HOW YOU RESPOND SAYS IT ALL! THE PROOF IS IN THE FRUIT!

                                             

  THE PROOF IS IN THE FRUIT!!!

“…Ye shall know them by their fruits…” (Matthew 7:16 KJV).

*

Conditioning is the PROOF that all the spiritual training, practice, and shaping has taken place. What is done in the dark comes to the light. What is done in the daily routine of life comes out in public life. “But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you OUT OF THE DARKNESS INTO THE MARVELLOUS LIGHT…” (1 Peter 2:9 KJV).

Godly fruit is the proof of conditioning. "My Father is glorified by this, that YOU BEAR MUCH FRUIT, and SO PROVE to be My disciples” (John 15:8 NIV). Therefore, “You can IDENTIFY THEM… by their… fruit, that is, by the way they… act…” (Matthew 7:16 NLT).

In psychology conditioning assumes human behavior is LEARNED. For instance, behavioral responses to something can be impacted by a reoccurring, familiar, or established stimuluses.

The idea of conditioning came from Ivan Pavlov. Dogs naturally salivated when they saw their dog food (an unlearned behavioral response).

However, Pavlov noticed they would start salivating when they saw his lab assistant, who bought the food (another learned behavioral response). The dogs had associated or paired Pavlov’s lab assistant with the food.

Thus Pavlov discovered ANY object, associated or paired with the dog food, could provoke a new learned behavioral response from the dogs. To test his theory Pavlov started using a bell, when he bought the dog  his food.

After using the bell several times, over a period of time, with the dog’s food; the bell ALONE could cause the dogs to salivate (another LEARNED behavioral response).

The dog had actually LEARNED to associate or pair the BELL with the FOOD. Presenting these two things together (bell & food) is what created the association and the new learned behavior.

The effectiveness of this kind of learning is in getting the BELL to evoke a behavioral response with the SAME regularity and intensity as the FOOD. Regular or routine reinforcement of the association between the BELL and the FOOD was necessary in order for this type of conditioning or learning to take place.

Spiritual conditioning is about learning new behavioral responses too. However, instead of the new behavioral simply being a learned response it is also a response EMPOWERED by the indwelling WORK of the Holy Spirit. God “…dealt to every man the measure of faith...” (Romans 12:3 KJV). The “measure of faith” becomes the NEW response of the indwelling Holy Spirit.

Spiritual training is about completely eliminating and replacing the natural behavioral response - in the dogs for instance - it would be replacing his response to salivating at the sight of FOOD altogether to ONLY salivating for the BELL. “…old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new” (2 Corinthians 5:17 KJV).

In this analogy the natural behavioral response represents the FLESH whereas FOOD represents SIN. “…God hath dealt to every man the measure of FAITH…” (Romans 12:3 NIV).  “…walk (respond) BY FAITH...” (2 Corinthians 5:7 KJV).

For instance, people naturally react (deeds of the flesh or unlearned behavioral responses) to various types of sin (FOOD). “…Who will free me from this life that is dominated (conditioned) by sin?…” (Romans 7:14-25 NLT).

After spiritual training, practice, and shaping people will spiritually react to righteousness (represented by the BELL.)  “…FAITH COMETH BY HEARING…” (Romans 10:17 KJV).

The BELL (the WORD) provokes a reaction from the new, indwelling Spirit of Faith  (the measure of faith). “… [a]…FAITH [response]… COMETH by hearing, and hearing by the word of God…” (Roman 10:17 KJV). “…thy word is truth” (JOHN 17:17 KJV).

For instance, people naturally react (the deeds of the flesh or unlearned behavioral responses) to sin (FOOD). “…Who will free me from this life that is dominated (conditioned) by sin?…” (Romans 7:14-25 NLT).

After infusing spiritual training, practice, and shaping into daily routine, the Word of God (the BELL) causes people to react (from the new indwelling behavioral response from the Spirit of Faith) instead of sin (FOOD). “...For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure” (Philippians 2:13 KJV). “...I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me...” (Philippians 4:13 KJV).  

However, the dilemma is that people have to choose between two responses: 1.their sinful nature's response to SIN or 2. their indwelling Spirit of Faith response to the Word.  These two responses are in opposition; one response limits you to your own self-effort, the other response opens unlimited possibilities through God's indwelling Holy Spirit. “…These two forces are constantly fighting each other, so you are not free to carry out your good intentions….” (Galatians 5 NLT). “…the things which are impossible with men … are POSSIBLE  with God…” (Luke 18:27 KJV).  “…I am the Lord, the God of all flesh: is there any thing too hard for me?” (Jeremiah 32:27 KJV).

“…So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves. The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the OPPOSITE of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires. These TWO FORCES are constantly fighting each other, so you are not free to carry out your good intentions. But when you are directed by the Spirit, you are not under obligation to the law of Moses. When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God. But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control…” (Galatians 5 NLT).

People are spiritually trained, practiced shaped, conditioned, and empowered to respond, through the indwelling Spirit of Faith, to the WORD, but NATURALLY respond to SIN. “The trouble is with me, for I am all too human, a slave to sin... I [am] …a slave to the sin that is … WITHIN ME (my sinful nature). …Who will free me from this life that is [naturally]...dominated by sin? Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord…” (Romans 7:14-25 NLT).

Presenting these two things together (the Word & sin) is what creates a dilemma between the sinful nature response and the new indwelling Spirit of Faith response. “…These two forces are constantly fighting each other...” (Galatians 5 NLT).

The effectiveness of spiritual training, practice, shaping, and conditioning is in getting the WORD of God to elicit a Spirit of Faith response with the SAME regularity and intensity as the sinful nature DID. “…So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves. The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the OPPOSITE of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are the OPPOSITE of what the sinful nature desires. …” (Galatians 5 NLT).

Regular or routine reinforcement that builds, strengthens, and develops the relationship between the WORD and the new, indwelling Spirit of Faith response WITHIN YOU is necessary in order for spiritual conditioning to take place.“…YOU MUST GROW in the GRACE and KNOWLEDGE of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ…” (2 Peter 3:18 NLT).

What you see with Pavlov’s dogs is that they had a natural behavioral response (salivate) to dog food. No learning is involved when it comes to natural responses to things. Sin is not learned, but it is innate and also a natural response to things. “…all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God…” (Romans 3:23 KJV).  “…Who will free me from this life that is [naturally] dominated (conditioned) by sin? …” (Romans 7:14-25 NLT).

It is believed that most behavior is SHAPED by different kinds of stimuli (from associations and pairing). “… I was SHAPEN in iniquity…” (Psalms 51:5 KJV).

For instance, if eating orca makes you sick and you associate or pair a smell with orca. The smell ALONE could make you sick. People make these kind of associations or pairings all the time whether they are aware of it or not and that is basically what conditioning is in a nutshell.

Conditioning by way of association and pairing, therefore, is about LEARNING a new behavior. Two stimuli are linked together (orca & smell) to produce a new learned response. Getting sick from the SMELL of orca and "NOT" just the TASTE; is the new learned response.

In Spiritual conditioning the new response is not LEARNED, but EMPOWERED by the indwelling WORK of the Holy Spirit. There are NOW two different types of stimuli (Sin or the Word) and two difference, available responses ( the sinful nature or the indwelling Spirit of Faith).

The ideal is to grow and develop the new stimuli and new, indwelling response while choosing to totally ignore and eliminate the old stimuli and old behavioral responses.

Conditioning is usually about becoming EMPOWERED by the NEW indwelling responses of the Holy Spirit in ways that are observable, and measurable. The evidence is the NEW EMPOWERED behavior.

Spiritual conditioning is about DEPENDING upon the new, indwelling Holy Spirit to respond, to the WORD of God, in ways that are mystical, observable, and measurable. The evidence is the FRUIT from the WORK of the indwelling Holy Spirit..

Scientists, psychologists, and researchers believe the strength of any traditional conditioning theory is the science or empirical evidence gleaned from controlled experiences. Pavlov DID provide empirical evidence by showing how he could make the dog’s salivate just by using a bell.

Traditional conditioning theory, however, doesn’t offer any empirical evidence for the role of the will in its analogies. Spiritual conditioning highlights how God created mankind with the ability to choose.

Therefore, Spiritual conditioning boils down to the mystical power of the human will by presenting people with choices between to two reactions (sin and the word) and two responses (the sinful nature and the indwelling Spirit of Faith). “…These TWO forces are constantly fighting each other, so you are not free to carry out your good intentions….” (Galatians 5 NLT).

Spiritual conditioning OPENS and FREES the human will to choose between choices it didn’t have before. “…The trouble is with me, for I am all too human, a slave to sin. I don’t really understand myself, for I want to do what is right, but I don’t do it. Instead, I do what I hate. So I am not the one doing wrong; it is sin living in me that does it.  And I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. I want to do what is right, but I can’t. I want to do what is good, but I don’t.

I don’t want to do what is wrong, but I do it anyway. I have discovered this principle of life—that when I want (WILL) to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong.  I [am] …a slave to the sin that is … within me. Oh, what a miserable person I am!

Who will FREE ME from this life that is [naturally] dominated [conditioned]… by sin? …” (Romans 7:14-25 NLT). “… I was SHAPEN in iniquity…” (Psalms 51:5 KJV). Spiritual conditioning OPENS and FREES the human will to choose between choices it didn’t have before.

Spiritual conditioning enhances the transformation process by EMPOWERING the person through the mystical indwelling Holy Spirit to response anew to different stimuli (the Word of God).

Spiritual conditioning is the product of WORK of the Holy Spirit through indwelling spiritual training, practice, and shaping infused into daily routine to the degree that Christ is FORMED in "that" person. “…until Christ be formed IN you…” (Galatians 4:19 KJV). .

Empirical evidence of Godly transformation is observed through the fruit of the Holy Spirit.

Spiritual conditioning is about a genuine TRANSFORMATION that has a durable effect on both the internal and external responses. These responses are a direct result of daily routines infused with spiritual training, practice, and shaping.

The bottom line, whether it is traditional conditioning methods or spiritual conditioning, something NEW has been developed and a person's responses to life have transformed.

The FRUIT of the HOLY SPIRIT is the PROOF that all the genuine spiritual training, practice, and shaping has taken place. Daily routine is catalytic agent for being “…conformed to the image of his Son...” (ROMANS 8:29 KJV).

The indwelling Christ [the Word]... IS “…the invisible [Spirit]…from the creation of the world …CLEARLY SEEN, being understood by the things that are made …so that [YOU] are without excuse…” (Romans 1:20 KJV). The fruit of the Spirit is the PROOF.

"…My Father is glorified by this, that “YOU” bear much fruit, and so PROVE to be My disciples” (John 15:8 NIV). “…Ye shall know [those in the two-party covenant relationship with God]… by their fruits…” (Matthew 7:16 KJV). “…The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance…” (Galatians 5:22-23 KJV).