Those who obey God’s commandments remain in fellowship with him, and he with them. And we know he lives in us because the Spirit he gave us lives in us.” 1 John 3:24 NLT
If we are, indeed, the children of God, we will have the Holy Spirit living inside us. The Holy Spirit is the person and presence of God that indwells those who have received Jesus as their Savior and Lord. He will teach us and help us walk in obedience. He will give us discernment concerning right and wrong and unction us in the will of God. The Holy Spirit is God in us. The blood of Jesus makes us pure in spirit and makes us qualified vessels for the presence of God in our very body (See I Peter 1:18-19). "Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body.” 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 NLT Now that God dwells within us, we have a spiritual conscience that is awakened and active. He is the law of God alive within us and written upon our heart. This enables us to walk in obedience. When we listen to His prompting we can live a life that pleases God. This doesn't mean that we are working our way to heaven. No, we can't do that. Our reservation is made by our acceptance of Jesus Christ as our Lord! Only the blood of Jesus can save us!!! In His great mercy God has deposited His Spirit within us as a guarantee of our being His purchased possession. “The Spirit is God’s guarantee that he will give us the inheritance he promised and that he has purchased us to be his own people. He did this so we would praise and glorify him.” Ephesians 1:14 NLT Our mortal, carnal flesh is our enemy. The Holy Spirit is the over comer. When we submit to His call and conviction, He moves us from condemnation to sanctification. “So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. And because you belong to him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death. The law of Moses was unable to save us because of the weakness of our sinful nature. So God did what the law could not do. He sent his own Son in a body like the bodies we sinners have. And in that body God declared an end to sin’s control over us by giving his Son as a sacrifice for our sins. He did this so that the just requirement of the law would be fully satisfied for us, who no longer follow our sinful nature but instead follow the Spirit. Those who are dominated by the sinful nature think about sinful things, but those who are controlled by the Holy Spirit think about things that please the Spirit. So letting your sinful nature control your mind leads to death. But letting the Spirit control your mind leads to life and peace. For the sinful nature is always hostile to God. It never did obey God’s laws, and it never will. That’s why those who are still under the control of their sinful nature can never please God. But you are not controlled by your sinful nature. You are controlled by the Spirit if you have the Spirit of God living in you. (And remember that those who do not have the Spirit of Christ living in them do not belong to him at all.) And Christ lives within you, so even though your body will die because of sin, the Spirit gives you life because you have been made right with God. The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you. And just as God raised Christ Jesus from the dead, he will give life to your mortal bodies by this same Spirit living within you. Therefore, dear brothers and sisters, you have no obligation to do what your sinful nature urges you to do. For if you live by its dictates, you will die. But if through the power of the Spirit you put to death the deeds of your sinful nature, you will live. For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God. So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God’s Spirit when he adopted you as his own children. Now we call him, “Abba, Father.” For his Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God’s children.” Romans 8:1-16 NLT Are you living in the Spirit and walking in obedience to God?
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Author
![]() Rev. Curtis Norris Archives
March 2020
|