The Power of God
Romans 8:9-11 (NLT)
“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 remember that those who do not have the Spirit of Christ living in them do not belong to him at all.)
. . . Christ lives within you . . . . . The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you. And just as God raised Christ Jesus from the dead, he will give life to your mortal bodies” Romans 8:9-11 (NLT)
Pastor’s Blog
I suspect that for most Christians the idea that we are controlled by the Holy Spirit is surprising. Such a statement leads many to conclude that maybe the Holy Spirit doesn’t dwell in them after all (“I feel controlled by sin, not the Spirit”) Yet that conclusion isn’t biblical. How can we understand this?
Remember the “river”, the flow of the Holy Spirit. I think it is biblically accurate to say that our most important job in life is to surrender to the flow of God’s powerful and life giving Holy Spirit.
This means first that the Holy Spirit, the river, is always flowing in and through us if we have given our life to Christ. This is another way of saying that the Christ lives in us. Christ in us means that the same power that raised Jesus from the dead is at working, flowing, leading, helping us at all times.
Why then do I sin so much? If the Spirit is really controlling me why do I feel more controlled by a bad attitude, bad thought life (whatever your signature sin may be), and all the rest?
Think of it this way. God’s Spirit is at work, but the flow can get plugged up. Think of my particular sins as that which clogs the flow. The “river” is still at work, but it’s just a weak trickle rather than a powerful gush. What’s my job? Perhaps it is not so much about fighting against my sinful nature as it is to unplug the flow. Maybe it’s more about doing the new kinds of things that the Spirit nudges me to do. Maybe when I focus on the promptings and nudgings, obeying them acts like a dam release. The increased volume becomes much more powerful than the sins that block the flow. So powerful in fact that the flow, not me, does the job of wearing down the blockages.
Jeff, this is a revelation to me! Thank you.
ReplyDeleteIt makes sense. I have always been somewhat hung up on the order of things concerning the sinful nature:
God says, "stop sinning" but we are powerless to do so on our own accord, so why does He tell US to do it if its Himself that has to do it?
Throw in there a good dose of perfectionism, guilt and frustration, and no wonder there's a blockage!
Oh, I pray for a greater trust in the Holy Spirit's leading through ALL aspects of my life, not just the ones I comfortable with.
Thank you, Jesus.