Dmitriy Leo, senior pastor of Father’s Blessing Church, began a teaching series on the topic “Knowing the Holy Spirit.” Excerpt from the online service “Knowing the Holy Spirit 1” dated November 6, 2021
We live in a time when it is very important for us to hear the Holy Spirit clearly: where to go, what to do, and what not to do.
That is why we are starting this school. It will continue what we previously studied about the Holy Spirit. We will not return to the beginning. This will be a continuation, which is why we have called this school “Knowing the Holy Spirit.”
And it is important for us to truly know all His works in our lives. Because if we do not notice what the Holy Spirit is doing, it is difficult for us to build a relationship with Him. If you notice one work, a second, a third, a fourth, and so on—if you know what He does and notice what He does, you have an incentive to thank the Lord and a hunger to develop your relationship with the Holy Spirit. Because you see: He helped here, He helped there, and He helped right here. And you say, “Oh, I understand Whom I need to hold on to and with Whom I need to build a relationship now.”
Let us pray: “Lord, open my heart to knowing the Holy Spirit, because I want to know more of the One who will be with me to the very end. Hallelujah!”
Lesson 1: The Destroyer of the Works of the Flesh
It is important to understand that the Spirit is Holy. And if we are talking about building a relationship with the Holy Spirit, impurity will be an obstacle to building that relationship. Because He is Holy. This is His nature. And there is a difference between trying to build a relationship with someone and having that person respond to you, so that you have a MUTUAL relationship rather than a one-sided one.
And so, when people say, “It doesn’t matter to Him. He doesn’t care what I do. I hear His voice. I feel goosebumps. He reveals Scripture to me.” Never stop there. You lose a great deal if you think, “It’s not a big deal that I do this. The revelations I receive and the fact that I speak in tongues are proof that everything is fine between the Holy Spirit and me”—no, no. I say again: never even allow such a thought.
And so, when we speak about building a dynamic relationship with Him, we are speaking about a two-way relationship—not only you addressing Him, but Him addressing you as well. It is very important for us to understand this. That is why the first lesson is called this. He is the destroyer of the works of the flesh.
This lesson will be especially useful for those who have asked, “How do I fight? These thoughts and desires attack me, and I don’t know how to deal with them.” For some, it may be lust; for others, anger—different things. So this will be very useful for you.
People often tell me, “No matter how hard I’ve tried, I can’t do it. I am still drawn somewhere and end up somewhere.” So we will deal with this in the first lesson. We will remove the barrier between a person and the Holy Spirit, so that just as the Holy Spirit is holy, a person would also be holy—not merely by confession, but in reality.
Which of you wants to have a husband or wife who is holy only by confession, but practices lawlessness?! They go somewhere and commit fornication, then come back and say, “I am holy. The Bible says so.” No one wants such a “holy” husband or “holy” wife. We will not hide behind the Bible. If we are holy, then we are holy; if we are pure, then we are pure. And that is obvious.
I will read from Galatians 5:19–21.
Let us first determine whether we know what the works of the flesh are at all. And let us immediately identify what exactly must be destroyed. I will tell you that not everyone understands what the works of the flesh are. People have generally identified certain “mortal sins” for themselves. For example: “Did I kill anyone yesterday? Apparently not. Did I steal? Definitely not. Was I unfaithful to someone? Did I commit fornication? No. So I’m fine!” No, no, no. We must know all the works of the flesh. These include sins we have overlooked and failed to recognize as sins. Let us read.
“Works of the flesh”—why are they called works of the flesh? Because this is not Satan coming, grabbing you by the scruff like a kitten, and dunking you somewhere. These are works of the flesh. These are works of our human nature. Leave the devil aside for now; we are talking about our works. Let me list them. And this is a fairly complete list.
“Fornication”—I said it correctly: these are sins; they are called works of the flesh, but they are sins. This leads to sin.
“Fornication, impurity, debauchery, idolatry, sorcery, hostility, strife, jealousy, anger, quarrels, divisions, factions, hatred, murders, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who practice such things will not inherit the Kingdom of God.”
There are many works of the flesh. And I think you will recognize some of these things; they are present among us. So let us learn how to get rid of them properly. Romans 8:12.
“Therefore, brothers”—I will add “and sisters,” so that the sisters do not say, “This is for the brothers now.” “…we are not debtors to the flesh, to live according to the flesh; for if you live according to the flesh, you will die”—because we have seen that the works of the flesh lead to sins: murder, theft, and fornication—there is much more. “For if you live according to the flesh, you will die”—he is writing this to Christians in Rome. Living according to the flesh will lead to death.
“…but if by the Spirit you put to death the works of the flesh, you will live”. The word “put to death” is also a Greek word meaning “kill, destroy.” This is very interesting. It is practically impossible to fight the works of the flesh through natural human desires and efforts. But there is a powerful instrument: there is a destroyer of the works of the flesh. Because “if by the (Holy) Spirit you put to death the works of the flesh, you will live”. This is very interesting. By the Holy Spirit, the works of the flesh can be put to death and destroyed! By the Holy Spirit. You will live if you put them to death.
“For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God”. This is where this passage leads. It should not be taken out of context. It is all one thought that must be taken in its entirety to understand what is written here. So, friends, let’s also turn to Galatians 5:16. Let’s continue exploring what it means to put to death the deeds of the flesh! This is interesting—we have an opportunity.
When people say, “No matter how hard I try, it still comes out of me. No matter how much I restrain myself, I still go and sin. No matter how much I tried to close my heart to certain things, those desires still came, caught me, and I sinned.” So, let’s read:
“I say…”,—it is the same person, the same author, Paul, writing. “…walk by the Spirit, and you will not fulfill the desires of the flesh”. Pay attention! A new word has appeared here—DESIRES of the flesh. I am emphasizing this.
We were talking about deeds—this is already an action. But here he writes interestingly about desires. First the desire appears, and then it leads to action. That is why we need to deal with things at the root, at the level of desires, rather than when they have already become deeds. When desires overwhelm you and you no longer know how to restrain them within yourself. And how else can we deal with desires?
“Walk by the Spirit”—this is the exact translation. I am reading from the Father’s Blessing translation, and that is exactly what it says: “walk by the Spirit.” I also turned these words over and over, but there are no conjunctions or prefixes there. That is how it is written: “walk by the Spirit.” But according to Greek grammar, one can also say, “walk according to the Spirit.” We also read “according to the Spirit,” meaning, be led by the Spirit. Why did I connect this?! So that we can conclude that “those who are led by the Spirit are sons of God.” Who are the sons of God? Those who are led by the Spirit.
Let’s continue reading; this is very interesting:
“Walk by the Spirit, and you will not fulfill the DESIRES of the flesh”,—that is, walking by the Spirit or following the Holy Spirit, being led by the Spirit, is our guarantee that we will not fulfill the desires of the flesh.
I’ll say it again. We need to take this in. “You will not fulfill the desires”—meaning it will not even reach the deeds of the flesh. If you walk by the Spirit, according to the Spirit, together with the Holy Spirit. He does not speak vaguely; He says clearly: “you will not.” This is a guarantee: “you will not fulfill” even the desires, even the thoughts of the flesh.
How important it is that we have started the School of Knowing the Holy Spirit. It is very important for us to understand that the Holy Spirit is not only goosebumps and revelations. Powerful things can happen in our lives if we understand how the Holy Spirit works.
Let’s continue reading from verse 17:
“For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh; they are opposed to each other, so that you do not do what you want. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. The deeds of the flesh are evident…”
—we have already read this, but I will read it once again.
“...they are: sexual immorality, impurity, debauchery, idolatry, sorcery, dissensions, quarrels, envy, anger, disputes, divisions, heresies, hatred, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who practice such things will not inherit the Kingdom of God.”
And now let us continue: “The fruit of the Spirit...”—another new word appears: “THE FRUIT of the Spirit.”
“...love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith, gentleness, self-control.”
This passage follows the works of the flesh in context. You cannot take it out of context. A deep and profound meaning is embedded here: how to overcome the works of the flesh and what it means to walk in the Spirit.
Walking in the Spirit means that when you want to go commit sexual immorality, or when you feel drawn toward it, when you want to insult someone, what should you do? Show love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against such things.
“Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.” Those who belong to Christ have crucified the flesh with all its passions and desires. “If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit.”
So, all people who live by the Spirit walk by the Spirit! How can you know that you are living by the Spirit? You will have the fruit of the Spirit! You walk by the Spirit; you are led by the Spirit; by the Spirit you will put to death the works of the flesh: if you show love instead of anger; self-control instead of passion and immorality; love instead of something else; something else instead of heresy. In other words, do you understand?! Let me list them again: “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith, gentleness, self-control”. And “those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.”
The sign of Christ’s disciples is that they have crucified these works of the flesh. If a person has not crucified the works of the flesh through the Holy Spirit, they are not a disciple of Christ. It is written: “Those who belong to Christ have crucified them.” A person may call themselves a believer, but the disciples of Jesus Christ—those who belong to Christ—have crucified them.
Let us summarize. Here the Holy Spirit is truly called the destroyer—or, if you will, the eradicator—of the works of the flesh. Through Him, we are told, we can put the works of the flesh to death. And we have learned that those who walk in the Spirit can overcome even the desires of the flesh. So there is no point in deciding to fight the flesh or certain desires by saying, “But I want to!” or “But I don’t want to!” It will not work, because the flesh is very strong. It has led many people—you understand where—to ruin and immorality. The world lies in evil.
But people who walk with the Holy Spirit are able to destroy the works of the flesh. That is exactly what is said—to kill and destroy the works of the flesh.
People who are led by the Spirit are on another level. Walking with the Spirit and being led by the Spirit goes further. They are even able to bring their thoughts under control, and such desires do not even come to them. So, this is the solution.
You may say, “Well, yes, basically everything is clear. We are with the Holy Spirit every day, so why do we still sin?” No, no, no—wait. It clearly says here: if you walk by the Spirit, He will destroy the works of the flesh and destroy the desires of the flesh. If you walk by the Spirit, in the Spirit, or with the Holy Spirit.
What does this teaching give me?! It gives me knowledge of the Holy Spirit—specifically, of this aspect and work of the Holy Spirit. I need to rethink even more deeply the significance of the Holy Spirit in my life. I need to do everything necessary to build the closest possible relationship with the Holy Spirit. If I want to walk with Him, if I want to be free from the works of the flesh, and even from the desires of the flesh.
I know that most of you here do not need to be free from the works of the flesh. But I know there are people who cannot say they have been freed from the works of the flesh. Because it is not only sexual immorality; it is also quarrels… Remember? I read about it—there are many different things. I also know that among those present here and those watching us, there are people who have not yet been freed from the desires of the flesh. In other words, the works may no longer be there, but there are desires they still have to fight.
The Holy Spirit is the primary instrument for destroying the works of the flesh in a person’s life. That is why God sent the Holy Spirit not merely collectively for everyone, but specifically into each person’s life, so that by the Spirit he might destroy the works of the flesh. Because as you walk with Him, listen to Him, and are led by Him, this destruction takes place. Because He is holy, and He speaks to you, convicts you, shows you things, and you are freed from one thing, then another, then a third. And you realize, “I truly belong to Christ,” because you do not even think about it anymore—it has all been destroyed.
I want to pray with you. And it is important to pray correctly here, because we need to move beyond superficial relationships with the Holy Spirit. If you say, “Well, I have a relationship with the Holy Spirit, but I still have the works of the flesh,”—no. That contradicts what we have just read in the Bible, in the apostle Paul’s letter. “Those who belong to Christ have crucified”—all of it!
And in the next verse, which we read, it says: those who walk by the Spirit. You must do what the Holy Spirit tells you. There is a direct connection with the Holy Spirit here: this is how you become free from the works of the flesh.
And the first thing I suggest we pray about is this: first, to thank God that He gave us the Holy Spirit not only for experiences, but also to destroy the works of the flesh in ourselves, and even the desires. But He set a condition: this is for those who walk with the Spirit, walk by the Spirit, and are led by the Spirit. So we have every reason to change our surroundings.
I am telling someone: you need to get rid of corrupt friends and befriend the best Friend, through whom you will destroy these things.
If you say, “I have made many attempts; I have tried,”—if we want to befriend someone, if we want someone’s attention, we have to do something special. Think about that. If you really want to befriend someone, your actions will be unusual. Each of you answer this question for yourself: What are you willing to do to befriend the Holy Spirit? It is not enough to say, “Good morning, Holy Spirit” and “Good night, Holy Spirit.” You have to do something to become friends!
If I want to befriend someone, I try to do what pleases that person. Right? Or at least what is right. I do not do the opposite. I will not become friends with someone that way; on the contrary, we will only grow apart. Right?! If I want to befriend someone, I want to do something that will make them notice me, that will interest them. I will do everything I can to draw closer to them.
We are going to pray now that, recognizing the important role of the Holy Spirit in each of our lives, we would truly reconsider our attitude toward the Holy Spirit and begin building a serious, deep relationship with Him. So that in the morning, when we get up, we do not immediately run for a cup or a plate, but understand that Someone very dear is there. So that we make time. We are all busy, right? But let us make time. Let us withdraw into the secret place or go into the bathroom, close the door, and spend a little time building our relationship with Him and talking to Him.
But I say again, this is not a one-sided conversation—not simply talking and building a relationship. As I already told you, those who are “led by the Spirit”—this Greek word means that someone takes you and leads you, and you allow him to lead you. Those who are led even overcome the desires of the flesh, not only its actions, but even its desires.
Therefore, we are interested in being led by Him, not merely in talking with Him. And for Him to lead us, we first need to at least become friends with Him. We need to learn to hear Him properly, understand His tone and His style—how He speaks to us. He does not shout; He speaks very gently. God the Father can speak to you like the sound of many waters, but the Holy Spirit—as many of you know—always speaks quietly. He is a gentleman; He always speaks very quietly. It is not for nothing that the symbol of the Holy Spirit is a dove.
Therefore, we first need to become friends with Him, and then allow Him to lead us. This means that you do not merely say to Him, “How are You?”—“Fine.” Rather, when He tells you, “Today we will go there. Today I want to see you there. And now I want you to leave everything. Now I want you to do this. Take your phone and call there. Take the money and give it to that person. Wake up at night and do this.” This is what it means to be led! Such a person even stops thinking about sins. How interesting! That is what is written; we read it.
Let us pray. Thank the Holy Spirit that, at the very least, you may get rid of the works of the flesh, and also get rid of the desires of the flesh.
“Thank You, Lord; we thank You. This is so precious. We know that, humanly speaking, many people try to get rid of their desires through their own efforts, but they cannot. We thank You that we can put them to death if we are led by the Spirit, if we walk in the Spirit.”
Let us ask, friends, to become more closely acquainted with the Holy Spirit. If you realize how important this is for you, ask: “Father, I want to become acquainted with the Holy Spirit; help me.”
If you already know Him, ask: “I want to know the Holy Spirit better; help me, Father.” You can address the Holy Spirit directly: “I want to know You better.”
If you know a lot about the Holy Spirit and know the Holy Spirit, but understand that it is not enough, ask: “I want to become Your friend, Holy Spirit—to be someone You consider a friend.” In the name of Jesus.
Perhaps you are friends with the Holy Spirit; then ask: “Holy Spirit, I want to learn to be led by You everywhere, and not resist.” In the name of Jesus, let this happen.
And if any of you, brothers and sisters, realize that you have not put the works of the flesh to death, ask: “Holy Spirit, I want this so much; put the works of the flesh and its desires to death in me. In the name of Jesus Christ.”
Father, give us an immense desire to move in this direction—to move toward the Holy Spirit. Give our brothers and sisters a great desire to take a confident step and not turn back until even the desires of the flesh have fallen away. In the name of Jesus. And we thank You that one of the works of the Holy Spirit that we have learned about is that through Him we can destroy the works of the flesh. And that is wonderful! Thank You, Lord, for such a Gift that You sent into our lives. We are blessed, and we value it. Hallelujah! In the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
