Sin will take you further than you want to go.
Keep you longer then you want to stay.
And cost you more than you want to pay.
author unknown
Romans 8:7
“because the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so,”
Hostile toward God.
They don't subject themselves to the law of God.
And they are not able to subject themselves to the law of God.
They can't please God.
If we return to sin, we think it may be for a short time or just this once. But that is a lie from the enemy. Sin has tentacles that will grab a hold of you and won't let go. We can get free in Jesus, but why go through this battle when we can have joy and peace and freedom in Christ? Also sin will keep us from being able to believe God. Why? Because our conscience will be condemning us. We renew our conscience as we meditate on the Bible. Christ was raised from the dead, through the glory of the Father, so we can have this newness of life. Romans 6:4. When we enter into an act of sin we are becoming a slave to what we decide to do. Romans 6:16
Many want to let you know that you can't be free from sin. Our life is a process and we can cut sin out more and more. Temptation is always there. It could be that we cut sin in half from where we used to be. But there is always something there to reject and repent of. Instead of saying, “I am a sinner,” say instead, “Jesus is my advocate and He will bring me to the Father and His throne of grace. Focus on the solution and not the problem. The more we focus on Jesus, the solution, the closer we get to Him. We can become free from sin, as we set our purpose to love Jesus and others, with our words and actions. We move to and become what we think and speak about. Don't confess the problem, confess the solution. Remember that in 1 John 1:8 and 1 John 1:10 it says, 'if we say that we have no sin we are a liar.' If we say we are a sinner we are focusing on ourselves. If people say they are without sin they are focusing on themselves. We don't go through the spiritual battle looking at ourselves. We go through life looking at Jesus. Hebrews 12:2
Romans 7 Paul refereed to himself more than fifty times. The answer is Jesus not striving against sin.
The first state of having a mind set on the flesh is being hostile toward God.
Hostile: here are some synonyms: belligerent, at loggerheads, bitter, dirty, opponent, opposing, unfriendly, aggressive, hateful, offensive, violent, irreconcilable.
Why are there so many? Because mankind expresses himself with anger, hostility etc often and it is a common trait. God puts on man, requirements that are contrary to our desires. Or so we think. In reality, as we serve God, we rise to our greatest potential. We are able come to a place of peace with God and man.
A mind set on the flesh by a person that has become a new creation in Christ, is a sad thing. But we have all been there. God still loves us even when we remain with our mind set on the flesh. By His Spirit, God draws us back to living in the blessing we can have in Christ.
When we put aside the desires of the flesh and follow Christ and His way of loving others, we free the Holy Spirit within us. We are free to remember who we are, in Christ, and our true desires will rise within. We can fulfill the desires of our heart by our walk with God and following His leading.
The second state of having a mind set on the flesh is not being able to be subject to the law of God.
What does it mean to subject yourself to the law of God?
It is to live according to the principles of God's law. What is God's law? It is to love God and others. John 13:34-35 It is to obey God's directions. John 15:10 We can't keep God's law, by making a law to keep it. Colossians 2:20-23 Instead we are subject to God's law by turning to Jesus and living for Him, worshiping Him and being thankful for all He has done for us. Then with this love we turn to others and help them.
Jesus brings the Old Testament law into focus by saying all the law and the prophets are fulfilled in loving God and loving people. Matthew 22:37-40; Galatians 5:14. The law of God is a law of living for the purpose of God's kingdom being advanced. Living in God's kingdom is accomplished by loving others by God's Spirit. Living for the purpose of obeying our master. Living for the purpose of loving others into God's kingdom. When we neglect in obeying what God has asked us to do, we fail to please God. That does not mean God is mad at us, or does not love us. God still loves us but we are missing out on the benefits of living in the Spirit. It is our decision to set our mind, not God's. It is our decision to walk with God, He won't force us to walk with Him. If we walk with a mind set on the flesh we reap the consequences of these actions. Judgment has already been set. "He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.” John 3:18 This relates to the law of sin and of death of Romans 8:2 There are forces and laws, that respond to our actions. We reap what we sow, either good or bad. But with Jesus, we can soar above the law of sin and of death by living in the Spirit and the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus will set us free.
The third way a person is known of not setting their mind on the Spirit is Not able to do it follow God. It is not just a decision to not follow God. A mind set on the flesh is not able to serve God.
Paul said that he did not rely on himself but Christ. 2 Corinthians 3:5 We live for Christ, through Christ and in Christ. Without Christ we are not adequate to get anything done in the Spirit. We can do things from a natural standpoint, but not from a spiritual standpoint unless we put our minds on the things of the Spirit and live for Christ. How do we move from living in the flesh, to living in the Spirit? By acting on what we believe, with confidence God is with us and will provide for us.
The verse I look to on the the subject of relying on ourselves or God is 2 Corinthians 3:5 “Not that we are adequate in ourselves to consider anything as coming from ourselves, but our adequacy is from God.” Look to God to help you in your life endeavors.
Here is what it looks like to depend on God. The opposite of hostile is, to be friendly, agreeable and live with a good will. Rely on His promises that speak to your heart. Quote them often and especially if fear or worry come. Think on God's promises and pray over them to renew your mind to God's ways. Then act on what you believe.
Return to Index.
Go to the next verse.
No comments:
Post a Comment