Faithbase

Hey, folks, we are talking about keeping in step with the Spirit, and Romans 8 is so rich and bears a lot of similarities to Galatians 5. Romans 8, 1, so there's no condemnation for those who belong in Christ Jesus. And because you belong to Him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death. And the law of Moses was unable to save us, right? It's over here. So God did what the law couldn't do, right? He has sent His Son to do for you what you need to follow the Spirit, verse 4. So verse 6, you can let your sinful nature control your mind, that leads to death, but letting the Spirit control your mind leads to life and peace. Now, remember, Paul says in Galatians that these two are constantly fighting each other, and we need to let the Spirit lead us. Now he says in verse 9, 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 if you have concerns about that, read verses 15 and 16, okay? But he's trying to redefine our identity in Christ. You are not controlled by the sinful nature, you are controlled by the Spirit. And he says this in verse 12 and verse 13, this is where I want to land for today, okay? He says in verse 12, you have no obligation to do what your sinful nature urges you to do. I know sometimes it doesn't always feel that way. It feels like it pulls on us, and he addresses this a lot in Romans chapter 7. But he says, you have no obligation. This is not something that you have to do. He says, if you live by its dictates, you will die. But if, through the power of the Spirit, you put to death the deeds of your sinful nature, you will live. And this is where keeping in step really comes into play. He says, through the power of the Spirit, you have the ability to put to death the deeds of the sinful nature. Paul says this very similarly in Galatians 5. Okay? Jesus gave you the ability to receive the Holy Spirit, and by this power, you have the ability to do this. You have a part to play. Is there something in your life that needs to be put to death? Part of this sinful nature that maybe we let have control over us, or we choose to follow? Jesus is always asking us to take responsibility here in this part of our lives. We're going to take this to prayer, friends. I want you to really wrestle with this. If there's something in your life, I want you to open up your hands and just submit it to the Lord, and say, Lord, I want the Holy Spirit to lead me in putting this to death. Guide me. We're going to talk more about this tomorrow, but just offer this to the Lord. God bless you, friends. May His Spirit speak to you and guide you in all things. Peace.