Day 133
The key to living out Romans 8:13 is found in the phrase underlined: "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." I am not suggesting some rigorous return to monastic living (living in a monastery like a monk or a nun) or creating some difficult rules to follow or some self infliction of pain to prove ones dedication. Too often this has been the church's attempt to fulfill the conditions of this verse. Remember this is important because the payoff is huge; "ye shall live." No, I am proposing that the Holy Spirit will assist you to kill those deeds of the body that need to be put away.
John Owen is his book The Mortification of Sin gave three ways that the Spirit mortifies sin. We will look at the first one today. He said: "By causing our hearts to abound in grace and the fruits that are contrary to the works of the flesh....He causes us to grow, thrive, flourish, and abound in the graces which are contrary, opposite, and destructive to all the works of the flesh, and contrary to the thriving of indwelling sin itself." The Holy Spirit will change your "want to" to His "want to."
Did you think that you had some sudden burst of immorality when you changed your mind about a particular activity that was sinful? Did you think that you just became a better person on your own? No; the Holy Spirit changed you and then you in obedience followed your new nature. You should be very thankful today that our God desires to change you. It means that you are one of His children! So today, if you feel God's power changing you, don't despair but rejoice. It means you are a child of the King! (More tomorrow).
John Owen is his book The Mortification of Sin gave three ways that the Spirit mortifies sin. We will look at the first one today. He said: "By causing our hearts to abound in grace and the fruits that are contrary to the works of the flesh....He causes us to grow, thrive, flourish, and abound in the graces which are contrary, opposite, and destructive to all the works of the flesh, and contrary to the thriving of indwelling sin itself." The Holy Spirit will change your "want to" to His "want to."
Did you think that you had some sudden burst of immorality when you changed your mind about a particular activity that was sinful? Did you think that you just became a better person on your own? No; the Holy Spirit changed you and then you in obedience followed your new nature. You should be very thankful today that our God desires to change you. It means that you are one of His children! So today, if you feel God's power changing you, don't despair but rejoice. It means you are a child of the King! (More tomorrow).
