If there was ever a “secret” to walking by the Spirit and therefore not gratifying the lusts of our flesh, we are studying it today. It is learning to abide in Christ. I say “secret” because of this verse: “He that dwells in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty” (Psalm 91:1 KJV).
Dwelling in Christ is a “secret place,” hidden to the world, a place of refuge and shelter, a place where we are “delivered from the trap of the fowler” (Psalm 91:3), and therefore are set free! It is where we are “covered” by God (Psalm 91:4), and so, we do not fear anything (Psalm 91:5-7). It’s where we find refuge and shelter in God (Psalm 91:9), where we are lifted supernaturally above danger (Psalm 91:9-12), given spiritual authority over the powers of evil (Psalm 91:13) and where God hears and answers our prayers (Psalm 91:15) and saves us eternally (Psalm 91:16).
I want these things to be true in my life and in yours too. The way we experience them is to abide in Christ.
The world wants to pull us out of Christ and treat us separate from Him, which is why it wants us to find our identity in our sin rather than our Savior. It wants us to adopt labels based on our temptation and words based on a life apart from Christ. We must be non-conformists in this area! “Do not conform to the pattern of this world…”
If we are believers, we are in Christ, not in recovery. If we are believers, we are in the secret place of the Most High God, not in anonymous groups! “For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God” (Colossians 3:3). Reject all calls by the world to conform to its standards and to find your identity in its words and labels.
In this lesson, we are studying the need to abide in Christ, for when we do, we are walking by the Spirit, we are replacing lies with truth, we are living above the world’s standards, we are set free and kept safe. That’s how important this study is today.
So, I want to study this truth with you, and then share something that happened in my study this morning to illustrate this truth of abiding in Christ. Now, let’s examine a portion of John 15 and see how it applies to our freedom from overeating:
"I am the true vine; my Father is the gardener. 2He cuts off every branch of mine that does not produce fruit. And he trims and cleans every branch that produces fruit so that it will produce even more fruit. John 15:1-2 (NCV)
Question 3. What are you called in John 15:1-2 NCV?