Heirs of God

Rom 8:17  And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.

Rom 8:18  For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.

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Truth.

Heirs!  Maybe you don't have any inheritance here and now from parents or any other relatives but you can have the greatest  inheritance that exists.  A heavenly inheritance. Christ received the inheritance upon His death and after three days in the tomb. He was given eternal life, never to die again. We too will receive this same inheritance when our Savior returns and the last trump is sounded.

This is truth!

The Bible is filled with prophecy.

Our history is filled with prophesies fulfilled.

All the Biblical prophecies will be fulfilled, NOTHING can stop them.

We think because a lot of time has passed that the prophecies will not come true.

Did God's people under the Egyptians rule believe this as well?  Most likely some did. They were slaves for over 400 years.  And the Jewish people taken captive at Babylon, they had a 70 year prophecy.  And the prophecy for the Messiah was made many centuries before it came to pass. We tend to think that logic overrules prophecy simply because we don't see it fulfilled. We have so MANY fulfilled prophecies in our past history we'd be FOOLS to believe the future, as yet unfulfilled prophecies, will not come to pass.  We remain fools though because we want the prophecies fulfilled in our time, not God's time.

Those who live as prophecies are being fulfilled tend to not notice what's happening. It isn't until they look back they see. 

The biggest problem with this for those who are living in the last days, is they won't have any time to look back.

When time is over- BEFORE the last trump is sounded, all will be decided.

We have to look in our current history to see what is taking place leading up to the very last prophecies being fulfilled.

We do have an inheritance. We are heirs with Christ. We will SUFFER with Christ. We will suffer under spiritual warfare as never before. And ALL our suffering is nothing compared to the GLORY that WILL be revealed in us.  We do have hope, NOT HERE AND NOW, not for our LIVES here and now, but for the FUTURE, for the inheritance!

We are  heirs with Christ because we are CHILDREN of GOD.

Please Father in heaven we would be your children, we choose to be Your children.  By Your grace and mercy, by Your love, all through Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior!

Amen.

Adopted by God

Rom 8:14  For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.

We are led by the Spirit of God. What does if mean to be Spirit led? It means surrendering self. It means BELIEVING in Jesus more than believing in ourselves. Seriously.  If our hope is only in ourselves and what we know of ourselves, we are truly hopeless. Comprehending our dependency is something we, or should I say, I don't do as I should. I can't speak for other people. In my imagination I believe there are very devout Christ followers, people a million times more devout than I am. I believe there are people who wake up in the morning and immediately go to their knees to surrender their lives to God, recognizing their true dependency upon Him for all things, recognizing that life without God is meaningless. I believe there are people who all day long are constantly reminded of their dependency upon God. I need to be one of these people and by the grace of God I will be.  I am still wretchedly filled with self.  I need to be LED of the Spirit of God, led and KNOW that I am being led. Recognizing my need to be LED rather than leading.

We will be sons of God as we are LED by the SPIRIT of GOD. SONS OF GOD! SONS!

Rom 8:15  For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.

The SPIRIT of ADOPTION!

We need this SPIRIT of ADOPTION! We need to be ADOPTED by GOD!

Too many people believe they are automatically God's.   The fact of the matter is, once we become old enough and that opportunity that comes to all who are capable of comprehension, to choose God we have to make that choice if we desire to be God's. We aren't automatically rolled over into being God's as we transition from the child innocence of salvation into the age of comprehension whatever that may be for each individual.  It comes to all of us. You can be assured that if you've reached adulthood it's happened to you. You've had to make the choice at some point in your life to be God's or not. There are only two choices. If we were all automatically God's we would not need to receive any Spirit of adoption.  Those who are born to the parents that raise them are not in need of adoption. We need to be adopted!

Rom 8:16  The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God

The Spirit with our spirit!

We are children of God.  By the grace of our Lord, we are children of God.

There is a fear of death where there is no real hope of life.

Rom 8:14  For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.

Rom 8:15  For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.

Spirit of bondage.

A spirit that keeps us bound.  That spirit of bondage is a spirit that has no hope. That spirit of bondage has fear.

Heb 2:15  And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.

Fear of death.

The surety of salvation, the surety of life after death was only fully given to us AFTER our Savior became our ultimate Sacrifice upon the cross and was raised from the grave by the Father God.

There is a fear of death where there is no real hope of life.

More tomorrow by the Grace of our LORD.

We kill the flesh nature through the Spirit

Rom 8:10  And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.

Rom 8:11  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.

Rom 8:12  Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh.

Rom 8:13  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.

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With Christ in us our body is dead because we are sinners.  What is alive in us with Christ in us is the SPIRIT, because of Christ's righteousness.

What does it mean to have living dead bodies?  I've spoken about the living dead before but not in this context.  I've talked of them as those who don't know Christ that they are alive but really dead.  Now I'm talking about us who do know Christ and how we are SPIRITUALLY alive, and yet dead to our carnal flesh nature, our body.  We know that we are physically breathing so we aren't dead in that sense. We know that we are sinners and the wages of our sin is death.  Christ DIED in our place. Christ was raised up by the Father God, and the Father God will raise us up as well. We who LIVE with the Spirit in us,  will belong to God and we will be raised up immortal.  

We are in DEBT, but NOT in debt to our flesh nature, we don't have to live after our flesh nature.  THROUGH the Spirit we kill the flesh nature. 

THROUGH the SPIRIT.

PLEASE Father in heaven, please let us THROUGH the Spirit kill the flesh nature in ourselves so we may live in the Spirit and be YOURS, and be raised by YOU in that day when the last trump sounds and our Savior returns.

In the name of our SAVIOR now and forever.

AMEN.

A spiritual mind this is our hope

Rom 8:7  Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.

Rom 8:8  So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.

This is TRUTH.

A mind set upon the flesh and all that entails without any thought for the Spiritual, cannot please God. We have a SPIRITUAL birth, a SPIRITUAL life and those who are strictly carnal minded will NOT be able to comprehend the SPIRITUAL, they simply can't try though they might. Without faith it is impossible to comprehend.  They might try to understand but there will be something missing, something huge missing from their understanding of things spiritual.  They are blind and unable to see, deaf and unable to hear.  Just as one who is physically blind and deaf from birth never to have seen or heard they cannot fully comprehend what it means to hear or see, they simply CANNOT it is an impossibility!  So why do we expect those who have never seen or heard spiritually to comprehend what it means to belong to our Savior, to be His, to have the Holy Spirit in us, guiding us, loving us. They can't. All they can do is pretend they understand and reject what they understand.  All they can do is pretend while living carnally focused.   They will not be subject to the law of God, because they cannot know His love-  THEY DON'T WANT TO! 

If WE turn back away from the spiritual life  we have had our hearts open to, is it any wonder it would be worse than never having a spiritual life? If we turn to the flesh and forsake the spirit we are of the flesh and cannot please God.

We choose. It all comes down to choosing.

Rom 8:9  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.

Spirit of God dwelling in us.  This is our HOPE. 

Our hearts in heaven

Rom 8:6  For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.

Carnally minded.  Are our minds fixated upon earth? Seriously. Did you think of heaven at all today, even once? Many people have placed God and Jesus upon earth and keep them there. Yes, even God. They put Him in churches, they speak to Him as if He lives right there in their homes and He travels along with them. We are TAUGHT to believe this and I'm not saying that Christ isn't in us, we know this is true.

Col_1:27  ...which is Christ in you, the hope of glory

What I'm saying is this--

Joh_14:3  And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.

Mar_16:19  So then after the Lord had spoken unto them, he was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God.

Christ is in us through the Holy Spirit's representation.

Joh_14:16  And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever

Joh_14:26  But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.

Joh_15:26  But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me

Joh_16:7  Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you.

Our Savior is in Heaven sitting on the right hand of God the Father so WHY do we bring them down to earth? Why do we not turn our thoughts upon HEAVEN. Jesus taught us to pray and the first line of that prayer is - 'Our Father which art in heaven' … where should our mind be? HEAVENWARD.

Where are our treasures? They should be in heaven shouldn't they?

Mat_6:20  But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal

Rom 8:6  For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.

Is it any wonder that to be carnally minded is death, and spiritually minded is life and peace?

If we have our minds focused on the carnal things, things of the flesh, things of this earth, then we are among the living dead. To be spiritually minded is to mind things of the Spirit- HEAVENLY things!

We must pray to our Father in HEAVEN.

We must lay our treasures in HEAVEN.

We must realize our Savior is at the right hand of His Father, our Father.

We must be SPIRITUALLY minded.

To be spiritual minded is life!

By the grace of God may we be SPIRITUALLY minded!

Amen.

How do we mind things of the Spirit?

Rom 8:1  There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

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

Rom 8:3  For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh:

Rom 8:4  That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

Rom 8:5  For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit.

Minding things of the flesh.

How do we mind things of the flesh?

We place our treasures on earth, that's one way. We do not seek repentance and forgiveness. We do not pick up our cross daily. We do not war against the flesh. We do not mortify the deeds of the body. We do not go and sin no more. We do not love our fellow man. We do not love God. We are selfish.

How do we mind things of the spirit?

We believe in our Savior. We have faith. We seek forgiveness and repentance. We war against the flesh that would rule us and by warring we seek the power of GOD, not any power we have of our own that leads to self exaltation. We go and sin no more. We love our fellow man, we love God. We are self-less.

So while we are consumed with our flesh -with our MINDS we MUST SERVE GOD. The understanding that we MUST choose the spiritual over the flesh is surrendering to God with our mind, not succumbing to the despair of the flesh. Not letting the flesh destroy our spirit all through CHRIST JESUS OUR LORD!

Amen.