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YOUR INWARD MAN

But he that is joined to the Lord is one spirit. (1 Corinthians 6:17)

Feeling is the voice of your body; reason is the voice of your mind; conscience is the voice of your spirit.
Mark Hankins

You are a triune being — spirit, soul, and body — even as God is a triune being — Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Your spirit is the part of you that is joined to Christ. It is the part of you that is most like God. Paul called your spirit your “inward” man. Your spirit is the hidden man, the unseen person — the real you!

Paul said to walk in the Spirit, live in the Spirit, and pray in the Spirit. What does “in the Spirit” mean? Paul was talking about an entirely different dimension or realm. Feeling is the voice of your body; reason is the voice of your mind, and conscience is the voice of your spirit.

The first step to walking in the Spirit is to pray in the Spirit. When you spend time praying in the Spirit, it helps you to walk and live in the Spirit. You also have to put on the new man. You are a new creature in Christ — but you must put on the new man by renewing your mind to the Word of God!

Confession: I am born again and my spirit is joined to Christ. I am walking in the Spirit, living in the Spirit, and praying in the Spirit!

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MASTER YOUR BODY

But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.
(1 Corinthians 9:27)

You are a spirit; you have a soul, and you are living in a body.
Mark Hankins

The Bible says your spirit pulls against your flesh, and your flesh pulls against your spirit. There are things your body wants to do that your spirit knows are not right. The Bible calls that “the lust of the flesh” in Galatians 5:6. Throughout the fifth chapter of Galatians, Paul lists the works of the flesh. Your spirit desires to seek after God, to walk with God, and to know God.

Your body will dominate you if it gets a chance. Sometimes your body does not want to go to church. Your body might be saying, “Let’s stay home. I am tired. I don’t feel good.” You have to say, “No, body, you are going to church. Get up right now!” You need to get your body moving! Paul said, “I keep under my body and I bring it under subjection.” In other words, he said, “I master my body. I control it.”

Confession: I keep my body under and bring it into subjection. I am going to church, I am going to read my Bible, and I am going to pray!

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WEAPONS OF OUR WARFARE

For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds. (2 Corinthians 10:4)

In man there is a spirit, the part of man that is the receiver for spiritual things.
Mark Hankins

Where are strongholds located? Paul said they are in your mind. He said to bring every thought into captivity. That means you must get control of your mind and your body. You must do that daily through the weapons of your warfare.

What are the weapons of your warfare? Get the Word of God and begin feeding on it. Your spirit is hungry for God. Your flesh may be hungry for chicken fried steak or apple pie, but your spirit is hungry for God. The Word is full of supernatural life and power.

Start speaking, “Satan, the blood of Jesus is against you.” Start talking about the name of Jesus. Start praying in the Holy Spirit. The devil cannot tell what you are saying when you pray in other tongues. Your spirit (the part of you that is born again) gets edified and rises up in response to faith-filled words.

Confession: My spirit is born again. Satan the blood of Jesus is against you. My old man, the old person I used to be, was crucified with Christ and I do not serve sin. I am dead to sin and alive unto God!

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YOUR NUMBER ONE BATTLE

Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ. (2 Corinthians 10:5)

Satan knows that if he can capture your thought life, he has won a great victory.
Mark Hankins

I heard a story once about a man who asked a well- known evangelist to pray for him that he would never have another bad thought. The evangelist said, “If I could do that for you, I would do it for myself!”
You must realize that as long as you are in this world, Satan has access to you, and he can bring thoughts and suggestions to your mind. This does not mean you are not saved. As a matter of fact, Satan knows if he can capture your thought life, he has won a great victory.
The devil will tell you that if you thought something, you ought to say it or do it. However, you decide what you will do with those thoughts. I like the way Dad Hagin said it: “Just because Satan brings thoughts to your mind doesn’t mean they are sin. Thoughts may come and thoughts may persist, but thoughts that are not acted upon die unborn.”

Confession: I cast down every imagination and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God. I am bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ!

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MIND RENEWAL

Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but be a new and different person with a fresh newness in all you do and think.
(Romans 12:2 Living Bible)

Identification with Christ allows God to attack your intellect from your inner man.
Mark Hankins

Simply attacking them with a few scriptures cannot solve problems in life that require mind renewal. You have to get right to the power source of Christianity and start to declare your identification and union with Christ.

P.C. Nelson, in Bible Doctrines, wrote, “Sanctification is realized in the believer by recognizing his identification with Christ in His death and resurrection, and by faith reckoning daily upon the fact of that union.”

Identification with Christ allows God to attack your intellect from your inner man. Christ rises up on the inside of you and doubt, fear, confusion, shame, poverty, and sickness are thrown out!

Confession: I am who God says I am. I have what God says I have. I can do what God says I can do. He is the Champion. I am blessed because I am in Him!

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