Tag: Devotion

The believer is made spiritually alive by the Holy Spirit. Although he has the power to overcome sin, he will still experience physical death. The Apostle Paul described the dead in Christ as those who sleep in Christ. In the day of the resurrection, when Jesus returns, God has promised the dead in Christ will be awakened by a physical resurrection of their mortal bodies. And those who are physically alive, during the time of Christ return, will not experience death, but will be clothed with an incorruptible, glorious, resurrection body.

When Nicodemus the Pharisee came to Jesus, he was spiritually dead. Jesus said to him, “Ye must be born again.” To be born-again is to have a spiritual life, having fellowship and communion with the living and true God. In John 3:8, Jesus uses the illustration of the “wind” to describe one having spiritual life. He says “The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.” (John 3:8) The wind is invisible, you cannot see the wind with your eyes but you can feel its breeze. When you fly a kite, you see the reality of the wind blowing when the kite is lifted up in the sky. The presence of the Holy Spirit in the believer’s life is such, not visible to the naked eye yet the true believer is able to overcome sin and temptation by the power of the indwelling Spirit.

Romans 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. The …

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In John 4, Jesus initiated the conversation by humbling Himself to ask drink from the woman at the well in Samaria (for the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans). In fact, historically, they were bitter enemies. The Jew would not stoop low to ask a drink from the Samaritan even though he may be thirsty. Jesus reached out to the unlovable and outcast Samaritan proactively. He did not despise her but saw this “outcast” as a precious soul needing the gospel. Jesus’ act of condescension startled the woman. This brought forth a response from her. Jesus utilized the illustration of “living water” that will quench her thirst forever alluding to everlasting life from God to arouse her interest to seek to know more of the truth.

The redeemed man, therefore, is holy in the sight of God in that he is made holy by the merits of Jesus Christ. This is the meaning of the phrase “that the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us”. When we repent of our sins and received Jesus Christ into our hearts, believing that He died and rose from the dead the third day, we are saved. By the indwelling Holy Spirit, we have the divinely-endowed strength to reject the way of sin and walk after God in holiness. Hallelujah, what a Saviour!

When the mind is yielded to God, it brings forth spiritual fruit in the believer’s life. What is the Spirit’s fruit? In Galatians 5:22-23, the Apostle Paul tells us, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, 23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.” When the believer is blessed with the fruit of the Spirit, the is no law to condemn or judge such a one! The fruit of the Spirit is the manifestation of the character of God in our lives. When God endows us with such spiritual blessing, we are a blessing to the people around us.

With a sound mind, the Christian serve the law of God. Such a mind is led by the influence of the Holy Spirit undergirded by God’s Word. Such a mind is disciplined, taught, trained to do good, serve God. The Apostle Paul took time to cultivate such a godly mind! He testified spending time with God in imbibing the truth of God into his very heart after his conversion.

The Apostle Paul understood well the first law of Christ’s kingdom! (Matt. 5:3) This, I believe, is the testimony of a child of God who realized his unworthiness before God. He cries out to God for mercy. If God will not intervene to grant him deliverance, he will fail miserably! Therefore, we dare not live far from His presence but seek to experience His sanctifying presence by a poverty of spirit. Amen.

The indwelling Holy Spirit coupled with the indwelling Word strengthening the mind is the secret of victorious Christian living. The Christian is able to see sin for what it is at all times. He is able to see the spiritual warfare within him and take precaution to protect himself from being brought into captivity to the law of sin which is in his members.