“But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh. For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the Law.”
(Galatians 5:16-18)
Have you taken the BIG STEP yet? Have you surrendered to the Lord your life and all that you consider important? If the answer is yes, you are on your way to a Spirit-filled life. If your submission to the Lord’s authority occurred in the distant past, then take time now to recommit yourself to living a life of total dependence on Him.
Once we have submitted, our biggest obstacle is sin. No surprise there. So how do we remain under the Spirit’s control? It is important to realize our relationship to sin has changed and it no longer has mastery over us. This is fact, regardless of times we have not experienced victory.
The Scriptures command us to regard ourselves as dead to sin. (Romans 6:11) Christians who are Spirit-controlled will see themselves as God does?rescued from sin’s enslaving force and under God’s protective power. We will believe that in Christ, we can resist temptation and refuse to give in to it. As we embrace the Spirit’s authority over us, we will become free of our bad habits and ungodly ways. It may take a while, but if we persevere in remaining yielded to Him, we can win that battle.
Through Christ, we have been given the freedom to choose godliness. The Holy Spirit desires to produce the fruit of self-control in us?He will provide the divine power we need to exercise restraint. When we do, God is pleased.
When was the last time you said no to sin? Thank God for His Spirit, who enabled you to do so.
About the Author
This article was written by Charles Stanley. You can read more about this author by clicking this link:
http://www.talk.thelife.com/charles-stanley/
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