T.D. Jakes - Life Overflowing: The Spiritual Walk of the Believer

Six Pillars From Ephesians: Life Overflowing
The Spiritual Walk of the Believer
Copyright 2000 by T. D. Jakes
T. D. Jakes Ministries

Ebook edition created 2012

All rights reserved under International Copyright Law. Contents and/or cover may not be reproduced in whole or in part in any form without the express written consent of the Publisher.

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the King James Version of the Holy Bible.

Scripture quotations marked NIV are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version. NIV. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All right reserved.

Scripture quotations identified NKJV are from the New King James Version of the Bible. Copyright 1979, 1980, 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

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eISBN 978-1-4412-1343-3

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is on file at the Library of Congress, Washington, DC.

CONTENTS

LIFE OVERFLOWING
THE SPIRITUAL WALK
OF THE BELIEVER

INTRODUCTION

The book of Ephesians reveals to us the mystery, the majesty, and the beauty of the Church. In the beginning, the apostle Paul arrests our attention with the Holy Spirits description of who we are and what we can and should do as the Bride of Christ. In the end, we are overwhelmed and blessed to be a part of such an exquisite union, yet intensely sober as Paul drills into us our responsibility to protect the reputation of Jesus Christ in our walk with Him.

The apostle Paul is an interesting personality in the kingdom of God. Credited with writing approximately two-thirds of the New Testament, he is best known for his unshakable zeal for God. His intense allegiance to the will of God is aweinspiring, but embedded in all of his teaching is his passion for developing and maturing believers. His mission in life is to prepare us to represent Jesus Christ in the earth. It is not enough for us to enjoy our salvation; we must also appreciate and respect the responsibilities associated with it.

Our actions, lifestyle, and the manner in which we relate to people are of paramount importance to Paul. He demands that we walk worthy of the vocation [calling] wherewith ye are called (Ephesians 4:1). In other words, we should conduct our lives in such a way that the Lord would not regret having saved us. At this challenge, many questions arise:

How willing are we to accept the responsibility of our actions?

How committed are we to protecting the reputation of God?

Are we genuinely walking with the Lord, or are we stumbling through this life?

Our walk with Christ is not a stroll around the blockit is a power walk! We do not walk in our own strength or wisdom, but in the power of the Holy Spirit, who speaks only of Jesus, continually revealing His goodness, His justice, and His grace. Thus, we walk with integrity, because we feel responsible to represent Him well. The way we choose our steps demonstrates to all who watch us that we walk with divine, inspired purpose. He died for us, He called us, He loves usand we will not let Him down.

We walk with an erect posture, looking toward our future. We are not wandering aimlessly as though we have no place to go and nothing to do. He has called us out of our dull and sinful lives into the glorious kingdom of God to fulfill His purpose and plan for our lives.

Jesus saved us, and in so doing He gave us a new nature. Now we are new creatures in Christ. Old things passed away the day we were convicted, convinced, and converted. And so we walk in dignity, strength, andmost of alllove. Energized by His Spirit, motivated by His love, and guided by His wisdom, we walk into Life Overflowing.

Prepare yourself now to discover the joy of powerwalking with God. Dont forget your stretching exercises of prayer and faith! Be sure to wear some comfortable shoes, because you are about to negotiate your way through rocky terrain. And theres no need to be afraid, because it is not your walk or my walkbut our walk with God. Now, lets get started!

The Church represents Jesus to the world. We are the body of Christ, which means we are Jesus Christs physical presence in the earth today. But what is our specific responsibility to God as His individual children? Paul brings us right to that point in the first verse of the fourth chapter of Ephesians:

A s a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received.

E PHESIANS 4:1 NIV

How many books are on the market today telling people how to set goals and reach them? How many people are giving talks about how to dream big dreams and fulfill them? How many plans are there for mapping out the future and achieving great things? They are beyond counting! Yet, most of those books, talks, and plans are based upon mans ability to set his own agenda, map out his own life, determine his own goals, and then reach those goals on his own effort, using his own intelligence and skills and exerting his own strength and power. Thats not what God has for the believer! The believer is to walk out Gods plan.

WALKING OUT GODS PLAN

The Holy Spirit is not committed to any plans other than those of God the Father and of the Son, Jesus Christ. We are dead wrong before God when we come to Him and say, Heres my idea. Im asking You to put Your stamp on it and help me do it. No!

F or we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

E PHESIANS 2:10

Our position must always be, Lord, show me Your plan. Teach me the way I am to walk. Give me Your instructions. And then when we know with certainty in our hearts and minds what God desires for us to do, we are to do the walking. He isnt going to walk for us; rather, He empowers us as we walk in Him. He helps us, encourages us, counsels us, and comforts us with His presence.

The Lord is committed to His plans and purposes, and only to His plans and purposes. He is committed to us always in His love, but He is committed to the fulfillment of our plans and purposes only if they are in alignment with His. We are called by God to walk in a very specific way and in a specific direction. In essence, that is our calling. We dont just walk around aimlessly in this life; our walk accomplishes Gods plans and purposes, which is our calling. Some believers seem to think that only pastors, evangelists, or missionaries are called by God; but the fact is, every believer is called.

A s a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received.

E PHESIANS 4:1 NIV

The phrase prisoner for the Lord is desmios en kurio in the Greek. This phrase is more than a statement of fact. Desmios means prisoner and refers to the actual state of confinement Paul endured. However, Paul calls this incarceration prisoner for the Lord. You would expect him to say, prisoner of the Lord. The word for signifies that from Pauls perspective, he was not a captive of Nero, but of Jesus.