WHATEVER CONTROLS US DETERMINES OUR DESTINY

BIBLE PASSAGE:
You, however, are not in the realm of the flesh but are in the realm 
of the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone 
does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ. 
(Romans 8:9) 

MEDITATION:
Paul had a unique ability of distinguishing the Christians from the non-Christians.
In Romans, He tells us that Christians 
do not live a life controlled by the desires of the flesh.
Why? Because the control of the flesh has been replaced 
by the Spirit of God for those who belong to Him.

Then he gives us some bone chilling information – if anyone 
does not have the Spirit of Christ, then they DO NOT belong to Christ.
It is a wakeup call to all who claim to be Christians, 
but have not embraced and yielded to the Spirit of the Lord.

He, like the Lord and all other believers, wants those who ‘think’ they have 
been saved, to realize there are indicators which confirm their salvation.
If anyone claims to be a Christian 
but is still pursuing the desires of the flesh,
then the Spirit of Christ is not in them, 
which means they are not Christians.

It seems that Paul was fearful that there were some who claimed to be 
Christians, but knew in their hearts they had not surrendered to God’s Spirit.
They were just dancing through life under the control of the flesh 
and were doomed to the consequences of all who reject God’s Spirit.

In addition, he must have felt that the more they were controlled by the flesh,
the farther they would distance themselves from the Spirit, and this would 
diminish the possibility of them ever allowing the Spirit to live within them. 
Paul was trying to warn them before they drifted too far away from the Lord.
He wanted to call their attention to how they were deceiving themselves 
into believing something that just wasn’t true.

However, for those who have chosen to live under the control of God’s Spirit,
Paul gives us some good news: we are no longer a member of the ‘walking dead’ 
who are missing out on enjoying life as it should be, while waiting to die. 
But if Christ is in you, then even though your body is subject to death 
because of sin, the Spirit gives life because of righteousness. (Romans 8:10)

The righteousness provided by the Spirit allows us to enjoy a fulfilling life.
Under the control of the Spirit, not only do we live an enriched life,
but we also have a positive impact on those around us.

As a result of sin in the world, we are destined to die physically,
but for those who have the Spirit living within them, God promises 
that when we die, we will be raised again to a new life with Him.
And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, 
he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies 
because of his Spirit who lives in you. (Romans 8:11)

ACTION:
Which is in control of your life – the Spirit or the flesh?
Satan wants us to believe that when we swap the desires of the flesh 
for God’s Spirit, we forfeit the enjoyment of living and begin a life of boredom.
Nothing could be farther from the truth, but he has convinced many 
that enjoying life means being controlled by the desires of the flesh.
The scriptures clearly tell us that being controlled by the flesh results in death, 
but being controlled by the Spirit means life.

Pray,
“Heavenly Father, thank You for Your promises for those who 
choose to be controlled by Your Spirit. Forgive me if I am still 
being controlled by fleshly desires and help me to welcome the 
control of Your Spirit in my life. I look forward to an enriched 
life provided by the Spirit and the promise of an eternity with You.”

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