Jesus said in Matthew 16:26 (NIV): “What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits HIS SOUL? Or what can a man give in exchange for HIS SOUL?” Since you have to leave the planet if you lose your soul, all those things you accomplished, stored up, and learned that God doesn’t count for eternity, will be lost. However, there are a lot of things you can use your human life (soul) for. Jesus is taking you through this study so you will DESIRE to “do what it takes” to store up treasure in eternity.

Jesus said in Matthew 6:19-20 (NIV): “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.” Here Jesus is making it clear that you can store up for yourself treasures in heaven. You just have to allow Him to teach you how to DESIRE to be doing that.

Here are the Scriptures that help explain how the Holy Spirit is going to assist you in getting these things listed in Hebrews 10:22 which says: “Let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water.” The issue Jesus is taking you into today is, this Scripture will only work for you, if you DESIRE to submit your body to Him. Your body is giving you a lot of fun, pleasure, and happiness; but, some of these things are sin. Your heavenly Father knows that the END RESULT of these sins will be terrible side effects.

Rom 8:5 (NIV) Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit DESIRES. Jesus is taking you through these studies to help you get your mind set on the DESIRES of the Holy Spirit. If you allow Jesus to convince your mind that His way is the best way, then you will yield to the DESIRES of the Holy Spirit. Getting your mind set means you have been CONVINCED that sins which create extreme pleasure in your body are bad for you.

Gal 5:19-21 (NIV) The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery (excessive indulgence in sensual pleasures); idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will NOT inherit the kingdom of God. Satan’s whole objective in tempting you and luring you into these sins is to trap you and bring you under his control. The excessive pleasure these things produce in your body will addict, enslave, and control you. You will lose your God-given free will; Satan will take over your life.

You must be convinced by Jesus and the Bible that the sins listed in Galatians 5:19-21 are bad for you; or, you won’t allow the Holy Spirit to take control over these sins. You, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit CAN bring you into complete freedom from you struggles with addiction; but, you must DESIRE that. Rom 8:9 (NIV) You, however, are controlled not by THE SINFUL NATURE but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ.

1 Cor 6:19 (NIV) Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, Who is IN you, Whom you have received from God? You are not your own. If you get convinced enough to submit your body to Jesus, you will have taken the first step in The Six Biblical Principles. You will DESIRE the Holy Spirit’s help in winning over your problems with addiction. He is IN you so you and He can get Jesus’ power to deal with all your struggles. You have God, the Holy Spirit, inside you so you can have DIRECT access to all God has to offer you.

John 16:8 (NIV) When He comes, He will CONVICT the world of GUILT in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment: All the wrong, bad, and evil things THE SINFUL NATURE in your body are driving, luring, tempting, and making you do, are being pointed out to you. The Holy Spirit is speaking to your conscience and telling you that these body drives, desires, and hungers, are sins. If, at that moment, you are convinced they are sins and DESIRE to be protected from them, the Bible, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit will provide you with an escape.

1 Cor 10:13 (NIV) No temptation has seized you except what is COMMON to man. And God is faithful; He will not let you be tempted BEYOND what you can bear. But when you are tempted, He WILL also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it. The Holy Spirit, living inside you, will be bringing about the changes you are unable to make through your own efforts. He will be making these changes by helping you FEEL a negative check in your conscience when you are about to make a mistake. He will give you positive feelings when you are moving in the right direction. However, you must allow Him to convince you of their rightness or sinfulness so you will DESIRE to respond to your conscience.

James 1:5 (NIV) If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, Who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. Some people read this and simply ask for a general supply of wisdom. In other words, they don’t have any specific need for wisdom at the moment; they just want to be wise. That is okay; but, there is a broader and more continuous use for this provision of God.

Let’s say you are being tempted in an area where you typically give in. You are feeling the pressure of the temptation just like usual. You can feel yourself slipping into your old pattern of heading in the wrong direction. Then, all of a sudden, you remember this provision that God has made available to you. So you pray something like this:

Jesus, I am facing a situation that usually causes me to do things I don’t want to do. I know they are wrong; but, I don’t seem to be able to win over this temptation. I have tried to come up with solutions for it; but, I can’t seem to come up with any ideas that help me win. James 1:5 tells me that I can ask You for Your wisdom and You will give it to me. Help me come up with Your power-ideas that would empower me to win over this struggle.

Rom 8:26 (NIV) In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. These SPECIFIC prayers are prayers you can pray to your heavenly Father anytime you want. But, the great thing about the Holy Spirit, since He is living inside you, is He will remind you to pray. If you ask God to, He will even have the Holy Spirit assist you in how and what to pray.

The more you get involved with the Holy Spirit by including Him in on the issues with your body, the more you will learn how to get all God has to offer. The Holy Spirit is able to empower you and work with you on anything you need. He is always right there inside you waiting for you to include Him in whatever you want or need.

John 16:13-15 (NIV) But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will GUIDE you into ALL truth. He will not speak on His own; He will speak only what He hears, and He will tell you what is yet to come. He will bring glory to Me by taking from what is Mine and making it known to you. All that belongs to the Father is Mine. That is why I said the Spirit will take from what is Mine and make it known to you. All this is true for you, IF you DESIRE the Holy Spirit to help you submit your body to Jesus. And, you will DESIRE this, if you allow Jesus to convince you that you should.

Hebrews 10:22 is giving you five steps for submitting your body to Jesus. They are what CAN bring you the victories you are looking for over your body. Plus, the Holy Spirit CAN not only guide you into HOW to have victory over your body, He CAN give you the power to have victory over your body. BUT, The Six Biblical Principles must be used as you TRY to apply the five truths of Hebrews 10:22 to your body.

Without the assistance, power, and training of Jesus through the Holy Spirit, none of us would be able to comply with the very first part of Hebrews 10:22. We wouldn’t DESIRE to “draw near to God;” we wouldn’t STUDY and know HOW to “draw near to God;” we wouldn’t PRAY and ask for the POWER to “draw near to God;” we wouldn’t BELIEVE we HAVE the power to “draw near to God;” we wouldn’t yield to God’s LOVE so we have the right MOTIVES for drawing “near to God;” And we wouldn’t take FAITH-ACTION because we wouldn’t know what to DO next, if we did “draw near to God.”

Before you were born again, human effort and world training worked wonderfully in helping you reach your goals. And, if you were on this planet to learn how to be a successful human, that would be all you needed to learn and do. BUT, you are here to learn how to live in God’s world. You are here to learn how to live as a spirit being. You are here to learn how to be successful as a child of God. If you learn how to apply God’s principles for things like submitting your body to Jesus, then you will be successful here and in eternity. If you don’t, you may be “successful” here, but, you will be a failure in eternity.