Holy Spirit Have Your Way!
"Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. The mind of the sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace; the sinful mind is hostile to God. It does not submit to God's law nor can it do so. Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God. You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ. But if Christ is in you, your body is dead because of sin, yet your spirit is alive because of righteousness." Romans 8:5-10
As we read the above verses there is one thing that is clear; if you belong to Christ, you have the Holy Spirit living inside of you. And because He lives inside of you, your body is dead because of sin but your spirit is alive because of righteousness or rather, when you were saved, God breathed new life in you and filled you with His Spirit. The former way of life, or the old man is gone and you have been made new by the blood of Christ.
We have a choice to make each day. We can choose to please the Spirit or we can choose to please the flesh. Pleasing the Spirit does not come natural to us because we are all bent on pleasing our flesh. Even though we have been redeemed, the sinful nature will always try to rise up in us. We have to intentionally choose to die to our flesh and choose to submit to God. You have to understand that this is a daily battle. Our flesh wants what it wants and this is contrary to the Spirit and His desires.
Paul wrote about the struggle with sin. I consider him to be one of the greatest apostles of all time, and if he struggled with sin, then you can be sure we will also. "We know that the law is spiritual; but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin. I do understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate to do. And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do-this I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it. So I find this law at work: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me. For in my inner being I delight in God's law; but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members. What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God-through Jesus Christ our Lord!" (Romans 7:14-25) Jesus is the antidote to living in the flesh. We must surrender to Him-every part of us-and allow Him to have His way in our mind and heart. Because He overcame, we can also overcome! "You dear children are from God and have overcome them, because the One who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world (1 John 4:4)." Jesus will give us power, strength and grace to walk in Him. This, however can only be done if we rely on His Spirit to guide, teach and direct us. He must become greater and we must become less (John 3:31).
Most of us like to be in control. We somehow think we know what is best. But we cannot see the end from the beginning as God does. We have no idea what lies ahead, but God has already been there. God's ways are perfect, just, right and true. His way is always best. We must seek Him in the big decisions and in the little details and then wait for His answer-no matter how long it may take. His answer is always perfect and will always be right on time. If we understand the God we serve is always for our good, always loving, full of compassion and always just, then we can rest in Him and His sovereignty. We can stop striving and cease worrying and know that the One who created the heavens, the earth and everything in it, has it all under control. He loves you with an everlasting love. He is a good Father. He is loving towards all He has made. He will not disappoint you and He will remain faithful forever. "Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord his God, the Maker of heaven and earth, the sea and everything in them-the Lord, who remains faithful forever (Psalm 146:5-6)."
Choose today my friend to submit your will to God. Let the Spirit have His way in you. There is freedom in surrender.
"So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want (Galatians 5:16-17)."
As we read the above verses there is one thing that is clear; if you belong to Christ, you have the Holy Spirit living inside of you. And because He lives inside of you, your body is dead because of sin but your spirit is alive because of righteousness or rather, when you were saved, God breathed new life in you and filled you with His Spirit. The former way of life, or the old man is gone and you have been made new by the blood of Christ.
We have a choice to make each day. We can choose to please the Spirit or we can choose to please the flesh. Pleasing the Spirit does not come natural to us because we are all bent on pleasing our flesh. Even though we have been redeemed, the sinful nature will always try to rise up in us. We have to intentionally choose to die to our flesh and choose to submit to God. You have to understand that this is a daily battle. Our flesh wants what it wants and this is contrary to the Spirit and His desires.
Paul wrote about the struggle with sin. I consider him to be one of the greatest apostles of all time, and if he struggled with sin, then you can be sure we will also. "We know that the law is spiritual; but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin. I do understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate to do. And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do-this I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it. So I find this law at work: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me. For in my inner being I delight in God's law; but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members. What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God-through Jesus Christ our Lord!" (Romans 7:14-25) Jesus is the antidote to living in the flesh. We must surrender to Him-every part of us-and allow Him to have His way in our mind and heart. Because He overcame, we can also overcome! "You dear children are from God and have overcome them, because the One who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world (1 John 4:4)." Jesus will give us power, strength and grace to walk in Him. This, however can only be done if we rely on His Spirit to guide, teach and direct us. He must become greater and we must become less (John 3:31).
Most of us like to be in control. We somehow think we know what is best. But we cannot see the end from the beginning as God does. We have no idea what lies ahead, but God has already been there. God's ways are perfect, just, right and true. His way is always best. We must seek Him in the big decisions and in the little details and then wait for His answer-no matter how long it may take. His answer is always perfect and will always be right on time. If we understand the God we serve is always for our good, always loving, full of compassion and always just, then we can rest in Him and His sovereignty. We can stop striving and cease worrying and know that the One who created the heavens, the earth and everything in it, has it all under control. He loves you with an everlasting love. He is a good Father. He is loving towards all He has made. He will not disappoint you and He will remain faithful forever. "Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord his God, the Maker of heaven and earth, the sea and everything in them-the Lord, who remains faithful forever (Psalm 146:5-6)."
Choose today my friend to submit your will to God. Let the Spirit have His way in you. There is freedom in surrender.
"So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want (Galatians 5:16-17)."
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