The Newness of Spirit Podcast

The Proven Path 8: Determining the Heart Condition

Another area where the Lord proves His own is with reference to the condition of the heart.  A tender heart will receive the quiet drawings of the Spirit to the life of Christ within.  A hard heart will go with its own wants and reasonings.  There is no need for fear! For if our heart proves to be wayward, He is able to use even our failings to draw us back to Himself!

The Proven Path 7: As Seen from Above

Let's zoom out from our in depth look at what is going on in our circumstances.  Let us gather our understanding into the truth as it is in Jesus.  As we abide in Christ and let Him abide in us, proving can be understood in its proper place, and we can focus on the things which are not seen, the things which are eternal.

The Proven Path 6: Giving or Grabbing

God is looking for a quality of life in us. We can discern the difference between flesh and Spirit working in us by the quality of life we are expressing.  When He puts us under pressure, either the flesh will grab or the Spirit of Christ will give.  In this episode we will consider the parable of the landowner and the tenets and compare it to Solomon's judgment of the two prostitutes to give us a better understanding of these two opposing qualities of life.  

The Proven Path 5: Proving the Spirit of the Kingdom

The Parable on Forgiveness in Matthew 18 reveals to us that the Spirit of the Kingdom originates in God's love of mercy and forgiveness.  We are born again and in the Kingdom!  Now it must be proven whether the Father's gracious care has left its impress upon our hearts.

The Proven Path 4: Making the Distinction between Christ and Self

The parables help us to make the distinction between what is Christ living in us and what is self usurping the Lord's place in us.  In Matthew 20:1-16, Jesus teaches His disciples the Spirit which governs His kingdom.  Let's learn to see Jesus' parables with Jesus' eyes!

The Proven Path 3: Salted With Salt

Christian activity only takes us so far.  There is a work to be done in us that only God can do!  When He engineers circumstances that are more than we can handle, we can trust that He is at work bringing forth the Sacrifice in us!

The Proven Path 2: The Light of the World

One of the beautiful things about a season of proving is its potential for Christ to shine out of us.  When we bless instead of curse, give instead of grab, remain silent instead of defend ourselves, we give others an opportunity to experience the same beautiful Jesus that we were drawn to.  Instead of escaping our hard situations, let's let Jesus shine!  

The Proven Path 1: It's A Walk

In this introductory episode to a new series, we look into the Scriptures to understand what God means when He proves us.  He loves us, and He wants us to come into all that He intended in His Son.  Proving helps us "turn the corner" from spiritual knowledge to living life!

Bearing Witness of Christ in Sufferings

There is one good reason why the Spirit is called the Comforter: Because He was sent to direct us into Christ during times of suffering!  In this episode, we will look at some of Jesus' very last words on how we can expect to be treated as His Members in the earth.  We will also see how the Spirit of God is hard at work to live in the Crucified who is seated far above everything that goes on in the world.

The Pharisee and the Wanderer

In this episode we look at the familiar parable of the lost sheep.  But what if this parable is not really about that one sheep at all?  Jesus is the Great Gatherer of the Sheep, and He is trying to gather in some unexpected sheep!  His ways are so much higher than our ways, and His ways with His sheep are impossible for us to understand with the natural  mind.  May He Gather us into His way with His sheep!