First Chapter
Handbook for
Victorious Christian Living
By Cathy Deaton
Disclaimer
Much care has been taken to ensure that the information presented in this book is accurate. However, the reader should understand that the information provided does not constitute legal, medical or professional advice of any kind.
No Liability: this product is supplied "as is" and without warranties. All warranties, express or implied, are hereby disclaimed.
Use of this product constitutes acceptance of the "No Liability" policy. I shall not be liable for any losses or damages whatsoever (including, without limitation, consequential loss or damage) directly or indirectly arising from the use of this product.
Contents
Introduction ....5
Chapter 1
The Flesh vs. The Holy Spirit .....7
Chapter 2
The Holy Spirit ....14
Chapter 3
The Importance of Prayer and Thanksgiving .......23
Chapter 4
What is the Real Meaning of Faith .....29
Chapter 5
The Different Kinds of Love .....38
Chapter 6
What is True Forgiveness .....42
Chapter 7
Worry, Anxiety and Fear ...48
Chapter 8
Enter into Gods Rest and Stay There ......55
Chapter 9
Do not Give in to Temptation ...60
Chapter 10
The Terrible Spirit of Pride ...67
Chapter 11
What is a Stronghold...........................................................73
Chapter 12
Your Body is Gods Temple ...84
Chapter 13
How do you have Discernment ...87
Chapter 14
Living in Balance ...93
Chapter 15
Stewardship 97
Chapter 16
Sowing and Reaping ..102
Chapter 17
What is the Atonement .109
Chapter 18
You Need the Anointing on Your Life ...113
Epilogue ..117
About the Author ...............................118
Introduction
How To Read This Book
There are many wonderful truths that are contained within the pages of this book, but it will be easy to get overwhelmed if you try to read the whole book in one sitting. Copy each chapter and take some time digesting what is written there.
The e-book has been optimized for screen reading, so it will print off larger than normal. That should give you plenty of room for personal notes.
Each of the chapters can be read in no more than 10-15 minutes, with each building on the one that precedes it. Please read them in order and only one chapter at a time.
God works gradually in the life of a Christian, and He gives you nuggets of knowledge as you are ready to receive them. Don't get ahead of Him, but let Him meet you exactly where you are now and start to change your life.
When you look back on your life in a year, you can see just how much you have grown.
All Scriptures are taken from the New King James Version unless otherwise given after the particular verse.
Are you a Christian who is seeking God and knows that there is more to the Christian walk than what you are now experiencing, but you don't know what it is?
This book was written just for you.
You can learn how to hear the Holy Spirit when He speaks to you. This means that you no longer have to live your life wondering if you make the right decision about things that come up, or problems that arise. You have God Almighty living inside you and He knows the answer to every question you could ever have.
You can also learn how to pray and have the kind of faith that God desires for you. This book covers all the basics of learning to live a life that is fully pleasing to Him.
He sets forth conditions for you to follow. If you meet them, you can have a sure faith that He will answer your prayer and meet your every need abundantly.
Ask the Holy Spirit to open your mind and heart as you read these words.
God can radically change you and give you victory in every area.
Chapter 1
The Flesh vs. The Holy Spirit
Ephesians 2: 1-3
And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, in which you once walked according to the course of the world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others.
Paul is talking here to the Gentiles about what their life was like before salvation. He says that before they were saved, their main concern was to fulfill fleshly desires. They were selfish in fulfilling their own lusts and plans.
When you become a Christian (ask Jesus to come into your heart and save you), you become a new person in Christ and your life takes on a totally different meaning. The Holy Spirit comes into your heart to reside and His job is to replace your old nature with a new Christ-like nature. God gave an instruction book called the Bible to show you anything you would need to do to get this new kind of life He wants you to have.
Even though you have a new heart, the "old nature" is still there; now there are two natures vying for attention and love. The nature that will survive and flourish is the one you feed and give attention. If you feed on God's Word, pray, and spend time with your new Father God, you will grow and flourish in the things that are pleasing to Him.
If you decide to feed the flesh, that is the nature that will continue to thrive and grow. The "new nature" will still be there, but it will be greatly overshadowed by the old nature and be barely visible.
It will not be an easy thing to change direction, because you have had this "old nature" with you for so long. Your flesh will tell you that it is much too hard to think about things differently than you always have.
The great thing about the way God made man is the fact that he has a free will to change his mind. Each person knows that once he definitely sets his mind to something, it is very difficult to persuade him to do otherwise.
God wants you to make up your mind that you are not going to give attention to the old flesh because it has led you astray so often. He wants you to be totally persuaded about this new way of life and determine to set your mind on getting the very best He has to offer you.
After all, His plans for you are far greater than anything your earthly mind can imagine.
A Christian Must Always Go Forward
As a Christian, you can never live off what you have done in the past. You must continue to do the things God has told you to do. If you do not, the flesh will start to rule once more and you will be a miserable person until you let the Holy Spirit have first place again.
The terrible feeling of sin debt is gone in your life when you first get saved. You feel so free from this debt that you do not realize this feeling won't last forever. Most people are not really prepared when the old ways start creeping in again. Then when you do something you know is wrong, you feel like a huge failure; or perhaps you might even feel that maybe you were never saved.
True guilt can only be relieved by admitting your sin and coming to the place of repentance before God.
After you have repented, doubt should be quenched by finding verses in the Bible that pertain to your need. Then you should claim those verses over and over until the doubt has been removed.
Satan will always try to make you feel that what you have done is too terrible for God to forgive you. After all, he wants to keep you living in bondage and defeat for the rest of your life.
The Difference in Flesh and Spirit
There is a definite difference in being led by the flesh and being led by the Holy Spirit. They are complete opposites. The Holy Spirit would never lead you to do something that would be bad for you.
The flesh, on the other hand, does not always see very far down the road. Many times it can't discern the real truth. It just makes a decision based on the facts at hand and plunges ahead into what it "thinks" is the right thing to do.
You can save yourself much pain and heartache in the future by not letting the flesh control you. It might take a little longer for something to get worked out by the Holy Spirit, but you won't have heartache from it.
John 3: 6
That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is Spirit.
This verse is a fundamental law. You either live after the flesh or after the Spirit, and there is no middle ground or riding the fence.
Romans 8: 5-8
For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be. So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God.
The Bible very definitely says that the only way to have joy and peace in this life is to walk in the Spirit. You will never really be happy as long as you cater to your own fleshly desires.
Romans 8: 14-16
For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are the sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, Abba, Father. The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God
The Bible also says to make a break from the things that the world tries to throw at you. Quite distinctly, if you are led by the Spirit of God, then you are a Son of God. God does not want you to live in bondage to the things of this world. He wants you to be set free and live in victory.
Galatians 5: 17
For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish.
Galatians 6: 8-10
For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life. And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we will reap if we do not lose heart. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith.
I Corinthians 2: 11-14
For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God. Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God. These things we also speak, not in words which mans wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual. But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.
I John 2: 16
For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.
Sanctification vs. Salvation
The conflict that goes on with the Christian is a matter of sanctification and not salvation. If you have accepted Christ, you are saved; then the Holy Spirit, who has come into your heart at salvation, desires to make you a pure and holy vessel for God to be able to do His work through.
Sin, evil, the flesh, and the world continually bombard the believer from within and without. Sometimes it is not Satan who causes your problems; it is just your fleshly desires.
The "flesh" is humanitys fallen, corrupt, or sinful nature as distinguished from just our human nature originally created by God. The flesh will always try to lead you to do the opposite of what God wants you to do.
The Bible tells us in Galatians 5:16 that if we will walk in the Spirit we will not fulfill the desires of the flesh. This is something, though, that you must choose to do. Just as you make many choices in life, you must make a deliberate choice to follow after God regularly, or daily, or moment by moment.
The choice of walking in the "flesh" is an easy one because it is the one that is more dominant in every person.
You are made up of mind, will, and emotions which will either be controlled by God or flesh. When these things are controlled by the Holy Spirit (who is God in you), He has the freedom to mold your life to fit the perfect plan of God for you. You have to definitely change your way of thinking, though, for the Holy Spirit to be in control.
For most people it is easier to say "That's just the way I am and I can't change."
It seems that in other areas of our lives we are willing to go the extra mile, fight for what is right, stand up and be counted, and many other things that are worthy goals but are not necessarily ordained or initiated by God.
Many times when it comes to disciplining ourselves to let the Holy Spirit rule our lives and make us vessels which God can use, we feel that the fight is much too difficult. We think this way even though we will often stand under almost insurmountable odds to do other things we think are right.
This may be because we feel that we are in charge in the flesh situation. We think that if we let God be in charge for once, He will end up making us do something we might not want to do.
God wants the very best for you and He would never make you do something that would be less than His Best. A person certainly would not have the same odds with the flesh leading them 100% of the time.
How Can I Stop Feeding the Flesh?
For many fleshly things, you can make a conscious decision to stop doing that particular thing or thinking that way immediately. It is much easier than you might think to call a halt to one way of thinking and choose to think another way. When you see the positive changes in your life, you will be motivated to pray and ask God to continue to make you stronger so that you can eventually overcome the old way of thinking.
There are some things, though, that you cannot simply get rid of immediately. For example, the only way to overcome worry, impatience, pride, and bad temper is to let the Holy Spirit change you little by little. The more you allow His Presence, the more you will start to see that a new Spirit is there to replace the old flesh. In time, you will merely choose to think another way, and all those bad habits won't control you anymore.
When you start to see your life improving for the better, it will motivate you to ask the Holy Spirit to help you get rid of all the clutter that has been dragging you down. It is a terrible thought, but so often we just get comfortable with all the "bad stuff" and think that we could never be better without it. Perhaps we have made our peace with it and think it has to be there for the duration of our lives.
Dont be a Slave Anymore
Hebrews 12:1 says "lay aside every weight and sin that so easily besets us, and run with patience the race that is set before us."
There are many things in life that can make you a slave. Anything you do, such as taking on too much or not being able to say no, makes you a slave to fleshly things. God wants to be first in every area of your life. He wants you to deal with all the things that take you away from His plan for you. You should prioritize and put God first and family next. With the Holy Spirits guidance, you can start to take on the other jobs and activities He is leading you to do. In this way you will never get "burned out."
This world is set up so that people must work and earn money to buy things they need for living. When God has changed your heart, He will be at its center whether you are at your job or with your family. He just wants to be the most important one in your life. Don't let the flesh rule anymore; learn how to follow the leading of the Holy Spirit.