Over the last year or so I have prayed the Jesus prayer a lot, especially on my prayer beads. The Jesus prayer says, “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner”.
The Jesus Prayer is founded in biblical passages and popularized by the Desert Fathers in the 4th and 5th centuries.
Key scriptural influences include…
The cries for mercy from the blind man in Luke 18:38 (“Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me”)
The ten lepers in Luke 17:13 (“Jesus, Master, have mercy on us”)
The tax collector in Luke 18:13 (“God, be merciful to me, I am a sinner”).
The prayer also reflects the biblical call to “pray without ceasing” that is found in 1 Thessalonians 5:17.
I tend to pray the words very slowly and deliberately. I breathe in and silently pray “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God”. Then I breathe out and say, “Have mercy on me, a sinner”.
“So letting your sinful nature control your mind leads to death. But letting the Spirit control your mind leads to life and peace. For the sinful nature is always hostile to God. It never did obey God’s laws, and it never will. That’s why those who are still under the control of their sinful nature can never please God.” Romans 8:6-8
When I was in high school we had a class that taught the basics of car mechanics. In it we learned that a car had three main areas. The engine, the gear box and the diff.
The engine powered the car, the gear box connected the power of the engine to the diff, and this made the car go. We learned that you could start the engine and rev the motor, but unless you put the car in gear, it would not go.
For us as Jesus followers, the mind is like the spiritual gear box of our lives.
Our mind engages whether you to do the things of the Spirit or the things of the flesh. Just as we put our cars in D for drive to go forward, we need to put our mental gear box in S for Spirit.
We need to set our minds right and allow the Holy Spirit to guide and lead us in all situations. We need to choose the things of the Spirit over the things of the flesh.
Our actions, or the things we do, follow choices. Let us choose to put our spiritual gear box on S and choose the things of the Spirit today.
In a number of places in the Book of John, Jesus tells His disciples about things that show the world they are His followers.
In today’s post I want to share three.
1. Your love for one another
John 13:35 – Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are My disciples.”
2. You produce much fruit
John 15:8 – When you produce much fruit, you are My true disciples. This brings great glory to My Father.
3. Remain faithful to My teachings
John 8:31 – Jesus said to the people who believed in Him, “You are truly My disciples if you remain faithful to My teachings.
These three things show us what it takes to be considered a true disciple of Christ in His eyes. This is a good reminder for us and something to aim for.
As Christians we all sin. No matter how hard we try to live right we all stumble at times. We are all human and we live in a world that is harassed by sin.
However there are four things that help me when I sin. I have shared these in my sermons over the last few weeks and I thought I would share them here.
1. God looked for man when he sinned in the Garden of Eden – Genesis 3:8 tells us God called out to man to find him. Even after the first sin, God pursued Adam.
2. Jesus died for our sins – Romans 5:8 says that Jesus died for us while we were still sinners. He paid the price for our sin.
3. God gave us a way to get right with Him – 1 John 1:9 tells us that God provided confession as a way to get right with Him when we fall short.
4. We have an Advocate in heaven – 1 John 2:1 reminds us that when we sin Jesus pleads our case before the Father in Heaven.
These things help me to remember that God is on my side. He knows I will fall short at times and He has provided ways for us to be right with Him.
It started after the first sin with Adam and Even, it continued with Jesus death on the cross and when we confess it continues with our Advocate in heaven pleading on our behalf.
These four things give me comfort knowing that when I sin forgiveness and restoration is just a prayer of confession away.
Living a Spirit filled life is key if we are going to be all we can be for Christ. Before salvation the Holy Spirit draws us to Jesus and He convicts us of our sin. At the point of salvation, He washes us clean and regenerates us, He then comes to live inside us, seals us as God’s own, makes us more Christ-like, gives us gifts to serve, and brings fruit in our lives. So, living Spirit Filled is vital.
In his book “Know what you believe” Paul Little put it this way…
“The fullness of the Spirit is not a matter of our receiving more of Him. Rather, it is a matter of relationship. To be filled with the Spirit means we allow Him to occupy, guide, and control every area of our lives. His power can then work through us, making us effectively fruitful for God and flooding our hearts with His joy. This filling applies not only to our outward acts but to our inner thoughts and motives. When we are filled with the Spirit, all we are and have is subject to His control” (p77-78).
Now I want to use the letters of Spirit filled to give us some pointers to putting it all into practice.
S—Submit to the authority of Jesus Christ.
Recognize God’s claim on your life. Realize that God’s plan is to conform you to the image of Christ. Relinquish your right to be in control of your life. These are keys to being Spirit Filled.
“Jesus said to his disciples, ‘If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.’” (Matthew 16:24)
P—Pray for conviction of sin.
Acknowledge your natural inclination to sin. Ask the Holy Spirit to make you aware of your specific sins. Agree with God about your need to change.
“Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me.” (Psalm 139:23–24)
I—Identify with Christ’s death on the cross.
See yourself as dead to the ruling power of sin. See yourself as alive to God because of the resurrection life of Christ within you. See the Holy Spirit as your power to overcome sin.
“Count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus.” (Romans 6:11)
R—Recognize the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit to teach you and to guide you.
Listen with your heart to the One sent by the Father. Listen to the gentle promptings of the Holy Spirit. Listen to His reminders of the truth as spoken by Jesus.
“The Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.” (John 14:26)
I—Initiate immediate obedience to the prompting of the Holy Spirit.
Choose to acknowledge the presence of the Holy Spirit. Choose to submit your will to His will. (Don’t mentally argue.) Choose to act on His promptings.
“Live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature.” (Galatians 5:16)
T—Trust in the Holy Spirit to be your supernatural power for living a holy life.
You have been called to be holy. You cannot be holy by your own efforts. You must rely on the Holy Spirit, who enables us to live a holy life.
“His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.” (2 Peter 1:3)
F—Fellowship on a regular basis with other believers.
Belong to a Bible-based church. Become involved in your church. Be supportive of others.
“Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another.” (Hebrews 10:25)
I—Implant God’s Word in your heart.
Line up your thinking with God’s thinking. Read one chapter a day from the Book of Proverbs and allow it to transform your mind. Listen to teaching tapes on God’s Word.
“I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.” (Psalm 119:11)
L—Learn to have a thankful heart.
Thank God for His unconditional love. Thank God for His faithfulness to orchestrate events in your life. Thank God in all circumstances, both good and bad.
“Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” (1 Thessalonians 5:18)
L—Live with an attitude of prayer.
Keep your mind focused on Christ. Keep your heart alert to the Holy Spirit. Keep praying through all circumstances.
“Pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.” (Ephesians 6:18)
E—Expect victory!
Know that your strength is in Christ. Know that your own efforts will fail. Know that victory is the Lord’s.
“‘Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,’ says the Lord Almighty.” (Zechariah 4:6)
D—Depend on the Holy Spirit to develop the character of Christ in your life.
To reflect the character of Christ is the Christian’s highest purpose. To the extent that you submit to the Holy Spirit, you will grow in Christ. To reflect Christ accurately will draw others to Him.
“We, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.” (2 Corinthians 3:18)
Closing Summary
Today we used the letters of Spirit Filled to give us some clues of what it is to live a life that is controlled by the Holy Spirit. Here they are again.
S—Submit to the authority of Jesus Christ.
P—Pray for conviction of sin.
I—Identify with Christ’s death on the cross.
R—Recognize the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit to teach you and to guide you.
I—Initiate immediate obedience to the prompting of the Holy Spirit.
T—Trust in the Holy Spirit to be your supernatural power for living a holy life.
F—Fellowship on a regular basis with other believers.
I—Implant God’s Word in your heart.
L—Learn to have a thankful heart.
L—Live with an attitude of prayer.
E—Expect victory!
D—Depend on the Holy Spirit to develop the character of Christ in your life.
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