RESOURCES — SHORT ARTICLES

 

SHORT ARTICLES BY TOM ELSEROAD
	2021-05-26	What Does It Mean To Yield To The Spirit?
		Rom 6:13  Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God.  Rom 6:16  Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?  Rom 6:19  I speak after the manner of men because of the infirmity of your flesh: for as ye have yielded your members servants to uncleanness and to iniquity unto iniquity; even so now yield your members servants to righteousness unto holiness.  The King James Version uses the word “yield”, and the New King James Version uses the word “present”. Both are good terms. Romans 6:13 speaks of being yielded to God. Romans 6:16 speaks of what you choose to yield to. Romans 6:19 speaks of yielding our bodies to righteousness. There is a clear contrast intended between yielding to God or yielding to sin and the flesh. The word “yield” means “to stand beside,” “bring before,” “prove,” or to “present.” To yield is to give something up, or to give way to a demand of some sort. A person yielding to the Spirit will agree to a demand of the Spirit's will. They will submit to His authority. Scripture speaks of walking in the Spirit (Ga.5:16) and to being filled with the Spirit (Ep.5:18). In essence they are the same. They both refer to being controlled by the Spirit's will over our own. So, when we are filled and walking in the Spirit, we are functioning in His power. Both walking and filling necessitates yielding to His control. Yielding to the Spirit finds its opposite in “grieving Him” (Ep.4:30), “quenching Him” (1Th.5:19), or “resisting Him” (Ac.7:51). Those who are yielded to the Holy Spirit will not be doing that which offends Him. They will not dampen His influence in their hearts, and thus oppose His will. What does yielding to the Spirit look like? • The Spirit would have us “give thanks” in every circumstance (1Th.5:18). • The Spirit would have us “do good” works which will silence the ignorance of foolish men (1Pe.2:15). • The Spirit wants us to “be sanctified” avoiding sexual immorality (1Th.4:3). • The Spirit desires that we count ourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ (Ro.6:11). • The Spirit desires us to know the love of Christ (Ep.3:18-19). • The Spirit desires us to be conformed to the image of Christ (Ro.8:29). As we yield to the Spirit allowing Him full control of our lives, we will see the fruit of the Spirit produced in us (Ga.5:22-23). As we live our Christian life yielded to the Spirit, He will help us become all that Christ wants us to be. Pastor Tom Elseroad

 

An Independent and Evangelical Church

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