Knowing Your Spirit: Learning to Live From Your Recreated Spirit (Part 1)

Living in the Spirit :

**Key Scripture** "And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness." — Ephesians 4:24

One of the most important things a believer must learn is how to recognize the character of his recreated spirit.

If you are going to live from your spirit, you must first understand your spirit. Otherwise, you may mistake the impulses of the flesh, the reactions of your emotions, or the reasoning of your natural mind for the expression of your true identity in Christ.

Your recreated spirit is the new creation in Christ. Paul says:

"Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new." — 2 Corinthians 5:17

Your spirit has been recreated by God in righteousness and true holiness. The Holy Spirit dwells in your recreated spirit, and your spirit has been made alive sharing God's life .

This truth must become more than doctrine. You must learn to recognize your recreated spirit in your everyday experience.

**The Kingdom Principle**

The recreated spirit has a nature that agrees with God and the character of Christ for they share the same life; therefore, spiritual maturity involves learning to recognize that nature and live from it rather than being governed by the impulses of the flesh.

The Christian life is not primarily about trying to manufacture a new nature through behavior. God has already done something within you. He has made you a new creation.

The question is: How do I learn to live consistently with what God has already made me in Christ? This is where knowing your spirit becomes important.

**Knowing Your Spirit in Experience**

It is possible to know the doctrine of the new creation without learning how to recognize its reality in everyday life.

You can know that you are righteous and still respond to people from anger. You can know that the Holy Spirit dwells in you and still allow fear to dominate your decisions. You can know that you are a new creation and still repeatedly respond to circumstances according to old patterns.

Spiritual growth involves bringing our daily responses into agreement with the truth of who we are in Christ and the life we share with him .

One of the simplest ways to learn this is to observe what happens within you when you are under pressure.

What happens when someone offends you? What happens when someone disagrees with you? What happens when someone treats you unfairly? What happens when you are provoked?

These situations reveal what is governing your response. They give you an opportunity to recognize whether you are responding from the nature of Christ or yielding to the impulses of the flesh.

**Strife Is Not the Character of Your Recreated Spirit**

Consider quarrelling and contention.

When you are suddenly moved to argue, fight, retaliate, insult, or prove yourself right at all costs, recognize something important: strife is not the character of your recreated spirit.

Christ is not expressed through hostility, bitterness, hatred, pride and contention. Paul says:

"Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves." — Philippians 2:3

He also says:

"Do all things without murmurings and disputings." — Philippians 2:14

These instructions reveal conduct that agrees with the character of Christ.

Therefore, when you find yourself being drawn into unnecessary arguments, complaining, murmuring or contention, do not simply surrender to the impulse. Pause and examine what is happening within you. You are learning to know your spirit through experience.

**Recognizing the Flesh**

The flesh represents patterns of thought, desire, attitude and behavior that are contrary to the will and character of God.

The flesh wants to defend itself. The flesh wants to prove that it is right. The flesh wants to win the argument. The flesh wants the last word. The flesh wants to retaliate when it feels offended. The flesh wants to respond immediately rather than respond spiritually.

But your recreated spirit has a different nature. Your spirit has been created in righteousness and true holiness. The character of Christ is its pattern.

This does not mean you will never experience anger, disappointment or other emotions. It means that your emotions do not have to govern you.

An emotion can arise without becoming your response. A thought can come without becoming your decision. A provocation can occur without producing a fleshly reaction.

You have a choice.

--- *Hassan Thomas Nenger / Author, My Divine Identity as the Righteousness of God / Living in the Spirit Series /