“Power in the Spirit”

Romans 8:6-7
If your sinful nature controls your mind, there is death.
But if the Holy Spirit controls your mind, there is life and peace.
For the sinful nature is always hostile to God.
It never did obey God’s laws, and it never will. (NLT)

The only way that anyone, who walks on the face of this earth and breathes its air, can refrain from following their sinful nature is through the awesome Power of God’s Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:16). For the uncanny evil nature to sin (that is a part of who we are) has the power to lead us away from the only One who is able to save us from certain death and punishment that all unrepentant sinners deserve and receive. It is understandable and undeniable that we had no choice in the matter of our birth and the sin nature attached to our lives, but from the moment we begin to think for ourselves—reasoning with life experiences—we are faced with many choices and critical decisions to make. The Lord God not only created into every living person the sense of right and wrong, but He has also given us the freedom to make those choices (good or bad) that will determine how well we live this life and will ultimately lead us to our eternal destiny. It matters not what family we are born into, or how good we consider ourselves to be; we are all borne to sin (Ephesians 2:3), and will die a sinner’s death without the Lord’s intervention and power. The human flesh is weak and is easily persuaded to follow the sinful nature that seeks self-gratifying pleasures even though we know the consequences can be deadly. The curse that sin holds over the entire creation is indeed, a mighty invisible force to be reckoned with—one that is much too powerful for any human being to stand against on their own without the sovereign power of our Creator, the Author of Life, Christ Jesus. We should never take for granted the love that the Lord our God has for us sinners (a love we will never comprehend this side of heaven), for He has so graciously offered everyone His Holy and all powerful Spirit, which takes up residence in our hearts when we make that life-changing decision to give God control over our lives and ask Him to help us successfully fight the sin that holds us captive. When we truly belong to God our lives are no longer our own. For the Lord paid the ultimate price for all our rebellion and sin. We all owe Him dearly, my friends, we owe Him our very lives—lives that were too precious for Him to lose!

A Whisper of Hope

You are Mine, dear child…and I love you with a love that you cannot understand. I gave you My life and I ask that you give Me yours. It is not an easy thing to accomplish, but with the power of the Holy Spirit I give you upon your asking, you will overcome this world that hates Me. This is My Promise. This is My Word to you!

Galatians 5:16-18
So I advise you to live according to your new life in the Holy Spirit. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves. The old sinful nature loves to do evil, which is just opposite from what the Holy Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are opposite from what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, and your choices are never free from this conflict. (NLT)

Ephesians 2:3
We were born with an evil nature. (NLT)

For His Holy Spirit speaks to us deep in our hearts
and tells us that we are God’s children. (Romans 8:16)