[Ascend] - Day 8
“Live by the Spirit”
Read
Romans 8:1-13
1 Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, 2 because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death. 3 For what the law was powerless to do because it was weakened by the flesh, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in the flesh, 4 in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.
5 Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. 6 The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace. 7 The mind governed by the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. 8 Those who are in the realm of the flesh cannot please God.
9 You, however, are not in the realm of the flesh but are in the realm of the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ. 10 But if Christ is in you, then even though your body is subject to death because of sin, the Spirit gives life because of righteousness. 11 And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you.
12 Therefore, brothers and sisters, we have an obligation—but it is not to the flesh, to live according to it. 13 For if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live.
Reflection
Going deeper means living by the Spirit. To live according to the Spirit, means to first know who we are in Jesus Christ. When we repent and turn to Jesus, we become eternally saved but not mortally sinless. By faith, our eternal destiny is secured for heaven but sin and temptations unfortunately are still an ever present reality on earth. Even in our best days, sin is knocking at the door, and in our less than best days, we leave the door open for temptation to crouch in. The good news is that despite our failures and even our constant failures, there is no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus. Our sins and failures do not define us. We are who HE says we are. To live by the Spirit is first knowing that His grace is sufficient for us. We are not bound by the letter of the law but rather Christ sets us free by His righteousness.
Prayer
Are there any areas where you are controlled by flesh, rather than the Spirit? Ask the Lord to remove any sense of guilt and condemnation and allow the Holy Spirit to do a deep cleaning of your heart of sins and temptations.
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