The Spirit From God

 

The Natural vs The Spiritual

“But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised. But he who is spiritual appraises all things, yet he himself is appraised by no one. For who has known the mind of the Lord, that he will instruct Him? But we have the mind of Christ.” (1 Corinthians 2:14-16 NASB1995)

Who is “a natural man”? They are all humans who are still living according to their human flesh, in accord with their fleshly desires, who have not, by faith in Jesus Christ, been crucified with Christ in death to sin, and raised with Christ to walk in newness of life in him, no longer to live as slaves to sin but as servants of God and of his righteousness. They are still the “gods” over their own lives, still doing what their natural instincts desire, without regard for God and for his commands, even if they give lip service to the Lord.

And, again, I will point out that this includes many people who profess faith in Jesus Christ with their lips but who do not honor him by how they live. For many give lip service only to God, convinced that all their sins are forgiven, and that heaven awaits them when they die, but while they still live for the sinful pleasures of the flesh, in practice, and not to honor God in obedience to his commands in holy living. For, in truth, they do not accept the things which are truly of God, for their faith and trust are still in human flesh.

So, what are the things of God which are foolishness to them? Mainly, I believe, it is the gospel of our salvation taught by Jesus Christ and by his New Testament apostles, as taught in their original biblical context. For it appears that the majority of those calling themselves “Christians,” at least here in the USA where I live, have largely adopted an altered and cheapened form of the gospel of Christ in order to appease human flesh and to make no requirements for us to die to sin and to obey our Lord in daily practice.

But Jesus Christ taught that to come to him we must deny self, take up our cross daily (die daily to sin), and follow (obey) him. For if we hold on to living in sin and for self, we will lose our lives for eternity. But if we deny self, die daily to sin, by the Spirit, and we walk in obedience to our Lord and to his commands, in his power, then we have eternal life with God. For not everyone who calls him “Lord” will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one DOING (obeying) the will of God (see Luke 9:23-26; Matthew 7:21-23).

And, God’s grace, which is bringing us salvation, is training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives while we wait for Jesus’ return. For Christ “gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works.” “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” (See Titus 2:11-14; Ephesians 2:8-10) 

Yet these truths are largely being rejected in today’s American church culture which is being led by human flesh, and not by Jesus Christ. For so much of what is called “church” is not the biblical body of believers in Christ at all, but they are businesses created in the minds of humans which are being marketed to the ungodly of the world who they want to attract to their gatherings. And so they have changed the meaning of “church” and of “the gospel” in order to appease human flesh and to attract the world.

However, if our faith in Jesus Christ is biblical faith, we should be those who have, by the grace of God, denied self, died with Christ to sin, and been raised with Christ to walk now in obedience to his commands in holy living. For we should now have the Spirit of God living within us leading us in the ways of righteousness and holiness. And because we are now in Christ, by faith in him, we have the mind of Christ living within us, too, showing us the way that we should go. And so we want to obey our Lord, to do his will.

[Matthew 7:13-14,21-23; Luke 9:23-26; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; Galatians 5:16-24; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:17-32; Ephesians 5:3-6; Titus 2:11-14; 1 John 1:1-10; 1 John 2:1-6; 1 John 3:4-10; Acts 26:18] 

Willing  

An Original Work / August 17, 2011

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

I am willing to obey You;

Have Your Spirit live within me;

Know Your power; be Your witness

To a world who needs You greatly.

Love within me spread to all men,

So that they might come to know Him;

Know His power; His forgiveness;

Be transformed into His likeness.

Holy Spirit, come in power,

Change our hearts within this hour.

May we be like Jesus always;

Be a light that shines in darkness. 

https://vimeo.com/118532725

The Natural vs The Spiritual

An Original Work / February 2, 2026

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

Not With Superiority of Speech

“And when I came to you, brethren, I did not come with superiority of speech or of wisdom, proclaiming to you the testimony of God. For I determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified. I was with you in weakness and in fear and in much trembling, and my message and my preaching were not in persuasive words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith would not rest on the wisdom of men, but on the power of God.” (1 Corinthians 2:1-5 NASB1995)

Do any of you identify with Paul? I mean, not in every respect, but in how he described himself here? When you read his words, do you feel what he is feeling? I do, in some respects. For public speaking has never been my forte, although the Lord did call me to begin making video talks beginning in 2020 during the Covid crisis and the lockdowns. And I am still making video talks, although not as often as I had been. And I was never the outgoing type, and I am generally soft spoken, and I stumble over my words with lots of “uhs.”

My words, as well, are not spoken to impress anyone with my “gift of speaking.” I am kind, and I am thoughtful, but I speak the truth in love to people the way in which the Lord gives it to me to say, not in the way I would think people might like to hear it. I am a defender of the faith, and I will stand on the truth even if all are against me but God. And I am not a technology wizard, by far, so my presentations will also not be flashy, but plain and simple, as I am in nature. So what you see is what you get.

Am I perfect? No! I don’t always say all the right things in all the right ways, and sometimes I could kick myself because I did a poor job of expressing myself. And if I feel I have offended someone in my own nature, I will definitely apologize and try to make it right. For I have no desire to be an offense unless I am being an offense by sharing the truth of the gospel that many do not want to hear. For many people are going after the “feel good” messages which do not teach faith by death to sin and obedience to God.

Now, we are not all going to be like Paul, nor should we try to be like any other human in every respect. For God uniquely designed all of us, and he made us to look different and to be different and to not be all the same. So we should not try to be like “so and so” in every respect, for then we cease to be who God created us to be. And it is not natural for us to try to be someone else. But if someone is setting a good model before us, which is biblical, then it is good if we emulate that model of a Christian’s life.

And the Scriptures themselves teach us that we are not to be proud and arrogant and boastful people who speak in order to impress others, or who say only what we think will make people like us. We are to be people of God who speak the words of God to the people, in truth, in love, with kindness, but without compromise of truth and righteousness. We are to be bold in sharing the truth of the gospel even if we are hated and rejected and cast aside by the majority of people who find us “weird,” because we’re different.

But this can’t be about us or what people think of us or whether or not we are accepted by the majority. This has to be about Jesus Christ and who he is and what he did in putting our sins to death with him, and in rising from the dead, so that by faith in him we will now die to sin and obey our Lord, in practice, and have deliverance from bondage to sin and the hope of eternal life with God. We have to speak the truth to the people that they need to hear with the hope that they will die to sin and obey God and live for him.

[Matthew 7:13-14,21-23; Luke 9:23-26; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; Galatians 5:16-24; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:17-32; Ephesians 5:3-6; Titus 2:11-14; 1 John 1:1-10; 1 John 2:1-6; 1 John 3:4-10; Acts 26:18] 

Speak, Lord  

An Original Work / May 8, 2011

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

Speak, Lord, for Your servant’s list’ning to You.

Let me hear You speak in love and in truth.

Guide me, I pray. Teach me Your way.

Speak, Lord, while I bow before You now.

Speak, Lord, fill me with Your peace and Your joy.

Let Your Holy Spirit’s work now employ.

Strengthen within. Keep me from sin.

Speak, Lord, words that lead to victory.

Speak, Lord, so that I might walk in Your ways.

Let Your love o’er-flow in my heart today.

Be my desire. Set me on fire.

Speak, Lord, comfort me with Your presence.

https://vimeo.com/119817891

Not With Superiority of Speech

An Original Work / February 2, 2026

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

Freedom From Enslavement to Sin

“When your son asks you in time to come, saying, ‘What do the testimonies and the statutes and the judgments mean which the Lord our God commanded you?’ then you shall say to your son, ‘We were slaves to Pharaoh in Egypt, and the Lord brought us from Egypt with a mighty hand. Moreover, the Lord showed great and distressing signs and wonders before our eyes against Egypt, Pharaoh and all his household; He brought us out from there in order to bring us in, to give us the land which He had sworn to our fathers.’ So the Lord commanded us to observe all these statutes, to fear the Lord our God for our good always and for our survival, as it is today. It will be righteousness for us if we are careful to observe all this commandment before the Lord our God, just as He commanded us.” (Deuteronomy 6:20-25 NASB1995)

Yes, this is Old Testament and Old Covenant teaching, but do you realize that this parallels the message of the gospel of our salvation? The whole scenario of the Israelites as slaves in Egypt symbolizes our slavery to sin in which we are born into this world. And Moses being used of God to rescue God’s people from their slavery to sin is like God using us today to share the true message of salvation from sin with the people of the world so that they, too, will be delivered from their bondage to sin to now serve the Lord with their lives in surrender to his will, and in obedience to his commands.

And Moses giving the people instructions on what to do to keep from being judged by God parallels the message of the gospel, too. For, after Pharaoh was not moved to let the children of Israel be set free from their slavery in Egypt, God said he would send one more plague on Pharaoh and on Egypt, and after that Pharaoh would let the people go. For God was going to put to death all the firstborn in the land of Egypt. So the children of Israel were to take an unblemished lamb, kill it, put its blood on their doorposts, then roast it and eat it, and then God would pass over them, and they would not die.

And in the New Testament, our sacrificial and pure Lamb of God is Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God who is God, the second person of our triune God – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. He gave his life up for us and he shed his blood for us on that cross to put our sins to death with him so that, by faith in him, we will now die with him to sin and walk in obedience to his commands, in his power. And to eat of him is to partake of him in his death and resurrection and in his suffering in dying to sin so we can now serve him with our lives. And when we do that, we are saved from God’s judgment.

And we are given the same instructions as they were given. In order for us to be able to enter into our “Promised Land” (eternity with God) we must also obey our Lord’s commands (New Covenant), in practice. And their time in the wilderness represents our time on this earth while we await our Lord’s return. But the majority of them craved evil and sinned against God and thus were killed in the wilderness due to their unbelief (disobedience). And we are told that those things happened to them as examples for us so that we would not crave evil and thus die in our sins as their majority did.

For Jesus Christ taught that to come to him we must deny self, take up our cross daily (die daily to sin), and follow (obey) him. For if we hold on to living in sin and for self, we will lose our lives for eternity. But if we deny self, die daily to sin, by the Spirit, and we walk in obedience to our Lord and to his commands, in his power, then we have eternal life with God. For not everyone who calls him “Lord” will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one DOING (obeying) the will of God (see Luke 9:23-26; Matthew 7:21-23). So, we need to take this to heart to obey our Lord, to have eternal life with God.

[Matthew 7:13-14,21-23; Luke 9:23-26; John 10:27-30; Acts 26:18; Romans 2:5-10; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; 1 Corinthians 10:1-22; Galatians 5:16-24; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:17-32; Ephesians 5:3-6; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 3:1-19; Hebrews 12:1-2; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 John 1:1-10; 1 John 2:3-6; 1 John 3:4-10; Revelation 2:1-29; Revelation 3:1-22]

As the Deer 

By Martin J. Nystrom

Based off Psalm 42:1

As the deer panteth for the water

So my soul longeth after You

You alone are my heart's desire

And I long to worship You

You alone are my strength, my shield

To You alone may my spirit yield

You alone are my heart's desire

And I long to worship You

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UZv3jzOTE70

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Freedom From Enslavement to Sin

An Original Work / February 1, 2026

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

Don't Put God To The Test

“You shall not put the Lord your God to the test, as you tested Him at Massah. You should diligently keep the commandments of the Lord your God, and His testimonies and His statutes which He has commanded you. You shall do what is right and good in the sight of the Lord, that it may be well with you and that you may go in and possess the good land which the Lord swore to give your fathers, by driving out all your enemies from before you, as the Lord has spoken.” (Deuteronomy 6:16-19 NASB1995)

This is from the Old Testament, under the Old Covenant, and yet what it teaches us here, in content, is taught us in the New Testament, under the New Covenant God has with his people Israel (Jew and Gentile by biblical faith in Jesus Christ). For we read in 1 Corinthians 10:1-22 that what the Israelites did in the wilderness happened as examples to us, and they were written down for us so that we will not crave evil things as they also craved. For the majority of them made sin their practice, and not obedience to God, and so they were put to death and they did not enter into God’s eternal rest.

So, we are taught in the New Testament not to put our Lord God to the test, as the Israelites (the majority) tested God in the wilderness and did not get to enter into God’s eternal rest because of their disobedience (unbelief). But we are to be those who walk in obedience to our Lord and to his commands in holy living, by the grace of God, in the power of God. And, yes, in the New Testament, under the New Covenant, we who claim to believe in Jesus Christ are taught to do what is righteous and good (holy) in the sight of the Lord if we are to have the hope of salvation from sin and eternal life with God.

For belief in Jesus Christ is not something we do by professions of faith in Jesus Christ only. For just because we may claim to believe in Jesus Christ, it doesn’t necessarily mean that we are of biblical faith in Jesus Christ. For, by faith in the Lord Jesus, if our faith is genuine biblical faith, we are crucified with Christ in death to sin, and raised with Christ to walk in newness of life in him, no longer to live as slaves to sin, but now as servants of God and of his righteousness in walks of obedience to our Lord’s commands. But if sin is still our practice, and not obedience, we do not have eternal life with God.

For, in Jesus’ death on that cross, he who knew no sin became sin for us that he might put our sins to death with him. And this was so that, by faith in him, we can now die with him to sin, in his power, and walk in obedience to his commands, in his strength. Because of what Jesus did for us on that cross we can come out from underneath slavery (addiction) to sin, and we can serve the Lord with our lives, in obedience to his commands. We can now live for the Lord, and for his purposes, in the power of God, and no longer live for the sinful pleasures of the flesh, by the grace of God.

[Matthew 7:13-14,21-23; Luke 9:23-26; John 10:27-30; Acts 26:18; Romans 1:18-32; Romans 2:5-10; Romans 3:23; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; Romans 12:1-2; 1 Corinthians 6:9-10,19-20; 1 Corinthians 10:1-22; 2 Corinthians 5:10,15,21; Galatians 5:16-24; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:17-32; Ephesians 5:3-6; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 3:1-19; Hebrews 4:1-13; Hebrews 10:19-39; Hebrews 12:1-2; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 John 1:1-10; 1 John 2:3-6; 1 John 3:4-10; Revelation 2:1-29; Revelation 3:1-22] 

And all the glory belongs to God and not to our human flesh. Amen!

Give God the Glory  

Based off Psalm 19

An Original Work / March 10, 2014

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

All of creation now proclaims:

“Give God the glory; honor His name!”

Each day the stars in heav’n above

Show forth His wisdom; tell of His love.

They do not speak. They have no voice.

Yet, they declare we have a choice:

“Worship the God of heav’n above;

Believe in Jesus; trust in His love.”

God’s word is perfect, just and good,

Refreshing souls who trust in the Lord;

Makes wise the simple; radiant -

Lighting our lives with God’s righteousness.

Joy to the heart His words now speak;

Pure and enduring, now we seek.

They are more precious than our gold;

Sweeter than honey; never grow old.

Keeping the word brings great reward.

By the word Jesus speaks and He warns,

Convicting hearts of all their sin;

Forgiving all who call upon Him.

Praying You keep me, Lord, from sins.

May they not rule my life again.

Then will I walk in all Your ways,

Following Jesus all of my days. 

https://vimeo.com/88900305

Don’t Put God To The Test

An Original Work / February 1, 2026

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

When We Walk By The Way

The following passage of Scripture is from the Old Testament, and it was taught under the Old Covenant God had with his people Israel (Jews only at that time). But some of this is repeated for us under the New Covenant, and the rest of this passage we can learn from, as well. For, "All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work." (2 Timothy 3:16-17 ESV) Amen!

“Hear, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord is one! You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand and they shall be as frontals on your forehead. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.” (Deuteronomy 6:4-9 NASB1995)

And, Jesus Christ, when he was asked which was the great commandment in the law, said: “’You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the great and foremost commandment. The second is like it, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets.” (Matthew 22:37-40 NASB1995)

And Jesus continued to teach that if we love him, we will keep (obey) his commandments. We will keep (stick to) his word. For, those who do not keep (obey, adhere to) his words do not love Jesus/God. And he said that if we keep his commandments, we abide in his love. But if we do not obey his commandments, and if sin is what we practice, instead, we will not inherit eternal life with God. We will not be saved from our sins and be on our way to heaven if obedience to God is not our practice, and if sin is our practice.

[Matthew 7:13-23; Luke 9:23-26; John 8:51; John 14:15-24; John 15:10; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; 1 Corinthians 10:1-22; Galatians 5:16-24; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:17-32; 1 Peter 1:2; Hebrews 3:1-19; Hebrews 4:1-13; Hebrews 5:9; James 1:21-25; 1 John 1:1-10; 1 John 2:1-15; 1 John 3:1-24; 1 John 4:19-20; 1 John 5:2-3; 2 John 1:6]

Now, love for God is not in words only, or just in song. Love, which comes from God, for he is love, prefers what God prefers. And he prefers all that is holy, righteous, morally pure, upright, godly, faithful, honest, and obedient to his commands. And this love for God chooses his choices to obey them, too, in his power, wisdom, and strength. For if truly we love God with all our heart, mind, soul, and might (strength), we will be those whose lives are surrendered to the Lord, to doing his will, and to obeying his commands.

And if this is true of us, this should not be a private affair that is kept secret from everyone else. It should be obvious by the words that we speak, and by our attitudes, our actions, our behaviors, and by our life choices. And this is not saying that we will be absolutely perfect in all these areas at all times, but this should be how we live, in practice, by the grace of God. And it should be shown outwardly and not inwardly only, for we are to be our Lord’s witnesses throughout the earth, sharing the gospel with the people.

So, we should be living the truth of the gospel, in practice, by the grace of God, and then we should be teaching others the truth of the gospel. We should be teaching our children and grandchildren what it means to believe in Jesus and to live the life he has for us all to live, as his followers. But we must set the example before them, too. For words only mean nothing if they are not followed up with action, and in truth. But words are important, too. For we should be talking about Jesus with other people, in daily practice.

Now, as far as physical displays of faith go, we must be very careful that our outward displays, in the forms of signs and posts and photos and t-shirts with printed words on them, etc., are what we are living, in practice. I have seen some vehicles with “Christian” bumper stickers or pasted signs on their windshields, and then saw the drivers giving someone “the finger,” which is something bad, not good. And, again, I am not saying we will never fail, but that we should be living what we are professing, in daily practice, by habit.

Walking in The Light  

Based off 1 John 1-2

An Original Work / November 16, 2011

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

When I lift up my voice, and

Sing praise unto God,

I will fellowship with my

Lord and Savior, King.

In Him there is no darkness.

He is in the light of truth.

If we walk in His light,

From sin He purifies. 

If we repent of our sins,

He’ll forgive us now,

When we humble ourselves, and

Before Jesus bow.

The man who says, “I know Him,”

But does not obey His truth,

There is no truth in him.

In darkness still he’s found.

Do not love the world of sin,

For it is hell bound.

If you follow the world, you’ll

Not in Christ be found.

The world and its desires 

Will not last; they’ll expire.

The one who does God’s will,

Receives eternal life.

See that what you have heard from

Christ remains in you.

Then, you’ll remain in Christ, and

In His Father, too.

This is what He promised us –

His eternal life with God.

So, continue in Him, and

You’ll receive a crown.

https://vimeo.com/114160122

When We Walk By The Way

An Original Work / February 1, 2026

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love