SATURDAY August 1, 2020

The Spirit of Life

For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death.
Romans 8:2

The Apostle Paul spoke of the believer’s new identity in Christ. Christians need to understand sanctification and justification to recognize God’s grace working in their lives. Once a person is saved, the evidence of that conversion is the work of the Holy Spirit in their life––there will be a definite change. A person cannot be a Christian one week and not the next week! Once they have heard the Word of God and are truly born again (John 3), they will never be the same.

Understand, the Holy Spirit is with a person; He comes alongside to convict them of sin: And when He [the Holy Spirit] has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: of sin, because they do not believe in Me… (John 16:8-9). As they repent of their sins and accept Christ as their Savior, the Holy Spirit dwells within them: …indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you (Romans 8:9). Then the Holy Spirit will also come upon a person to empower them for service:

“But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth” (Acts 1:8).

An empowered believer becomes bold in their faith and witness for Christ––not fearful. They will be able to stand upon the strength and power of the Cross of Jesus Christ with the confidence to say, “The devil cannot do anything to me except by permission––I am a child of the light.”

Christians are now controlled by the Holy Spirit as they walk with God. As your life has been renewed by God (Colossians 3:10), you should be jumping up and down with joy; you are no longer condemned, but can be excited to be used by God to do His work!

We believe, that the work of regeneration, conversion, sanctification and faith, is not an act of man’s free will and power, but of the mighty, efficacious and irresistible grace of God.
~C.H. Spurgeon~

For more from Raul Ries, please visit SomebodyLovesYou.com!