He must increase, you must decrease…

  
He must increase, but I must decrease……John 3:30 

That is John the Baptist talking about The Messiah, whose coming was prophesied throughout the scriptures till  He, John being the final, officially announced His arrival

For all Prophets and the Law prophesied up until John… Mathew 11:13 

 John answered them, I [only] baptize in (with) water. Among you there stands One Whom you do not recognize and with Whom you are not acquainted and of Whom you know nothing. It is He who, coming after me, is preferred before me, the string of Whose sandal I am not worthy to unloose. The next day John saw Jesus coming to him and said, Look! There is the Lamb of God, Who takes away the sin of the world!….John 1:26, 29 

John “got the drift”. He said he was baptizing (the flesh) with water but one was coming who would baptise with the Holy Spirit. Once that person He was preparing the way for arrived, John would fade away from the limelight into the background. We read before his comment above, the analogy he uses of the groomsman’s role who rejoices over the groom’s “catch” but we know that he is never to steal the limelight from the groom.. 

You yourselves are my witnesses [you personally bear with me out] that I stated, I am not the Christ (the Anointed One, the Messiah), but I have [only] been sent before Him [in advance of Him, to be His appointed forerunner, His messenger, His announcer]. He who has the bride is the bridegroom; but the groomsman who stands by and listens to him rejoices greatly and heartily on account of the bridegroom’s voice. This then is my pleasure and joy, and it is now complete……John 3:28-29

 Then John says Jesus must increase and He, John must decrease.  

Similarly, in the context of Salvation, when we believe that Jesus Christ, is Lord and that He died for our sins and are baptized with the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit, the flesh should decrease and Spirit increase. Some changes are immediate, however, some fruits take longer for the Teacher to correct. The Bible says the old is gone and the new is come, 

Paul experienced this battle; calling himself “wretched” and longing for relief from his physical sinful body 

But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?..Romans 7:18-24 

If so be that ye have heard him, and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus: That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness….Ephesians 4:21-24, Romans 6:6, 11

We receive the indwelling Holy Spirit, who takes up residence in us and teaching us how to gradually manifest His gifts and very nature. If we yield to Him, we successfully bear fruit …

Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you are bought with a price; therefore glorify God in your body 1 Corinthians 6:19-20

But the fruit of the [Holy Spirit (the work which His presence within accomplishes] is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness ….Galatians 5:22

The fruit that we begin to manifest are the Christlike attributes Jesus exhibited on earth!

 And with His indwelling presence, The Holy Spirit starts to slowly work in us, to voluntarily do what is right – God’s will. There is no way you can do or attain true righteousness and holiness except He works it in you, through His indwelling Spirit. With our sinful nature, we do not have that capacity. We yield voluntarily to His will, though our own will is never taken away from us. Even Jesus had a choice while He walked the earth.. But He said “not my will but yours”, to the Father. He stuck to the “plan” to do the will of the Father and to complete that which He had been sent to accomplish...John 6:38 Salvation for mankind! Hallelujah. 

For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases Him….Philippians 2:13

When you break off a branch with developed fruit from a (wrong) vine, the preexisting fruit will not die immediately. Some will wither faster than others. But the flow of nutrient from the vine to the branch is immediately curtailed with the disconnection! When you break off from the devil, the nutrient from his vine leading to sin should immediately cease and that of the True Vine you will be in-grafted to, takes over. Moving forward, you cannot willfully sin because your source of nutrient is the Holy Spirit!…. Hebrews 10:26, John 7:37-39 

And though the Lord give you the bread of adversity, and the water of affliction, yet your Teacher will not hide Himself any more, but your eyes will constantly behold your Teacher. And your ears will hear a word behind you, saying This is the way; walk in it, when you turn to the right hand and when you turn to the left…..Isaiah 30 20-21

The need for the Holy Spirit to Teach and Guide us s due to the sinful nature of the flesh. Remember the blood of animals never worked because that blood could not take away sin. So they sinned and went to sacrifice and sinned again and sacrificed, and the cycle continued. Because the individual remained the same. With the indwelling Holy Spirit, a spiritual rejuvenation takes place as He walks with you teaching and guiding you on which ways to follow. But your free will He never takes away though you will find that salvation brings you to a place of gratitude that will lead you to willing, and with reverence, serve Him because you love Him!

And if the servant shall plainly say, I love my master, my wife, and my children; I will not go out free, Then his master shall bring him unto the judges; he shall also bring him to the door, or unto the door post; and his master shall bore his ear through with an awl; and he shall serve him forever….Exodus 21:5-6

As you have therefore received Christ, [even] Jesus the Lord, [so] walk (regulate your lives and conduct yourselves) in union with and conformity to Him. Have the roots [of your being] firmly and deeply planted [in Him, fixed and founded in Him], being continually built up in Him, becoming increasingly more confirmed and established in the faith, just as you were taught, and abounding and overflowing in it with thanksgiving. (‭Colossians‬ ‭2‬:‭6-7‬ AMP)

When you have that encounter with God, a change MUST take place in you.

Abraham: To Abram He said, ” No longer will you be called Abram; your name will be Abraham, for I have made you a father of many nations”…..Genesis 17:5

Sarah: God said also to Abraham “As for Sarai from now on her name will be Sarah”…..Genesis 17:15

Jacob: God said to him, “Your name is Jacob, but you will no longer be called Jacob; you name will be Israel”. So He named him Israel…..Genesis 35:10

 What is decreasing and what is increasing in your life? When others see you, whose fruit do they see? Fruit is what can be seen, visible on the outside.

 Glory to God!