18 March 2013

God's Spirit Will Help You Overcome Sin


Romans 8:9-14 (NLT)
9But 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 are not Christians at all.) 10Since Christ lives within you, even though your body will die because of sin, your spirit is alive because you have been made right with God. 11The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you. And just as he raised Christ from the dead, he will give life to your mortal body by this same Spirit living within you.

12So, dear brothers and sisters, you have no obligation whatsoever to do what your sinful nature urges you to do. 13For if you keep on following it, you will perish. But if through the power of the Holy Spirit you turn from it and its evil deeds, you will live. 14For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God.

This powerful passageof scripture contains some critical truths we need to know about letting the Holy Spirit lead our lives. Remember, once you became a Christian, God gave you his Holy Spirit to help you live out your faith, guide your steps, empower your witness and as this passage attests, overcome sin. Look at four key points the apostle Paule make here:

You Are Controlled By a New Nature
Your old, sinful nature will still try to get a hand on the steering wheel. But now your new nature is in the driver's seat, and your old nature has become like an annoying backseat driver. You can either give in to your old nature's nagging and bad directions or you can ignore it and let the Holy Spirit direct your path.

Even Though You Will Face Physical Death, You Will Not Face Spiritual Death
As a believer, physical death is simply a transition to eternal life in heaven. You have been spared from spiritual death, which leads to everlasting toment and hell (see Revelation 21:8) This important fact should reassure you whn the devil tries to throw doubts your way.

The Same Spirit of God that raised Jesus from the Dead Resides in You
Did you catch that? The Holy Spirit, who had the power to raise Jesus from the dead, now lives in you! If that is indeed true - and God's Word says it is - just think of the supernatural power you now have in your life to resist sin!

We Do Not Have to Give In to Our Sinful Nature and Urges
Paul wasn't talking about New Year's resolution here. If we try to live a morally upright, godly life in our own strength, we will fail - and fail miserably. But, if we rely on the power of the Holy Spirit to help us, we will be overcomers.

New Believer's Bible
Ps Greg Laurie

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