How you doin? So I'm 43 years old today. Stacey left for work around 5:30am and I work today as well. We celebrated my b-day on Mon. As I was laying in bed praying this morning I heard Romans 8. I tried to convince God that He want me to read 2 Corinthians 3, but He wouldn't see it my way. So now I'm sitting here totally wrecked because of Romans 8. 39 verses of complete AWESOMENESS!!!!!!! As you may notice, one of my favorite subject matters is the new covenant. Understanding and living under the new covenant makes it possible for me/us to receive the fullness of "Christ in us, the hope of glory". It allows me/us to step into are identity and destiny in Christ. It allows me/us to be transformed into His likeness and His image. WOW WOW WOW!!!!!!! I would love to just copy and paste the entire chapter, but I won't.
Verses 1-4, "Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life [a]in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death. 3 For what the Law could not do, [b]weak as it was through the flesh, God did: sending His own Son in the likeness of [c]sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh, 4 so that the requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit." So this is what gets me the most. I've been taught most of my live that I'm a "sinner saved by grace" and that there are a list of do's and don'ts that I need to perform in order to stay on God's good side. That list is of do's and don'ts is the old covenant or the law. The law of sin and of death. The Spirit of God that dwells in us is the Spirit of life. It doesn't seem like it should be a hard choice to make here. Life or death. Let's move on. There's too many gems in this chapter.
Verse 9-11, "However, you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him. 10 If Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, yet the spirit is [d]alive because of righteousness. 11 But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies [e]through His Spirit who dwells in you." I hope you just gave God a shout of praise. The same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead dwells in us who believe in Him. "Believe" is the key word. Yielding myself to the Spirit of truth is the only way I can push through the false or old covenant teaching I've received for so many years. Unbelief is a problem. Admitting I had a problem with drugs and alcohol freed me from it. The same is true for unbelief. I belief that the same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead lives in me. COME ON!!!!!!!
Here's the best part. Verses 12-16, "So then, brethren, we are under obligation, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh— 13 for if you are living according to the flesh, you [f]must die; but if by the Spirit you are putting to death the deeds of the body, you will live.14 For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. 15 For you have not received a spirit of slavery [g]leading to fear again, but you have received [h]a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, “Abba! Father!” 16 The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God, 17 and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him." HOLY MAC A LOLY!!!!!!! Verses 15-17 just blow me out of the water. These promises are overwhelming. These verses are truth which makes them promises. We still have a role in all of this. "We are under obligation, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh-". We have a choice to live according to the flesh or according to the Spirit. When thinking about it, it doesn't seem like a hard choice. For some reason I find myself choosing poorly. These verses have everything to do with our identity in Christ. If I'm aware of who I am in Christ then the choice is easy. If I'm dealing with identity theft then it gets hard again. Almost there.
Verses 37-39, "But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. 38 For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." The love of God is in Jesus and Jesus is in us through the Holy Ghost. COME ON!!!!!!! Now obviously there is a lot more in this chapter that I'm skipping over in the interest of time. Please read the entire chapter on your own. Before you do, ask the Holy Ghost to open your mind and heart to what He has to say to you. Rebuke the spirit of slavery and receive the Spirit of adoption today.
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