A Proper Spiritual Balance
I was very blessed to received this article By Rev Bob Lindfelt of San Diego, who kindly allowed me to post his article on our blog. Kim and I had the privilege to visit the believers of San Diego a few years back and we were very blessed to stay with Bob and Jeanie who are wonderful ministers and great host.
Rev Bob Lindfelt and Jeanie Lindfelt
Bob’s Website – http://www.actsnowfellowship.com/
I am really embarrassed to share this with you, but I have a heck of time doing balance exercises during my workout sessions. I keep falling over to one side or the other, because I put too much weight on that falling side. Everyone else seems to get it. I am told I need to work on it and I will be successful.
Spiritually, there is a proper balance that believers are encouraged to work on. It involves the Word of God and the spirit of God. We see the emphasis of walking on the Word of God and we see the emphasis of walking by the spirit. Can we forsake one for the other? Once we are born again with God’s spirit can we just walk by spirit and not use the Word of God? There might be some who would go to the other extreme and say you must have huge amounts of the knowledge of God before you can even start walking by the spirit. Well, as in everything in life that God has instituted, there needs to be a balance.
Jesus Christ is the prime example for us in the balanced spiritual walk. If anyone could have just walked by the spirit and not needed any Scriptures, our Lord and Savior would be the one. But it is obvious that He valued the written Word of God as an essential resource in effectively walking for the Heavenly Father. He seemed to quote Scriptures all the time. Even at perhaps one of His most challenging times, when He returned from forty days in the wilderness and was tempted by the devil, He utilized the Scriptures to battle the enemy.
Matthew 4:3 & 4: And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of
God, command that these stones be made bread.
But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.
No matter how the devil attacked, Jesus Christ responded with “It is written.” Jesus Christ said, “Man cannot live by bread alone, but by every Word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.” There are many places that Jesus Christ magnifies the importance of the Word of God.
As we learn from the Word of God, we are given the gift of holy spirit when we are born again. With this magnificent resource we can operate the nine manifestations which allow us to speak in tongues, bring edifying messages in fellowship, hear from God, have God’s wisdom, have discernment of spirits, perform healings, miracles and have the faith to move mountains. Where do we learn how to walk by the spirit? Namely, by reading and hearing God’s Word and seeing how they functioned. We witness how Jesus preached, taught and delivered others, then we walk out on what we have learned.
Some who advocate the need to only walk by the spirit, will point out that in the early church as reflected in the Book of Acts, they did not have the Church Epistles to guide them and learn from. They just had to walk by the spirit by seeing and being encouraged by others. Thankfully in the beginning they had the Apostles to help them. Peter in his sermon on the Day of Pentecost referenced many Old Testament Scriptures. God was obviously working with the leaders of the early church and providing them with information that was written down later on. On the Day of Pentecost and the days following, the Scriptures say, they followed the Apostles Doctrine.
Act 2:42:
And they continued stedfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.
The Apostles doctrine was providing insights and knowledge about this new birth and how to use it. God worked with Peter as he was to visit Cornelius and open the way for the new birth to the Gentiles.
When Paul got on the scene, he was receiving the Word of God to share with all the fellowships. It was important to have a foundation to work with so that the believers could learn how to walk by the spirit.
God was not going to leave it to chance when it came to learning how to walk by the spirit, so He had the Church Epistles and other books written so we had a foundation to guide our steps.
Act 19:20: So mightily grew the word of God and prevailed.
The importance of the believers learning the Word of God and walking on it was as important as walking by the spirit. When you look at the Epistles to Timothy you see how important God’s Word plays in helping the leadership as well as the believers to keep the proper spiritual balance.
II Timothy 3:14–17:
But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them;
And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.
All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for
reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.
God has given us the resources to accomplish what He wants most: Fellowship. With the Word of God and the spirit within, we have all we need to walk and talk with our Heavenly Father and please Him.
Bob Lindfelt
About Author
