Don’t Gratify – Mortify!

by Lynne Hammond | Devotions, Devotions for the Praying Heart

 Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh. For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.
Romans 8:12 – 13 KJV

What can we do when the clamoring of our flesh and the yammering voices of this natural world drown out the subtle promptings of the Spirit? 

We can obey the instructions in the New Testament and separate ourselves more unto God. We can start mortifying our flesh instead of gratifying it by turning off the television, logging off the Internet, and opening up our Bibles instead. We can turn down the external voices and tune into the voice of our inner man.

“Well, I’ll do that as the Lord leads,” somebody might say, “but He just isn’t leading me to do that right now.”

Yes, He is!

He is leading all of us to do it.

According to Romans 8:13 – 14, the Holy Spirit’s number-one priority is to teach us, as sons of God, to mortify our flesh. The very first thing He does is lead us:

• To crucify the selfish passions and desires of the old man (Galatians 5:24)

• To present our bodies a living sacrifice, holy acceptable to God (Romans 12:1)

• To be not conformed to this world but to be transformed by the renewing of our minds (Romans 12:2)

If we don’t obey those leadings, He won’t be able to take us any further. We’ll find ourselves spiritually stuck, unable to rise into higher realms where we can easily hear and understand the instructions He wants to give us about other areas of our lives. Our spiritual ears will be so stopped up with low-level natural junk that we won’t be able to discern what our spirits are telling us.

We’ll be hindered in our ability to watch and pray.

Scripture Reading: Galatians 5:13 – 25

Source: Devotions for the Praying Heart by Lynne Hammond.
Excerpt permission granted by Lynne Hammond Ministries
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On the chilly March night in 1972 when Lynne Hammond took her first step into a life of Spirit-led prayer, she had no idea what was about to happen. All she knew was the hunger in her heart for God wouldn’t let her sleep. In the few short months she’d been born again, her desire to fellowship with Him had grown so strong she could hardly contain it. “Help me, God!” she cried. “I want to know you. I want to be able to talk to you. Please, teach me to pray!”

Suddenly, a heavenly presence flooded the room. Lynne sensed waves of spiritual fire sweeping over her and a beautiful language began to flow like a river from within her. Although she’d never heard of the baptism of the Holy Spirit, she knew instantly, without a doubt—this was God!

What began that night soon blossomed into a life of prayer that ultimately became a ministry of prayer when, in 1980, Lynne and her husband, Mac, founded Living Word Christian Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Under Lynne’s leadership, the prayer ministry at Living Word has become an internationally recognized model for developing effective pray-ers in the local church.

A teacher and an author, Lynne publishes a newsletter called Prayer Notes, has written numerous books, and currently serves as the national prayer director for Daughters for Zion. Her passion for inspiring and leading others into the life of Spirit-led prayer continues to take her around the world to minister to believers whose heart cry, like hers, is “Lord, teach me to pray!”

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