The Spirit's Control

So dear brothers and sisters, you have no obligation whatsoever to do what your sinful nature urges you to do.  For 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.  For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God.

Romans 8:12-14

Romans 7:14-25 is a picture of our lives before we knew Christ.  It is the battle that occurred daily when we didn't understand the mercy and grace that became ours the day we believed in Jesus Christ and invited the Holy Spirit to dwell in our hearts.  We've all been there, knowing what was wrong but doing it anyway or knowing what we should be doing and doing the opposite.  In fact, I still encounter this fight often in my life but I was reminded that because the Holy Spirit lives in me this doesn't have to be my struggle anymore.  As I continued reading Romans 8:1-14, God showed me what my life should look like when I trust in His son, Jesus Christ, and the power of the Holy Spirit.

When we let our lives be controlled by the Spirit we can be free from this struggle between right and wrong.  We will have the power within us to always do what is right if we allow the Spirit of God to work in us and make our decisions for us.  The key is inviting the the Holy Spirit into our lives.  We won't have this power if we continue living for ourselves and making decisions based on our wants and desires.  Before believing in Jesus Christ this sinful nature controlled us so we have to choose Jesus as our Lord and Savior, allow God to transform us until we have the same desires as Him, and then allow the Spirit to give us the power to continue living that way.

If your sinful nature controls your mind, there is death.  But if the Holy Spirit controls your mind, there is life and peace.

Romans 8:6

Satan is always working on us and trying to find a way into our lives to destroy us.  My friends, we cannot fight off these temptations on our own.  We need the Spirit's guiding and power to stand up against satan and all his lies.  If you are struggling with sin in your life, or you know someone who is, please seek the help of the Holy Spirit to set you free.  Because we were born of the sinful nature we default back to sin without trusting our life to God and the power of the Holy Spirit.  You cannot fight satan alone.  You must decide today to let the Spirit control you.  (Romans 8:5)