wrote by The Holy Spirit in Colossians chapter 3:

5  Live as one who has died to every form of sexual sin and impurity. Live as one who has died to the desires for forbidden things, including the desire for wealth, which is the essence of idol worship.

6 When you live in these vices you ignite the anger of God against these acts of disobedience.

7-8 That’s how you once behaved, characterized by your evil deeds. But now it’s time to eliminate them from your lives once and for all—anger, fits of rage, all forms of hatred, cursing, filthy speech,

9 and lying. Lay aside your old Adam-self with its masquerade and disguise.

10 For you have acquired new creation life which is continually being renewed into the Likeness of the One Who created you; giving you the full revelation of God.

We do have the choice of eliminating all aspects of the works of the flesh.  Jesus made the way to enable us to live by THE SPIRIT.  Love gives us the choice.

11 In this new creation life, your nationality makes no difference, nor your ethnicity, education, nor economic status—they matter nothing. For it is Christ that means everything as He lives in every one of us!

Never look down or belittle another person.  They too are GOD’S creation.  Let The Holy Spirit guide you concerning any interaction with him or her.

12 You are always and dearly Loved by God! So robe yourself with virtues of God, since you have been Divinely chosen to be Holy. Be merciful as you endeavor to understand others, and be compassionate, showing kindness toward all. Be gentle and humble, unoffendable in your patience with others.

13 Tolerate the weaknesses of those in the family of faith, forgiving one another in the same way you have been graciously forgiven by Jesus Christ. If you find fault with someone, release this same gift of forgiveness to them.

14 For Love is supreme and must flow through each of these virtues. Love becomes the mark of true maturity.

Each of us has the capacity to walk Holy and in Agape Love.

15 Let your heart be always guided by the peace of the Anointed One, Who called you to peace as part of His One Body. And always be thankful.

If you are not at peace, ask FATHER to show you what is causing you to be unsettled.  Peace is the umpire of any decision.

16 Let the Word of Christ live in you richly, flooding you with all wisdom. Apply the Scriptures as you teach and instruct one another with the Psalms, and with festive praises, and with prophetic songs given to you spontaneously by the Spirit, so sing to God with all your hearts!

We must study the Scriptures in order to properly apply them.  My opinion, apart from The Word is rather useless.

17 Let every activity of your lives and every word that comes from your lips be drenched with the beauty of our Lord Jesus, the Anointed One. And bring your constant praise to God the Father because of what Christ has done for you!

We must guard our words as well as our thoughts so that we will pursue Life rather than allow the works of the flesh to manifest.  The more I immerse myself in The Word, the less I have to deal with the flesh.  By taking such action, I mortify the deeds of the flesh.

How do we consistently walk in THE SPIRIT!

Paul wrote by The Holy Spirit in Galatians chapter 5:

16  I say emphatically: Walk (live) in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.

In other Words, make the path of the Spirit the place where you habitually live and walk.  Become so comfortable on this spiritual path that you learn to leisurely and peacefully stroll along in that realm.  Living your life in this Spirit realm is the best and only way to guarantee that you will not allow the yearnings of your flesh to creep out and fulfill themselves.

17 When your self-life craves the things that offend the Holy Spirit you hinder Him from living free within you! And the Holy Spirit’s intense cravings hinder your self-life from dominating you! So then, the two incompatible and conflicting forces within you are your self-life of the flesh and the new creation life of the Spirit.

The flesh produces works whereas the Spirit produces fruit:

19  Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness,

20 idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies,

21 envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the Kingdom of God.

The Passion Translation describes these works of the flesh in today’s terms as:

Sexual immorality

lustful thoughts

pornography

chasing after things instead of God

manipulating others

hatred of those who get in your way

senseless arguments

resentment when others are favored

temper tantrums

angry quarrels

only thinking of yourself

being in love with your own opinions

being envious of the blessings of others

murder

uncontrolled addictions

wild parties

and all other similar behavior.

These works ultimately produce death and destruction whether it be life or relationships with others.  Some are obvious whereas other works are subtle.  For instance, “being in love with your own opinion” is dangerous in a subtle way.

If a person has decided beforehand that nothing you have to show him is worth his time, he will be stubbornly stupid.  He will see it as foolishness.  He has no common sense.

Wisdom and understanding are necessary for us to fully embrace the beauty of GOD’S Word written specifically for our benefit.  The Source of our wisdom and understanding comes from The Holy Spirit, not from the opinions of so-called experts.

James wrote by The Holy Spirit in James chapter 3:

13  If you consider yourself to be wise and one who understands the ways of God, advertise it with a beautiful, fruitful life guided by Wisdom’s gentleness. Never brag or boast about what you’ve done and you’ll prove that you’re truly wise.

14 But if there is bitter jealousy or competition hiding in your heart, then don’t deny it and try to compensate for it by boasting and being phony.

15 For that has nothing to do with God’s Heavenly Wisdom but can best be described as the wisdom of this world, both selfish and devilish.

16 So wherever jealousy and selfishness are uncovered, you will also find many troubles and every kind of meanness.

17 But the Wisdom from above is always pure, filled with peace, considerate and teachable. It is filled with Love and never displays prejudice or hypocrisy in any form

18 and It always bears the beautiful harvest of righteousness! Good seeds of Wisdom’s fruit will be planted with peaceful acts by those who cherish making peace.

Every one of us produces fruit from our actions.  Our actions will result from either our spirit, our flesh, or both.  It is up to each of us on a daily basis, to decide whether we produce works of the flesh or fruit of The Spirit.

Take a moment each time you are confronted with the opportunity to respond.  As James stated in chapter 1 verse 19, “Be swift to hear and slow to speak… or respond, then decide on your response.

We are to live in THE SPIRIT, not the flesh!

Paul wrote by The Holy Spirit in Galatians chapter 5:

13  For you, brethren, have been called to liberty; only do not use liberty as an opportunity for the flesh, but through Love serve one another.

14 For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this: “You shall Love your neighbor as yourself.”

15 But if you bite and devour one another, beware lest you be consumed by one another!

The word “bite” means to wound the soul with words: to lacerate and rend with insults and reproaches.  The word “devour” means to eat, devour, gulp, or to swallow completely.  Participating in strife and contention only serves to be consumed by the flesh.

16  I say then: Walk (live) in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.

In other Words:  Let me say emphatically: As you yield to the dynamic life and power of the Holy Spirit, you will abandon the cravings of your self-life.

We have the choice: yield to the Spirit or yield to the flesh!  The more we walk in the Spirit, the more we move toward eliminating strife and contention by simply not participating in the situation.  If someone is persistent in initiating strife and contention, distance yourself from him or her.  You may need to Love the person from afar.  Paul clearly states that we CAN walk in the Spirit all the time if we choose to.

17 For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish.

If allowed, the flesh will hinder you from walking in the Spirit.  This is a war of two realms, and it is your choice which realm you walk in.

How can you more effectively pursue walking in the Spirit?

Jude wrote by The Holy Spirit in his letter:

20  But you, Beloved, building yourselves up on your most Holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit,

21 keep yourselves in the Love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto Eternal Life.

One who speaks in Tongues advances his own Spiritual progress.  Paul was not reluctant to emphasize his own prayer life when he wrote by The Holy Spirit in 1^st  Corinthians chapter 14:

18 I thank my God I speak with Tongues more than you all;

When we align ourselves with The Holy Spirit and pray in Tongues, we are pursuing the Spiritual walk and subduing the flesh at the same time.  This has been vital to my growth and dealing with situations of strife and contention.

In Galatians chapter 5:

18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.

Paul explains in Romans chapter 8:

5  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. 7 Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be.

8 So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God.

We must restrain our flesh from entering into a situation of strife and contention.  The flesh would have us walk away from the fruit of THE SPIRIT and keep us from the path of Life. 

The adversary will attempt to challenge our walk by influencing others to evoke conflict.  If we are led by THE SPIRIT, we will navigate through these attempts without compromising our walk.

You are perfected in Christ by His unconditional Love!

Paul wrote by The Holy Spirit in 1^st Thessalonians chapter 5:

23  Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

24 He who calls you is faithful, who also will do it.

We are a three-part person, we have a spirit, soul, and body.  When we give our life to Christ, He perfected our spirit man immediately.  This did not apply to our souls or our bodies.  We are accountable to renew our minds and put our bodies under subjection to our spirit.  Our spirit was sealed by The Holy Spirit, but the other two parts were not.

Paul also wrote by The Holy Spirit in Hebrews chapter 10:

11  And every priest stands ministering daily and offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins.

12 But this Man (Jesus Christ), after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the Right Hand of God,

13 from that time waiting till His enemies are made His footstool.

14 For by one offering He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified.

This is an unconditional act of Love!  We don’t lose our salvation every time we sin.  Our Heavenly Father’s grace and mercy are sufficient to keep us from losing our salvation.  By Jesus Christ’s one perfect sacrifice He made us perfectly Holy and complete for all time!

Further, in Hebrews chapter 12:

18  For you have not come to the mountain that may be touched and that burned with fire, and to blackness and darkness and tempest,

19 and the sound of a trumpet and the Voice of Words, so that those who heard it begged that The Word should not be spoken to them anymore.

20 (For they could not endure what was commanded: “And if so much as a beast touches the mountain, it shall be stoned or shot with an arrow.”

21 And so terrifying was the sight that Moses said, “I am exceedingly afraid and trembling.”)

22 But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the Living God, the Heavenly Jerusalem, to an innumerable company of angels,

23 to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are registered in heaven, to God the Judge of all, to the spirits of just men made perfect,

24 to Jesus the Mediator of the New Covenant, and to the Blood of sprinkling that speaks better things than that of Abel.

As members of the church of the Firstborn all our names have been legally registered as citizens of Heaven!  We have come before Our Heavenly Father Who judges all, and Who lives among the spirits of the righteous who have been made perfect in His Eyes! 

We are now to come closer to God and approach HIM with an open heart, fully convinced that nothing will keep us at a distance from HIM. For our hearts have been sprinkled with blood to remove impurity, and we have been freed from an accusing conscience.

Now we are clean, unstained, and presentable to God inside and out!  So now wrap your heart tightly around the hope that lives within us, knowing that God always keeps HIS promises!

Discover creative ways to encourage others and to motivate them toward acts of compassion, doing beautiful works as expressions of Love!  Let the perfection of our spirit man be manifested in our words and actions toward others.

The Love of Christ compels me!

What is your motivation throughout each day?  Where is your focus?  If you were to keep a daily diary of your thoughts, actions, and words, what would be your conclusion about your priorities?

Paul wrote by The Holy Spirit in 2 Corinthians 5:

12  For we do not commend ourselves again to you, but give you opportunity to boast on our behalf, that you may have an answer for those who boast in appearance and not in heart.

13 For if we are beside ourselves, it is for God; or if we are of sound mind, it is for you.

14 For the Love of Christ compels us, because we judge thus: that if One died for all, then all died;

15 and He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again.

16 Therefore, from now on, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him thus no longer.

17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.

18 Now all things are of God, Who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation,

19 that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the Word of reconciliation.

20 Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God.

In other words, it was through the Anointed One that God was shepherding the world, not even keeping records of their transgressions, and He has entrusted to us the ministry of opening the door of reconciliation to God.

You and I are entrusted with being personal representatives of Our Heavenly Father by presenting The Door of reconciliation to those who do not know Christ. 

Jesus affirmed Himself as “The Door” in John chapter 10:

7  Then Jesus said to them again, “Most assuredly, I say to you, I am The Door of the sheep.

8 All who ever came before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them.

9 I am The Door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture.

10 The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have Life, and that they may have it more abundantly.

You and I are to represent Christ not only by our words, but our actions as well.  This ministry is all about planting good seed on behalf of The Kingdom.  The recipients of our assistance see our testimonies in action, and it encourages them as they see the Love of Christ expressed through you and me.

Paul was compelled by the Love of Christ to do whatever was necessary to spread The Gospel.  Let the Love of Christ compel us in like manner!

Very few people live in the spirit realm!

There are three distinct realms people can live in: spiritual, soulish, and fleshly.  As believers, we are meant to live in the spiritual realm as did Jesus.

The tabernacle was a shadow of the true tabernacle found in Heaven.  There was the outer court, the Holy place, and the Holy of Holies.

Paul wrote by The Holy Spirit in Hebrews chapter 8:

7  For if that first covenant had been faultless, then no place would have been sought for a second.

8 Because finding fault with them, He says: “Behold, the days are coming, says the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah-

9 not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; because they did not continue in My covenant, and I disregarded them, says the LORD.

10 For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD: I will put My laws in their mind and write them on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.

FATHER is the One Who puts HIS Laws both in our minds and on our hearts.  We are sealed by The Holy Spirit.

Paul also wrote by The Holy Spirit in 2^nd Corinthians chapter 1:

21  Now He who establishes us with you in Christ and has anointed us is God,

22 Who also has sealed us and given us the Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee.

This is our assurance of our eternal relationship with FATHER.  Your sins will not break this seal.  The only thing that can break this seal is an outright rejection of The Holy Spirit after you have been sealed.  FATHER’S commitment to us is unconditional as is HIS Love for us.  Jesus’ sacrifice was required only once for all, not continual temporary sacrifices as required by the Old Covenant.

Continuing in Hebrews chapter 8:

11 None of them shall teach his neighbor, and none his brother, saying, ‘Know the LORD,’ for all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them.

12 For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more.“

13 In that He says, “A new covenant,” He has made the first obsolete. Now what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away.

Jesus made the Old Covenant totally obsolete by fulfilling the New Covenant.  Why should we try to adhere to Old Covenant thinking by subjecting ourselves to performance-based religion.  Jesus eliminated the conditional “if, then” orientation which has been preached by many.  We are righteous by The Blood of Jesus, not by our performance.

With this in mind, Paul began the chapter with:

1  Now this is the main point of the things we are saying: We have such a High Priest, Who is seated at the Right Hand of the Throne of the Majesty in the Heavens,

2 a Minister of the sanctuary and of the true tabernacle which the Lord erected, and not man.

3 For every high priest is appointed to offer both gifts and sacrifices. Therefore it is necessary that this One also have something to offer.

4 For if He were on earth, He would not be a priest, since there are priests who offer the gifts according to the law;

5 who serve the copy and shadow of the Heavenly things, as Moses was Divinely instructed when he was about to make the tabernacle. For He said, “See that you make all things according to the pattern shown you on the mountain.”

6 But now He has obtained a more excellent ministry, inasmuch as He is also Mediator of a better covenant, which was established on better promises.

Moses was shown the Tabernacle in Heaven and was instructed to pattern the earthly tabernacle after what he saw.  Do you want to cling to the shadow or the real thing?  In what realm do you wish to reside?

Our Beloved Lord Jesus Christ died “once for all”!

It is vital that we understand and embrace the Truth of what “once for all” means.

In the Old Testament, atonement for all the people’s sins was made once a year.  This was a temporary solution to the sin nature of man.

Moses recorded by THE SPIRIT in Leviticus chapter 16:

34 This shall be an everlasting statute for you, to make atonement for the children of Israel, for all their sins, once a year.” And he did as the LORD commanded Moses.

There were many more blood sacrifices made throughout the year, but this was the major sacrifice required for the high priest to enter into the Holy of Holies.  This required strict adherence to the preparations made for entrance into the Presence of The Lord.  Any deviations meant death to whoever entered in.  Sin was and is not tolerated in The Presence of The Lord.

FATHER brought forth a better plan so that we could be in constant fellowship with HIM.  He desired a Love relationship with us on a daily basis.  Intimacy could not occur by one man coming into His Presence once each year.

Jesus expressed FATHER’S plan in John chapter 10:

7  Then Jesus said to them again, “Most assuredly, I say to you, I am the Door of the sheep.

8 All who ever came before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them.

9 I am the Door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture.

10 The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have Life, and that they may have it more abundantly.

Jesus is the Door into FATHER’S Presence which previously was restricted by a veil.  What happened when Jesus fulfilled His earthly mission?

Matthew wrote by The Holy Spirit in Matthew chapter 27:

50  And Jesus cried out again with a loud Voice, and yielded up His Spirit.

51 Then, behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth quaked, and the rocks were split,

52 and the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised;

53 and coming out of the graves after His resurrection, they went into the holy city and appeared to many.

The restriction of entering into the Presence of The Lord was removed “once for all”, never to be reinstated.  This eliminated the performance requirements of men to atone for their sins.  The conditional relationship was replaced by a permanent, eternal relationship for those who willingly received salvation through Jesus Christ.  He is the only Door!

Paul wrote by The Holy Spirit in Galatians chapter 2:

20 I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, Who Loved me and gave Himself for me.

Our redemption is solely based on Love.  As Sons and Daughters of GOD, our walk should be an expression of HIS Love.  HIS Directives are all motivated by Love.

Paul also wrote by The Holy Spirit in 1^st Timothy chapter 2:

4  Who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the Truth.

5 For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus,

6 Who gave Himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time,

And in Titus chapter  2:

11  God’s marvelous grace has manifested in person, bringing salvation for everyone.

12 This same grace teaches us how to live each day as we turn our backs on ungodliness and indulgent lifestyles, and it equips us to live self-controlled, upright, Godly lives in this present age.

13 For we continue to wait for the fulfillment of our hope in the dawning splendor of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus, the Anointed One.

14 He sacrificed Himself for us that he might purchase our freedom from every lawless deed and to purify for Himself a people who are His very own, passionate to do what is beautiful in His Eyes.

As the ultimate act of Love, Jesus gave Himself for us, “once for all”.

Paul emphasizes this Truth in Romans chapter 6:

9  knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, dies no more. Death no longer has dominion over Him.

10 For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the Life that He lives, He lives to God.

And in Hebrews chapter 9:

11  But Christ came as High Priest of the good things to come, with the greater and more perfect tabernacle not made with hands, that is, not of this creation.

12 Not with the blood of goats and calves, but with His Own Blood He entered the Most Holy Place once for all, having obtained Eternal redemption.

Our past, present, and future sins have been forgiven “once for all”.  Our relationship with FATHER is not conditional based on our performance.  Be at peace and do not let the father of lies try to bring up past sins to impede your spiritual growth toward full maturity in Christ!