Pray for us, Lord.

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

2Co 4:18  ... for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.

The carnally minded are only concerned with the HERE and NOW, with all the things that will pass away, with all the things they cannot take with them in death. 

The spiritually minded are concerned with the things which are NOT seen here and now, with the things that are eternal, with thing they will take with them in death and wake with when Christ returns for them.

To be carnally minded is to embrace eternal death.
To be spiritually minded is to embrace eternal life and peace in Christ Jesus.

How many people are embrace eternal death every single day as their focus forever seems to remain upon this that are seen, things that are only temporary?

We do know this…

Rev 20:7  And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison,
Rev 20:8  And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea.

The number of wicked, the number of carnally minded will be with Satan at the very end and their number is…

AS THE SAND OF THE SEA.

And we also know this…

Mat_7:14  Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.

FEW THERE BE THAT FIND IT.

We do have HOPE that we will NOT be numbered among those who will be as the sand of the sea, and that HOPE is found solely in our SAVIOR, our SAVIOR who came to show us, to teach us to live our lives SPIRITUALLY in HIM, through HIM, by HIM.

Don't you see how important it is to live SPIRITUALLY?  It's so much more important than our living physically, and I know even as I write that how incredibly strange it must sound, but it's truth!

What do we gain by being alive if we are not spiritual?  And if we are spiritual we know that the physical world we live in right now is only temporal and not eternal.

You can have your physical life but you will take that physical life to that great day when Satan gathers all those that are his to fight against God, who has already won.  That great day will end in fire and all the wicked will be burned to extinction. The carnal, the physical life they've cherished will mean absolutely nothing because it will not exist any more.

Where should our focus be?

On things ETERNAL.

God will take care of the rest.

Easy to say, right? But truthfully when we obsess about the 'rest of things' the things not eternal does that obsession do any good? It gets us all caught up in the cares of this life and takes our minds off where?  Eternal things. 

The worst of the worst can happen to us physically in this world, the absolute worst and it can't keep us from things ETERNAL unless all that horrible, awful, terrible worst of the worst stuff takes our minds off things eternal- off our SAVIOR and all HIS PROMISES that are focused on the eternal.

Please LORD help us keep our minds focused on things ETERNAL, not on things that are temporal! Please LORD.

Please!

Satan would have us, Lord! SAVE US!

Please Lord, Pray for US!

Luk 22:32  But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren.

Pray that our FAITH- our looking for things unseen- will NOT FAIL.  Help us LORD to strengthen those around us as YOU convert us to do so!

Please LORD, bless us!

PLEASE LORD, have mercy on us, we don't deserve it, we will never deserve it, never! All by YOUR GRACE! YOUR LOVE!

PRAISE YOU GOD!

Walk after 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.

Walk not after the flesh.
Walk after the Spirit.

We are flesh, but not flesh only.  If all we were was flesh then we wouldn't have the power of reason within us. We wouldn't have things such as feelings. Seriously. If you take away the emotions, if you take away the ability to reason- what's left?

We have names for people who seem void of all emotion- psychopaths is one of those names. We most definitely call it unnatural when a person seems void of all emotion. When a person has no ability to reason for themselves we call them mentally handicapped, because reasoning is all a part of being what we call a 'normal' human being, or even and 'average' human being, a human being in the general sense of the word.

When you think of a person as being a person we do not normally envision those who are severely mentally or emotionally challenged.  If I told you to imagine a person your first idea would be to imagine  someone probably like yourself- someone who has the ability to reason to the point you can read this with understanding.  True, you could be a very intelligent person void of emotion, but that isn't what people imagine each other to be on the scale of being the average human being.

We are NOT just flesh or else we would be just thoughtless flesh creatures. 

When people by one means or another lose the ability to think- when they become brain dead, do we consider them to be normal? No. They've been altered from the state of normalcy. 

The point being here is we HAVE to admit that we are more than flesh and blood, we are SPIRIT beings. And yes, I keep harping on this, but I have to. I, like so many people; I, like  MOST people have become a person who pays very little attention to my SPIRIT side, especially on a day to day basis. Considering myself a spiritual being isn't something that comes naturally to me.

We are told NOT to walk after the flesh, but to WALK after the SPIRIT.

Don't we have to be in touch with our own spirit self in order to walk after the SPIRIT?

Walking after the Spirit is seeking God in all things, in all aspects of our lives. 


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.

The law of the Spirit of life - in CHRIST JESUS makes us FREE-  Free from the law of SIN and DEATH.

Does this mean we will not die?  No. 
Living in Christ Jesus, walking in the Spirit, takes away the condemnation that is given to all who sin.  We have HOPE. Without Christ we have NO hope of eternal life, no hope at all. 

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.

The ceremonial law did not have the power to save, it all pointed to the LAMB of GOD who alone could save. You could keep the ceremonial law forever but it could NOT save anyone. It was shadow of things to come. 

Our Savior came in OUR likeness, not as a Spirit only being, but as a FLESH being as well. In the LIKENESS of SINFUL FLESH, and for SIN, HE condemned sin while in that FLESH.  He led a PERFECT MORAL LIFE adhering to every single one of God's moral commandments! He failed in no aspect of the moral law, NONE.  He did NOT sin and what is sin?

 1Jn_3:4  Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.

HE DID NOT TRANSGRESS THE LAW!  This made our Savior SINLESS.

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.

The righteousness of the law IS likewise fulfilled in us when we WALK after the SPIRIT, because then and only then are we walking after our SAVIOR. 

We choose to walk after the Spirit, we choose to walk after Christ Jesus our Savior.  This is a very conscious choice, not something half-hearted, not a fleeting thought of a choice, but a very real choice to LIVE for CHRIST and NOT for our selves, not for our flesh!

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.

If we live to please our flesh then we are NOT walking in the Spirit, we are NOT walking in Christ. If we live for the here and now, not mindful at all of our Savior who came to preach the gospel, the kingdom of heaven, then we are living after the flesh, the very temporary flesh.

We have to LEARN to mind the things of the SPIRIT!  In all aspects of our lives! This as to be paramount, minding the things of the SPIRIT, not of the flesh.

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

Don't you see, we have to be SPIRITUALLY MINDED!

Being SPIRITUALLY MINDED is LIFE and PEACE!

When our minds are focused on the flesh and not focused on the Spiritual we are in fact focusing on death, not life in Christ.

This world has a lot of pain. 
Around every corner there is a new experience of pain- emotional, mental, physical agony.
Satan wants us to focus on the here and now and live solely for here and now and not for life with our SAVIOR after HIS RETURN.

This life is TEMPORARY to ETERNITY. 

Is it any wonder we are to LOVE.  Love is the only thing that will follow us to eternity.  All else on this earth is temporary.  LOVE and only LOVE will live on.  And it's no surprise really, is it? GOD IS LOVE! 

We are promised a future, a PAINLESS eternity, not a painless here and now. We will suffer horrifically in many ways in our lives, and even if that suffering seems to be lasting forever, it is truly, truly TEMPORARY to eternity!

We must walk after the SPIRIT, all by the GRACE of our LORD and SAVIOR JESUS CHRIST! ALL in HIS AMAZING LOVE!

Blessed be the name of the LORD!

All Glory to GOD!

All praise! All honor! All thanksgiving to GOD on high!

In His LOVE!

Oh, wretched man that I am

Rom 7:17  Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me.
Rom 7:18  For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not.

This is the plight of an APOSTLE!
Why do we ever try to imagine we would have a different experience?! 

Rom 7:19  For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do.

Jesus spoke directly to Paul in a vision. Paul was left blind by the encounter and then given back his sight by another man sent by God to him. 

And Paul struggled with SIN!

Paul was fighting the good fight that we ALL must fight.

Paul was recognizing the SPIRITUAL side of His life and knew that the moral law was spiritual. He also knew that he was powerless to keep from sinning … on HIS OWN!

He fought against the fiery darts of Satan and recognized the source of the spiritual warfare.

Rom 7:20  Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me.

'It is NO MORE I that do it------- but SIN that dwelleth in me.'

He's warring! The spiritual desire to be sinless and following all of God's spiritual moral laws was paramount to Paul. He didn't want the sin in HIM. He didn't want the fiery darts to get through the armor and pierce him. He recognized his forever weakness, but did NOT use that as an excuse to give in to sin.  He did not say he is a being that can't help but sin so why bother even trying to keep from sin. 

Rom 7:21  I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me.

Rom 7:22  For I delight in the law of God after the inward man:

DELIGHTS in the LAW of GOD AFTER THE INWARD MAN.

Do you delight in the moral law of God? Is keeping the moral law of God something that delights you? All too often we fear or abhor the law of God because it becomes something of a great impossible weight to bear.  Or it keeps us from delving into pleasurable sin and do not for one moment even try to believe that sin holds no pleasure.  If sin held no pleasure it'd be very easy to keep from succumbing to it, right?

Do you delight in the moral law of God? 

Paul states here that he delights in the law of God AFTER THE INWARD MAN.

Spiritually HE delights in the law of God.  Spiritually he recognizes the love of God in every single moral law that exists. When you see the beauty of the law of God, when you recognize the LOVE of God in the law you can't help but delight in such amazing, overwhelming love that is directed right at us.

Yet the flesh side of us that wars against the spiritual side does not DELIGHT in the law of God!

Rom 7:23  But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.

There is a law in Paul's MEMBERS that wars against the law of his MIND!   Yet, our hands and feet, and any other part of our body does NOT act independently to our mind, does it?  Barring cases of demon possession, it is our own mind consenting to the sin of the flesh, right?  The war is between the flesh and the spirit!   The flesh desiring things SELFISHLY, the mind knowing that we should be SELF-LESS.  There is a war, a constant war between the selfish and selfless part of us.

Rom 7:24  O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?

We are truly condemned if left on our own because we CANNOT be selfless on our own, the idea of being selfless or trying to created a selflessness inside of ourselves can stem from a SELFISH desire! We are POWERLESS to save ourselves!  We need to recognize this powerlessness and do so NOT in order to soothe our conscience with we sin, but so that we recognize our NEED of a SAVIOR and when we sin, we CONFESS, we REPENT, we SEEK FORGIVENESS knowing we've done wrong. 

Rom 7:25  I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin.

NEVER did Paul ever ONCE intend these verses of his to be used to endorse sinfulness, NEVER!

He was recognizing his NEED of a SAVIOR who SAVES to the uttermost!

We need this recognition!

We need this acknowledgment that while we delight in God's law and our sinful nature wars against that, we have to surrender to our SAVIOR who can live in us and save us from all sin! He does what we absolutely CANNOT do, but HE never gave us the endorsement to sin. He told those he encountered and healed to ' GO AND SIN NO MORE' ! Would our Savior tell them to do something that was impossible?! No, He would not!

Is it any wonder we must constantly pray? Praying always, in all prayer and supplication?!  It isn't truly any wonder, it fosters hope in a constant connection to our SAVIOR!

Go and sin no more.

Thank GOD through JESUS CHRIST our LORD.

With our mind we MUST serve the law of God, not make excuses as to why we don't have to, or shouldn't, or that something is wrong with the law of God. Our SPIRITUAL self must SERVE the LAW of GOD.

The flesh, OUR flesh may serve the law of sin- the sin that makes us weak to temptation, that makes us desire sin. 

We must learn to surrender to our God and live in Christ, wholly in Christ.

All by HIS will!
IN HIS LOVE!

The moral law is spiritual

Rom 7:14  For we know that the law is SPIRITUAL : but I am carnal, sold under sin.

The law is SPIRITUAL.
Without Christ we are carnal- spiritless. We are lost in sin without any hope at all. We are flesh beings with no real substance at all.

The law is SPIRITUAL.
Keeping the moral law, the moral commandments, goes far beyond the keeping of the ceremonial laws.  People love to entwine the two so they cannot be separated and that means that the moral laws as well as the ceremonial laws were all nailed to the cross and done away with.

A little bit of logic, a little bit of sincere studying would reveal the truth of the matter.

The ceremonial law that pointed to our Savior's arrival and purpose was done away with when our Savior arrived and lived, died, and rose again. 

The moral law didn't point to our Savior's arrival and purpose, it was a revelation of love to all.

Most people have no trouble at all agreeing that the moral law is just that except for the pesky weekly Sabbath law. If they'd just study further they'd comprehend that the Sabbath was instituted LONG before the ceremonial laws were given in full. The Sabbath was part of CREATION week, and as long as this earth and all that in it exists the weekly day of rest will exist.  It was put in the MORAL law for a reason.  The ceremonial law had it's special Sabbath's different from the weekly Sabbath of the moral law.  You have to study to find all this out, it's not something that is just known, and if people aren't willing to study then they are NOT seeking to know the Lord their God as they should.

The law is SPIRITUAL.  The moral law is completely spiritual, it was created from the love of God.  The moral law will reveal our sinfulness in many, many ways.

Rom 7:15  For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I.

Does this sound familiar to you?

Do you ever do things you hate, but do them anyway? Do you ever do things you know are wrong, but do them any way? Do you wish you didn't feel the overwhelming compulsion to do things that you do knowing that they are not the things God wants of you? 

This is all a part of our Spiritual existence, this BATTLE.

The spiritual and physical interact a lot, there is no doubt about that. 

Rom 7:16  If then I do that which I would not, I consent unto the law that it is good.

IF we did things in our life that we wished we hadn't done, if we do things we wish we didn't do, then we are AGREEING that there is a moral standard that exist in US that makes us feel the weight of the sinfulness of the things we do.

If you feel bad for yelling hateful things at someone, you feel bad because you know it wasn't right to do so. How do you know it wasn't right to do so, because you are feeling bad about it and if it was right to do it, you would not feel bad about it at all whatsoever. What makes it wrong? The harm you are bringing to that other person, the emotional, mental harm you are throwing at another human being.

True there are always exceptions, and it's factual some people love to be hateful and would feel not the slightest bit bad about slinging hateful words at someone. Those people are given totally over to sin and are completely blind to the truth, and yes, those people exist in far greater numbers than anyone might want to even think about.

The spiritual moral law reveals ultimately how we are to interact and treat God and our fellow man, when those spiritual laws are broken, by the grace and mercy of God we are allowed to feel the weight of our wrong doing in breaking those laws. Because only when we feel the weight of sin do we realize it's awfulness and we can begin to comprehend in some small way our helplessness. When we recognize our helplessness we can understand that we need to be helped.

We do things we don't want to do all the time and this truly reveals the spiritual moral law to be GOOD.  We are being shown the wickedness by the goodness. 


Rom 7:17  Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me.
Rom 7:18  For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not.
Rom 7:19  For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do.
Rom 7:20  Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me.
Rom 7:21  I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me.
Rom 7:22  For I delight in the law of God after the inward man:
Rom 7:23  But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.
Rom 7:24  O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?
Rom 7:25  I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin.

The law reveals our sinfulness and our Savior reveals our HOPE.

More tomorrow on this all by the GRACE of God.

We need to comprehend how truly SPIRITUAL we are called to be, and we will all through the HOLY SPIRIT, and the LOVE of our SAVIOR, and the FATHER GOD!

All glory to GOD!

Wake up, Spiritual life.

Spiritual living. 

We all seem to have a handle on the physical side of life. We know what it takes to keep ourselves alive. Our spiritual side of life isn't something we concern ourselves with because it isn't essential to our physical life. Our emotional state of life is important because if we get too unstable mentally or emotionally we can endanger our physical life. Yet, you don't hear many people touting how life important our spiritual side is. Our spiritual side has been successfully buried by Satan.

We wouldn't dare tell someone that their life depends on their spiritual well being because they'd think we were crazy, especially if we believe what we are saying.  They might chuckle and roll their eyes a bit and then say ah you're talking about the after life.  But we aren't just talking about the 'after life'.  We are talking about our LIFE right here and now.  What people don't seem to want to concern themselves with too much is the fact our LIFE right here and now determines our 'after life'. 

Too many people want to wait for the 'right time' to become spiritual. Too many make decisions concerning their spiritual life that have nothing to do with their every day life.

The truth is our spiritual life is more important than any other aspect of our life. 

Our spiritual life is more important then our physical life.

When our physical life is over, the sum of what our spiritual life has been is what matters. Just being alive does not guarantee us salvation, it does not guarantee us eternity in Christ.

Our spiritual life and our spiritual way of living is more important than ANYTHING.  If we are called to choose between our spiritual life and our physical life we must choose our spiritual life without fail, but will we do that if we barely even care that we have a spiritual life?

Php_3:8 Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ

ALL thing are counted but loss, NOTHING means more than our knowledge of Christ Jesus our LORD.

Mat_16:26  For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?

Luk_9:24  For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it.

Joh_12:25  He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal.

These words are so incredibly important and yet people just don't seem to care much about their spirituality.

We focus on our worldly life, our flesh life, NOT our spiritual life.

When we wake up we don't have our minds focused on the spiritual part of us waking up, do we?

Most of us haven't even been taught about our spiritual self, so how could we think about our spiritual life as something that needs tending to just as our physical body needs tending. We could no more live physically without doing anything to keep ourselves alive than we can live spiritually without doing things to keep our spiritual life alive. 

Our spiritual life is extremely important and now that we've established that, or at least I hope we have, we will continue on…  tomorrow by the GRACE of our LORD and SAVIOR JESUS CHRIST!

IN HIS LOVE!

May we learn of our spiritual life as a real part of us and learn how to tend to this part of our life so that we may live fully IN CHRIST.

Spiritual Living

Rom 7:14  For we know that the law is spiritual: but I am carnal, sold under sin.

The law is spiritual.

We are carnal- sold under sin.

There is a SPIRITUAL LIFE we must have!

Read all of the following very carefully, maybe once or twice, or even three or four times and we are going to take time to slowly study this over the next week or so, however long it takes.

Rom 7:14  For we know that the law is SPIRITUAL : but I am carnal, sold under sin.
Rom 7:15  For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I.
Rom 7:16  If then I do that which I would not, I consent unto the law that it is good.

Rom 7:17  Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me.

Rom 7:18  For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not.

Rom 7:19  For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do.

Rom 7:20  Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me.

Rom 7:21  I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me.

Rom 7:22  For I delight in the law of God after the inward man:
Rom 7:23  But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.

Rom 7:24  O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?

Rom 7:25  I thank God through JESUS CHRIST OUR LORD. So then with THE MIND I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

Rom 8:16  The SPIRIT itself beareth witness with our SPIRIT, that we are the children 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.

Rom 8:19  For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God.

Rom 8:20  For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope,
Rom 8:21  Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.

Rom 8:22  For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now.

Rom 8:23  And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the SPIRIT, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.

Rom 8:24  For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for?

Rom 8:25  But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it.

Rom 8:26  Likewise the SPRIIT also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the SPIRIT itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.

Rom 8:27  And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the SPIRIT, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God.

Rom 8:28  And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

Rom 8:29  For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.

Rom 8:30  Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.

Rom 8:31  What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?

Rom 8:32  He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?

Rom 8:33  Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth.

Rom 8:34  Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.

Rom 8:35  Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?

Rom 8:36  As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.

Rom 8:37  Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.

Rom 8:38  For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,
Rom 8:39  Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

PRAISE GOD!

All glory to GOD!

All thanksgiving to GOD!

All honor to GOD!

May we come to comprehend even more the SPIRITUAL life we must live as being of CHRIST!

May the SPIRIT life become REAL to us, so REAL we do comprehend that the SPIRIT world around us is MORE a reality than this flesh life we live.

ALL THROUGH OUR GOD! OUR CHRIST! OUR SAVIOR! THE HOLY SPIRIT!

IN HIS LOVE!

ALWAYS!

Seek those things which are above

If we claim Christ as our Savior, If we choose to walk in the Spirit, we are making a choice to live a certain way.  Throughout the Word of God we are told how we should be, what the characteristics are of Christ followers. 

Read the following very carefully-

Col 3:1  If ye then be risen with Christ, SEEK those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God.

Col 3:2  SET YOU AFFECTION ON THINGS ABOVE NOT ON THINGS ON THE EARTH.

Col 3:3  For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.
Col 3:4  When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory.

Col 3:5  MORTIFY therefore YOUR MEMBERS which are upon the earth;

FORNICATION
UNCLEANESS
INORDINATE AFFECTION
EVIL CONCUPISCENCE
And COVETOUSNESS

which is idolatry

Col 3:6  For which things' sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience:
Col 3:7  In the which ye also walked some time, when ye lived in them.

Col 3:8  But now ye also PUT OFF ALL THESE

ANGER
MALICE
BLASPHEMY
FILTHY COMMUNICATION OUT OF YOUR MOUTH
LIE NOT TO ONE ANOTHER

Col 3:9  LIE NOT TO ONE ANOTHER, seeing that ye have PUT OFF THE OLD MAN WITH HIS DEEDS
Col 3:10  And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him:
Col 3:11  Where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free: but Christ is all, and in all.

Col 3:12  PUT ON therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved,

BOWELS OF MERCIES
KINDNESS
HUMBLENESS OF MIND
MEEKNESS LONGSUFFERING

Col 3:13 

FORBEARING ONE ANOTHER
FORGIVING ONE ANOTHER

 if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.

Col 3:14  And above all these things PUT ON CHARITY, which is the bond of perfectness.

Col 3:15  And LET THE PEACE OF GOD RULE IN YOUR HEARTS  to the which also ye are called in one body; and BE YE THANKFUL.

Col 3:16  LET THE WORD OF CHRIST DWELL IN YOU RICHLY IN ALL WISDOM, TEACHING and ADMONISHING  ONE ANOTHER IN PSALMS and HYMNS and SPIRITUAL SONGS SINGING with GRACE IN YOUR HEARTS TO THE LORD
Col 3:17  And WHATSOEVER YE DO IN WORD OF DEED
DO ALL IN THE NAME OF THE LORD JESUS
GIVING THANKS TO GOD AND THE FATHER BY HIM.

*

So ask yourself… is this how you live your life?
Is this how you try to live your life?
Is this the standard you hold up before yourself and strive for?

Satan would have us despair of even imagining we could be all this and more in Christ. Satan wants us to believe we shouldn't do ANYTHING because then we are claiming that our works are making us Christians which is NOT true, only CHRIST gives us salvation.

Some will ask why bother doing anything at all if it means nothing, if it doesn't give us points towards salvation, towards a bigger mansion, a larger crown, more jewels in that crown.  The very face people ask this reveals their concept of God's love is skewed and they need to be prayed for.  It isn't about gaining something selfishly in any way, it's about LOSING self and all selfish desire.  It's not about doing good to get something out of it, it's doing good because you can't HELP but do good because CHRIST is living in you!

You want Christ to live in you, you want to live like Christ.

Will we always desire to do good, to do the right thing, to be all that was said above? No.  Our flesh nature will NOT let us DESIRE that constantly, but MENTALLY the part of us that can overrule our senses and comprehend that the desire not to do good isn't of God, can repent, can ask for forgiveness and can do that which is good regardless of the flesh desire in us to NOT want to do good things.

We are given so much SPIRITUAL instruction that to choose NOT to follow it, NOT to have anything to do with it means we are choosing to live with a spiritual deficit.  God wants us to be spiritually full in HIM and Satan wants us to be spiritually dead, not even aware of our spiritual nature. If Satan can hide our spiritual nature He will and He's done just that for sooooo many people.

*

Don't do the following, don't encourage the following in your life-

FORNICATION
UNCLEANNESS
INORDINATE AFFECTION
EVIL CONCUPISCENCE
And COVETOUSNESS which is idolatry

Col 3:6  For which things' sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience:
Col 3:7  In the which ye also walked some time, when ye lived in them.

Col 3:8  But now ye also PUT OFF ALL THESE

ANGER
MALICE
BLASPHEMY
FILTHY COMMUNICATION OUT OF YOUR MOUTH
LIE NOT TO ONE ANOTHER

*

These are just a FEW of the things we are not to do, not to encourage, not to strive for in our lives, not to accept as a natural part of us that cannot be surrendered to Christ.

When we have these things in our lives and WANT to keep them there, feeling absolutely no remorse for them, then we need to do a lot of praying, a lot!

Please LORD help us! Help us to desire to live more like YOU. Help us have YOU in us a living, real presence through YOUR Holy Spirit.

Please LORD, Satan would destroy us through despair that we will ever be as You would have us be, but we cannot despair, YOU would not have us despair but HOPE, live in HOPE, the HOPE of YOU!

In YOUR AMAZING LOVE AND MERCY, YOUR GRACE, YOUR FORGIVENESS!