By the power of the Spirit we put to death the misdeeds of the body. The Spirit sets us free from the misdeeds we cannot get rid of on our own. This is a lifelong process we entered into, in partnership with the Spirit, when we first believed.
Romans 8
2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death. 3 For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do: by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and to deal with sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, 4 so that the just requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. 5 For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. 6 To set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. 7 For this reason the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God's law--indeed it cannot, 8 and those who are in the flesh cannot please God.
People pray to take away temptations and sins of the flesh. Sometimes we want a magical instant cure. We would like to stop over-eating or lying or worrying or nagging…in one session. God has another plan in mind: he will send his Spirit to be our personal trainer. That means that he will watch us and make corrections and show us better ways to perform our life tasks. But not in one session. He will walk with us for the rest of our lives. He will be our cheerleader when we conquer one obstacle and lift us up when we fall down. We will walk in the power of the Spirit, not in our own power. And God will be really pleased by that!
Remember to bring a can of soup and a dollar for “Souper Sunday” this Sunday.
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