We each of us are spiritual beings, living in a body and having a soul which is our mind, will and emotions (1 Thess 5:23). In the first letter of Peter chapter one, the apostle Peter talks about salvation. Salvation means to be spiritually reborn, born again or saved (John 3:3-8). We are saved from the spiritual death (Rom 6:23) that resulted from our sinful life prior to us becoming a Christian. We are spiritually saved or born again by repenting of sin and asking Jesus into our life as Lord and Savior (Acts 3:19; Rom 10:9-10). Salvation encompasses forgiveness, restoration, prosperity, protection, safety, healing, preservation, joy, eternal life and so much more. This is all available to us when we are saved and is referred to in 1 Peter 1:3.

However, verses 4,5 and 9, of the first chapter of the apostle Peter’s first letter, also refer to the promise of the completion of our salvation, or final salvation as we meet our Lord and savior in heaven at the end of our life on this earth. This is the continuation in heaven of our eternal life, which started when we asked Christ into our lives here on this earth.

The Apostle Peter also talks about how God by his power (Greek word dunamis, from which we get the English word, dynamite) keeps us in this present life (v 5). He works in us to grow and change us to be more like him (Phil 1:6) and to protect us and keep us for our final reward of eternal life in heaven (Ps 91:17a). Wow, what an awesome journey!

God has us covered; all we have to do is submit (James 4:7,8,10) and cooperate with him. How do we cooperate as Christians? Start with prayer and immersing yourself in the Bible.

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In Romans chapter 7 verse 14 through to chapter 8 verse 2 the apostle Paul describes the struggle he and we as Christians face. Our spirit is born again but not our soul and body (John 3:1-6). We are instructed to renew our minds with God's word (Rom 12:2) and discipline our bodies (1 Cor 9:27). In Romans chapter 7, Paul laments that his spirit desires to do good but his mind and body tend toward sin and carnality.

However, as born-again Christians we have the Holy Spirit in us (1 Cor 6:19) and the word of God. Paul teaches us in Romans Chapter 8 verse 1-2: "There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death".

Paul is saying that as Christians God does not condemn us because our new life in Christ has set us free from the spiritual death that resulted from our old life of sin. As we strengthen our spirit by allowing the Holy Spirit to bring us revelation of God's word (John 14:26), we can bring our soul and body into subjection to our spirit, directed by the Holy Spirit and God’s word. We as Paul, can walk in victory, the: “Life in Christ Jesus”. The power of the Holy Spirit enables us in this process (Rom 8:11); he helps us to change (Gal 5:22-23). We cannot change in our own strength.

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When it comes to humility Jesus is our example. In Philippians 2:5-9 (KJV) we have the description of how Jesus gave up all the privileges of heaven and came to earth and: "took upon himself the form of a servant". In verse 5 of that chapter we are told to let Jesus be our example in humility.

We have another great example of Jesus humbling himself and becoming a servant in John 13:14-15: "If I then your Lord and Master, have washed your feet; ye also ought to wash one another's feet. For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you”.

We also learn very clearly from these verses that we need to do the same thing for our fellow believers; in fact, the command is stated twice! “For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45). Enough said!

If we want to be like Jesus and be obedient then we must serve one another. For some people serving comes naturally; they have a servant’s heart, others of us have to work at it a little harder. Nevertheless, there is great blessing in serving others, because: “when you do it unto one of the least of these my brethren, you do it unto me”, (Matt. 25:40).

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 “The entrance of thy words giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the simple” (Ps 119:130; KJV). “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path” (Ps 119:105) We all need specific direction and guidance in our lives and according to these verses one of the ways in which God can lead and direct us is through his word. As Christians, prayerfully reading and studying the word will allow the Holy Spirit to bring illumination and reveal things to our spirits that would not be possible to the natural mind (John 14:26).

Keep reading the word, even in the dry times. God promised that: “So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it” (Isa 55:11).

In addition to studying the word we can pray for guidance. God can speak directly to our spirits in a: “still small voice” (1 Kings 19:11); an idea, a scripture or words that well up silently in our spirits with a sense of peace and assurance (James 3:17). If we are unsure as to what God is saying we need to seek counsel from our Pastor or someone who is a mature and seasoned Christian (Pr 24:6).  

If we are praying for guidance and are still unsure which path to take, then we need to keep doing what God told us last until we have an assurance that it's time to change direction.

Always remember that God does have a plan for our lives and it's a good one; we just need to discover it (Ps 139:16).

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Paul said, that when he preached, he didn’t not do it in his own wisdom but by the power of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor 2:4). In other words, the Holy Spirit gave him the words to say and when he spoke God’s word, the power of the Holy Spirit was released to change people’s lives and to heal them.

In John 6:63, Jesus is recorded as saying that it is the Spirit that brings life and that his words were spirit and life. The Bible is God’s word, inspired by him through the Holy Spirit (2 Tim 3:15-17). The Holy Spirit reveals God’s word (the Bible) to us (John 14:26). The word in our mouths is God’s: “sword of the Spirit” with which we can defeat all the attacks of satan on our lives (Eph 6: 17).

For us to have the power of God’s word to affect change and cause satan to flee from us (James 4:7) we must have the word living and abiding in us (1 Peter 1:23). This means we need to spend time to get the word down into our spirits so that it comes out of our mouths automatically when we need it. Now here is the rub. We need to make God’s word our priority, there are no short cuts.

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