By the time Jesus was separated unto ministry after many years of preparation, He had learned to live His life in the spirit, even though He also functioned well in the natural.

You see, living in the spirit gave Jesus the equipment and answers He needed to walk out His life on earth in victory. And that same principle applies to you and me as well!

Now, someone recently said to me, "Well, the reason Jesus could always live in the spirit is that He didn't have any problems."

No, it wasn't that Jesus never had problems. He faced problems and crises all the time, just as we all do. He also had to continually deal with people who were facing their own crises in life.

However, Jesus was different in that He always had the answer. Why? Because He always lived in the spirit.

Did Jesus ever have to deal with lack? Yes, He did. Remember the time He needed money to pay taxes? His disciples had given up their jobs to follow after Him, so He had to provide that tax money.

Sure, Jesus had to deal with lack. But He always did everything legally and "above board."

The difference between Jesus and other people is that He knew where the money He needed could be found because He lived in the spirit. That's why He told Peter, "Go over there and get it out of that fish's mouth" (Matt. 17:27).

Jesus' Answer In The Midst Of A Storm
There's a place we can live in the spirit where God is our faithful Provider. Jesus tapped into that place. He could have chosen to live in the natural realm and spend His time grumbling about the economy, the government and every other frustrating circumstance in this life.

But, instead, Jesus lived in the realm of the spirit, and He always brought back to the natural realm an answer to every situation He faced.

For instance, consider the storm He and His disciples faced when they were sailing across the Sea of Galilee. While Jesus was in the bow of the boat sleeping, a great storm suddenly arose.

The disciples certainly weren't sleeping! They were terribly harassed and afraid. So what did they do? As the storm raged around them, they ran to the front of the boat and cried, "Master, Master, we perish" (Luke 8:24)!

Awakening to this scenario of chaos and fear, Jesus had the most interesting response. It was a higher thought that originated in the mind of God—a thought no human being had ever thought of before.

Jesus just stood up and said, "Peace, be still!" That was the answer. The storm stopped upon His command.

And why could Jesus do that? Because He lived in the spirit.

Now think about this: Jesus was surrounded by the same circumstances as the disciples were. He was in the boat; He could see the effects of the howling wind as it hurled waves into the boat; He could hear the roar of thunder and see the flashes of lightning.

At a moment like that, defeat is a very real possibility in the natural realm. The disciples were very aware of that, and they were overcome with fear. They knew that, in this case, defeat could very well mean death.

Jesus had the same opportunity to yield to fear, but He lived in another place—the place called in the spirit. In that place, He found the answer He needed to calm the waves and the wind and get their boat to the other shore.

Again and again in the Gospels we find that Jesus operated this way in every situation of life. No matter what need arose or what miracle was required, again and again Jesus had the perfect answer, found in the realm of the spirit where He lived every moment of every day.

You see, Jesus had to walk closely with His Father in order to establish the Father's will in the earth, and so do we. Just like Jesus, we have to live where we can always see, hear or discern our Father's will for every situation we face.

Where is this possible? There's only one place that fits such a description; it's a place called in the spirit.

Source: A Place Called "In The Spirit" by Lynne Hammond
Excerpt permission granted by Harrison House Publishers