We Live By The Spirit

"So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature" (Galatians 5:16)

We inherited a sinful nature. Before that dreadful day that Adam and Eve ate from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, they lived a life under the watchful, loving hand of God. All their needs were provided for. God had made them "in his image" to rule over the earth under God's authority. Adam was to do nothing without God. God would do his work in the world through His children.

After many years of man trying to "do it on his own" in his inherited sinful nature, God , in his mercy, sent His Son to earth so that man could be "reconciled" to God. Jesus death on the cross was payment for our sins. God placed all of His judgment on Him for our freedom. Freedom from what?

Freedom from the sinful nature. How does that happen? By accepting the "sacrifice" and placing our trust in God. By allowing him His authority over us as originally intended. Not only did God himself pay the price for our sins, He also put his very being inside of us. The Holy Spirit would live in every believer to guide and direct them that they would be transformed and conformed into the perfect image of God.

"…your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own. You were bought with a price." (1 Cor 6:19)

We are not our own - we are God's. He is our authority and if we want victory in this life, we must trust , abide in and submit to God. The Holy Spirit lives in our spirit. God's revelation comes from the Holy Spirit into our spirits.

What this means is that we must "live by the Spirit". Romans 8:8 tells us that "those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God." But Praise God! Paul continues and tells us "You however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you."

Romans 8:10-11 tells us that if Christ is in us, (if you're a Christian, He is), our Spirit is alive because of righteousness. 1 Cor 2:12 tells us that "We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us." The Holy Spirit is the motivator, energizer and operator of every revealed plan or vision from God. He wants to reveal our God-nature and cause us to live in a higher level than we now live. He is the only power to live the Christian life.

"But the helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you." (John 14:26)

As Christians, we now serve in the new way - the way of the Spirit. We are to "set our minds on what the Spirit desires." (Rom 8:5) "... the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace…. (8:6)

I will be writing a lot in this blog about the Holy Spirit. (I already have some notes on my FB page) Through Christ Jesus, the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death. My body is dead because of sin and my spirit is alive because of righteousness. I believe with my whole heart and soul that a Christian cannot live a victorious, fruitful life without submission to God's Spirit. I desire that all Christians know that "The Spirit of him who raised Jesus Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies, through His Spirit."