Reading from the Book of Romans 8:6-14
Romans 8:6-8
For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. 7Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. 8 So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.
Each person is born with a sinful nature and our sinful nature is hostile toward God’s
authority. Because we have the power of choice, each child has a throne within his
heart and shortly after birth, a contest for this throne begins. Jesus,
our Creator, wants to sit on our throne and because of our vanity and
self-seeking sinful nature, we want to sit on our throne. Our sinful nature is an ego-centric, selfish, and self-centered king.
Romans 8:9-13
But
ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of
God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is
none of his. 10 And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness 11 But
if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you,
he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal
bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you. 12 Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh 13 For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.
To understand the
differences between following our fleshly desires and allowing God's
Spirit to lead us, any time our flesh wants us to do something else, by
choosing to follow the Spirit of God we need to know that our flesh will suffer. The Bible says that if we want to share Christ's glory, we have
to be willing to share His suffering.
Romans 8:14
For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.
Once our fleshly appetite is no longer in control, we will get to the point where it is easier to obey God. Even if obedience is difficult, we will get to the place where we actually enjoy doing the right thing. And thus, know, that we are His children.