Let's Progress From the Breath of Life Given in the Garden to a Life of Faith in the Son. Life Long! That was Then, and This is Now.
There is no more natural human action than breathing. You did it before you thought about it this morning. You’ll do it thousands of times today without effort. And if you stop breathing—even briefly—everything else stops too.
God designed it that way.
Breathing is the most ordinary act of life, yet it is also the most essential. And it is no accident that Scripture repeatedly uses breath to describe spiritual life. The same God who gave us lungs also gave us a soul that must breathe.
He thought up Air -- Adam and Eve Too. Not Adam and Steve.
First, the Air was Given by God in Love. He Still Has a Plan for Man.
For life. Hey, us humans, are the apex God’s creation. Not any stars, not the oceans, not the mountains. It was people.
This moment is holy ground. God did not speak man into existence as He did the stars; He stooped. He shaped. He leaned in. And He breathed.
The Hebrew word yatsar means “to mold, to shape, to form,” like a potter working clay. God formed Adam’s body, but the body alone was not alive. It was only when God breathed His own breath into him that Adam became a living soul—nephesh—a breathing, conscious, spiritual being.
This breath distinguished man from every other creature. Animals have life; man has the breath of God. Matter alone did not create man—God did. Biology did not awaken him—God did. The Creator personally imparted life.
The Hebrew word for breath and spirit is ruach—wind, breath, spirit. In other words, life itself flows from God. Every breath is borrowed.
The Christian life was never meant to be lived on fumes.
Jesus said, “Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me” (John 15:4). That is not some mere poetic suggestion—it is spiritual physiology. Apart from constant communion with Christ, we wither. Connected to Him, we flourish.
God cares about every inch of your life. Not only your Sundays, your prayers, or your church attendance—but your thoughts, your reactions, your words, your attitudes, your private moments, and your hidden battles. Because He loves His children, He does not want fellowship—the living, breathing, two-way communion between Father and child—to be interrupted. Ever.
Yet Scripture is clear: sin disrupts fellowship. Isaiah said, “Your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God” (Isaiah 59:2). Not separation of relationship—we are still His children—but separation of intimacy. The line goes quiet. The joy dims. The guidance fades.
But here is the good news: a Christian never has to be out of touch with God for even a minute.
We can abide continually. The branch can remain connected. The life of the vine can flow freely. And the way we do that is beautifully simple—so simple we often overlook it.
Breathe Out.
When the Spirit makes us aware of an impure thought, a wrong attitude, or a disobedient act, we breathe out. We confess. Not excuses. Not blame. Not spiritual spin. Just truth.
If we straightforwardly confess our sins to God, He is faithful and just to fully forgive and help us walk right in the Spirit.
To confess means to simply agree with the Word of God. It is to say, “You are right, Lord. I was wrong. I want to change.”
Martin Luther once said, “The Christian life is a life of repentance.” Not misery—but freedom. Confession is not humiliation; it is liberation.
The Holy Spirit’s conviction is not condemnation—it is an arrest that saves your life. Like a flashing red light on the freeway, it stops you before you go off the cliff. And yes, it can sting. I know.
I’ve been pulled over by the police before while driving too fast. I've also been “ticketed” by God more than once. Sadly. Not proud of this.
The police fine was painful. The trip to pay it was inconvenient. But the lesson was loving. “Whom the Lord loves He disciplines” (Hebrews 12:6). It hurt to know I hurt God with my sin, too.
If the Spirit is putting His finger on an attitude, a habit, a bitterness, or a secret sin, it is not because God is angry—it is because He is kind.
When have you been ticketed by God? I got a ticket on the freeway for going too fast not too long ago and it cost me a lot of money. I had to drive to a dangerous part of the town to the police station to pay that thing off. it hurt. I'm a saved sinner -- me Kurt von Schleicher.
One who still sins from time to time. Hate that, and do want to hate that more and more each day ..but am glad For God's grace and forgiveness. Glad I'm no longer a lost sinner. Maybe you haven't been ticketed or put behind bars by a policeman, but has the Holy Spirit ever convicted a.k.a. arrested you, grabbing your attention concerning an area of your life that was violating God's good laws?
He did that because He loves you. Is there something you need to bring before God to properly confess and honestly repent of, or change your stinking-thinking.. bad attitude about? Lord, too often I need an attitude adjustment. God is waiting to forgive, cleanse and fill you with His Holy Spirit. Like at many restaurants ..did you know that refills are free.
Breathe In: Surrender
The second movement is surrender. We inhale grace. We yield control. We invite the Holy Spirit to fill and direct us again.
Paul commands believers, “Be filled with the Spirit” (Ephesians 5:18)—not once, but continually. The verb means “keep on being filled.” Like refills at a restaurant, God never charges for more.
This filling does not come from perfect wording or polished prayers. It comes by faith in God’s promise. The power of the Spirit is released through trust in the living Word, not through spiritual formulas.
The hymn writer said it well:
“Nothing in my hand I bring,
Simply to Thy cross I cling.”
When we surrender, we are not losing control—we are finally giving it to the only One who can handle it.
A Life Controlled by the Spirit
The Spirit-filled life is simply a life controlled by the Spirit instead of self.
That control must be renewed—sometimes hourly. Just as you breathe all day long without thinking, spiritual breathing becomes the rhythm of a healthy Christian life.
Confession and repentance are not emergencies—they are habits. This is how we avoid living double lives. This is how we stay honest before a watching world that desperately needs a real Jesus, not a religious performance.
David prayed, “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me” (Psalm 51:10 always see whole context around the verse). God answered David. He always does.
George Barna's research shows that many Christians feel spiritually dry, disconnected, and stalled. The problem is not that God has moved away—it’s that they did and stopped breathing right spiritually.
Choose Life in Christ,
Moses told Israel, “I have set before you life and death.. therefore choose life” (Deuteronomy 30:19). That choice is daily. Sometimes ..moment by moment.
Breath and Life Restored in Christ
When sin entered the world in the Garden of Eden, humanity did not stop breathing physically, but man did stop breathing spiritually. Living in sin is hard on the transgressor.
"Good understanding giveth favor: but the way of transgressors is hard." Prov. 13:15
"The teaching of the wise is a fountain of life, turning one from the snares of death. 15Good understanding wins favor, but the way of the faithless is difficult." kjv
Has your life been hard to take?
We all need to be born again because we weren't born right the first time. Born in sin, it needs to be addressed. We can respond to God's love in Christ.
Fellowship was broken in the Garden of Eden, a real place. The lungs of the soul collapsed so to speak.
But Jesus came to breathe life again.
After the resurrection, “Jesus breathed on them and said, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit’” (John 20:22). That's where I believe people were first born again of the Spirit. No human can have the Holy Spirit inside and not be regenerated -- reborn spiritually.
This was sort of like Genesis all over again—new creation, new life, new breath! Exciting!!! Many were empowered for service and witnessing in the second chapter of Acts.
Paul later wrote, “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation” (2 Corinthians 5:17).
Christianity is not mere behavior modification. It is divine respiration, not from religion.
Sup With Spiritual Breathing? That Daily Rhythm of Life in Christ.
Just as physical breathing has two movements—exhale and inhale—so does spiritual life.
If you only inhale, you suffocate.
If you only exhale, you collapse.
Healthy life requires both.
This is why free spiritual breathing is so wonderful. It restores fellowship immediately, not emotionally per see, but spiritually—by faith.
Sup with the Exhale: Confession of Sin (Releasing The Bad Attitudes and Habits)
Exhaling is releasing what no longer belongs inside you. Sins' addiction and control.
Real spiritually, this starts with an honest confession of sin. Getting real with God the Father in the name of Jesus His Son, asking Him to forgive and save you. Saved, that's a Bible term God uses.
“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).
To confess means to agree with God. Not to bargain. Not to explain. Just to say, “Lord, You are right.”
When you exhale spiritually, you release guilt, shame, pride, bitterness, lust, anger, and self-rule. And God promises something astonishing: forgiveness that covers past, present, and future sin—because Christ already paid the price in full.
Confession does not earn forgiveness. It receives it.
Unconfessed sin is like carbon dioxide trapped in the lungs of the soul. It clouds vision, weakens strength, and steals joy. But the moment we exhale, God cleanses.
Sup With The Inhale: Surrender, Appropriating The Empowerment On Purpose
After exhaling, we must inhale—or we will remain empty.
Paul commands believers:
“Be filled with the Spirit” (Ephesians 5:18).
This is not a one-time event. It is a continual action—“keep on being filled.” Refills are free.
Inhaling spiritually means surrendering control and receiving so you will live. It means inviting the Holy Spirit to take control inside of you, to direct your thoughts, attitudes, words, no words, and actions. It means trusting God with His power instead of in your effort.
Andrew Murray wrote,
“The Spirit-filled life is simply the life of faith, trusting God to do in us what we cannot do ourselves.”
We inhale grace. We inhale strength. We inhale resurrection power. We inhale life.
Why Breathing Right Matters. Freedom from Bad Air and That Spiritual Roller Coaster Ride Is Better
So many believers live on emotional highs and lows because they carry what God has already offered to remove.
Spiritual breathing breaks that cycle.
It keeps fellowship open.
It keeps the conscience clear.
It keeps joy steady.
It keeps faith consistent.
This is not about feelings. It is about faith—the same faith that saved us. “The righteous shall live by faith” (Romans 1:17). We don’t feel forgiven—we believe God. We don’t feel filled—we trust His promise.
Is This a Righteous Transferable Practice for You and For Other's Everyday Life? Yep.
Spiritual breathing is not a theory—it is a daily rhythm. You can practice it at your desk, in your car, in the kitchen, in the middle of conflict, in the quiet of prayer.
Exhale: “Lord, I agree with You about my sin. Yes, on everything. Please forgive me and help me back up to walk, after stumbling and falling. Cleanse me. Let me hide your word in my heart -- I don't want to sin again!"
Inhale: “Lord, I surrender. Fill me/refill me up”
And life flows again.
What's Not to Love About the Fresh Breath of, and Refreshing of God?
The breath God gave Adam never stopped existing here—it only changed locations basically. The soul is eternal. The question is not if we will live forever, but where will be be forever, Heaven or Hell?
"Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." John 14:6
Jesus said, “I am the resurrection and the life” (John 11:25). Do you believe what He said? Only in Him do we breathe forever in Heaven.
So breathe deeply, believer.
Breathe honestly.
Breathe daily.
You can live in close union with God through Jesus. You can enjoy the power of resurrection life. God initiated this. He first breathed into people and had a good plan.
Before you opened your eyes this morning and stepped out of bed, you were already breathing.
You didn’t schedule it.
You didn’t strive for it.
You didn’t earn it.
You simply received it. Inhale so fresh.
And yet—if you stop breathing, nothing else matters.
That is exactly how the Christian life works. Many believers are alive in Christ but spiritually gasping—trying harder, doing more, carrying guilt, fighting fatigue—because they have forgotten how to breathe.
Jesus never told us to strive for life.
“The LORD God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life” (Genesis 2:7).
God did not merely speak man into existence—He breathed into him.
He leaned in.
He shared life.
The Hebrew word for breath is ruach—wind, breath, spirit. Life itself flows from God. That means every breath you take is borrowed. You are not self-made—you are God-breathed.
And when God breathed, man became a living soul.
The body without breath is a corpse.
The Christian without fellowship is alive—but weak.
II. The New Breath: Life Restored in Christ
Sin collapsed the lungs of the soul. Fellowship was broken. But Jesus came to breathe again.
After the resurrection, “He breathed on them and said, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit’” (John 20:22).
This is Genesis all over again. New creation. New life. New breath.
Christianity is not moral improvement—it is spiritual resurrection.
III. Spiritual Breathing: The Rhythm of the Christian Life
Just as physical breathing has two movements—exhale and inhale—so does spiritual life.
You must do both.
If you only inhale, you suffocate.
If you only exhale, you collapse.
Life requires rhythm.
That rhythm is confession and surrender.
1. The Exhale: Confession (Releasing What Doesn’t Belong)
“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us” (1 John 1:9).
Confession is not begging—it is agreeing with God. It is breathing out what poisons the soul. Pride. Bitterness. Lust. Control. Fear. Attitude. Disobedience.
Unconfessed sin is like carbon dioxide trapped in your chest—it steals strength and clouds vision.
But when you exhale, God cleanses. Immediately. Completely.
David prayed, “Create in me a clean heart, O God” (Psalm 51:10).
And God did.
2. The Inhale: Surrender (Receiving All The Blessing That God Gives, but Living for The Blesser Rather than for The Blessings)
After exhaling, you must inhale—or you remain empty.
Paul commands us:
“Be filled with the Spirit” (Ephesians 5:18).
Not once. Continually.
To inhale spiritually is to say, “Lord, I surrender control again.”
It is trusting the Spirit to do what you cannot do.
The Spirit does not fill clenched fists. He fills open hands.
IV. Why This Matters: Freedom from the Roller Coaster
So many believers live on spiritual highs and lows—not because God is inconsistent, but because fellowship is.
Spiritual breathing restores consistency.
Exhale confession.
Inhale surrender.
And joy returns.
Peace returns.
Power returns.
This is faith—not feeling.
The same faith that saved you sustains you.
V. It's a Daily Thang.. Breathing
Jesus taught us to pray daily because we need Him daily.
You can breathe spiritually at your desk, in traffic, in conflict, in prayer, in worship, in weakness.
Do You have gifts for me to receive and biblically use for your glory?
Sweet fellowship flows again.
Do It Again..Exhale and Inhale
Beloved, the breath of God gave you life.
The breath of Christ gave you new life.
And the breath of the Spirit sustains that life every day.
So breathe again.
Breathe out what's inside that you really don't need.
Breathe in all God has for you spiritually.. what edifies and lifts you up.
Let’s receive it—one breath at a time.
YOU'VE GOT THIS -- BREATHING WITH GOD
See again: Genesis 2:7; John 15:4–5; 1 John 1:7–9; Ephesians 5:18; John 20:22
Theme: Spiritual breathing—confession and surrender—is the daily rhythm of abiding in Christ
Goal: Lead believers into honest, immediate fellowship with Jesus and a Spirit-filled life
Filled Lungs, The Step Forward in Christ to Walk With Him
Beloved.. and church family, before you did anything this morning—before coffee, before the mirror, before the phone—you were already breathing. One breath is a gift.
You didn’t think about it.
You didn’t work at it.
You simply received it.
And if you stop breathing, everything else stops.
That’s exactly how fellowship with Jesus works.
Many believers are alive in Christ—but they are spiritually short of breath.
Jesus never said, “Try harder.”
He said, “Abide in Me.” (John 15:4)
Abiding in the Vine begins with breathing.
I. THE FIRST BREATH – LIFE GIVEN BY GOD
Listen to how life began:
“The LORD God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life” (Genesis 2:7).
God didn’t shout life into Adam.
He didn’t speak from a distance.
He leaned in and breathed.
The Hebrew word ruach means breath, wind, spirit.
Life itself came directly from God.
Adam was formed—but not alive—until God breathed.
And that means something important:
We were never designed to live apart from God’s breath.
II. THE LOST BREATH – FELLOWSHIP BROKEN BY SIN
Sin didn’t stop Adam from breathing physically—but it stopped him from breathing spiritually.
Fellowship was broken.
Intimacy was lost.
The soul gasped.
Isaiah said, “Your iniquities have separated you from your God” (Isaiah 59:2).
And church, guess what.. separation until isolation always suffocates. Don't suffocate.
III. THE NEW BREATH – LIFE RESTORED BY CHRIST
But God did not leave us breathless.
After the resurrection, Scripture says:
“Jesus breathed on them and said, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit’” (John 20:22).
This is Genesis again.
New creation.
New breath.
New life.
Christianity is not moral improvement—it is resurrection breathing.
Paul said, “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation” (2 Corinthians 5:17).
IV. THE DAILY RHYTHM – SPIRITUAL BREATHING
(Teaching tone – clear and steady)
Now listen carefully—because this is how fellowship stays alive.
Breathing has two movements:
-
Exhale
-
Inhale
You must do both.
A. EXHALE – CONFESSION
“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us” (1 John 1:9).
Confession means agreeing with God.
Not explaining.
Not excusing.
Not blaming.
Just agreeing.
When we confess, we exhale what poisons the soul—pride, bitterness, control, lust, anger, fear.
Unconfessed sin is like stale air trapped in the lungs.
It clouds vision.
It weakens strength.
It steals joy.
But when you exhale—God cleanses. Immediately.
B. INHALE – SURRENDER
After exhaling, you must inhale—or you remain empty.
Paul commands believers:
“Be filled with the Spirit” (Ephesians 5:18).
That verb means keep on being filled.
To inhale spiritually is to surrender control again.
The Spirit does not fill clenched fists.
He fills open hands.
Jesus said, “Apart from Me you can do nothing” (John 15:5).
But with Him—everything changes. Got the Father can use you to win other people to Jesus.
V. WHY THIS MATTERS – STABILITY IN THE CHRISTIAN LIFE
So many believers live on a spiritual roller coaster—up one week, down the next. They sow to the Spirit and obey, then get distracted and drift off. Some more than others.
Not because God is inconsistent.
But because fellowship with us, flawed individuals (saved sinners) is.
Spiritual breathing restores consistency.
Exhale confession.
Inhale surrender.
And joy returns.
Peace returns.
Power returns.
This is not about feelings—it’s about faith.
“The righteous shall live by faith” (Romans 1:17).
VI. I INVITE YOU TO CHRIST. FREELY BREATHE.. OR BREATHE AGAIN
Church, God breathed life into Adam.
Jesus breathed life into His disciples.
And the Spirit breathes life into us today.
So let’s breathe.
Exhale what is bad.. that you’ve been carrying inside.
Inhale the grace you’ve been resisting.. it's fresh, healthy and clean.
WOULD YOU PRAY SOMETHING LIKE THIS?
Father,
I come to you as I am, a sinner in need of Your free forgiveness. I opt to breathe out confession of my sins, my control over my life, my striving. I'm Yours. I believe in you. Thank you for your death on the Cross in my place, Your mercy, and for living again. Please forgive me now, wash me, and come live inside of me, Jesus. I breathe in Your Spirit, I appropriate Your grace, Your life, Your intervention.
Returning? I come back to You, Lord. Wash me clean. Fill me up again, Lord Jesus.
I don't understand it all, but I choose to trust You.
Be Lord of my life and all, and I want your will done in my life.
Amen.
