Romans 8:13 – For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.

Paul plainly proclaims that those who live according to the flesh must die, not only physically, but more importantly, eternally. That means, you will have no fellowship with God. To live according to the flesh is to be unsaved. So, why would Paul address this to those who were already Christians? Does he imply that some of them might eventually be lost? Not at all, but the apostle often includes words of warning and self-examination in his letters because he realized that in every congregation there may be some people who have never been genuinely born again. Some who may have never actually given their lives over to the Lord. The rest of this verse describes what is typically true of genuine believers in the Lord Jesus. Under the authority of the Holy Spirit you will be able to put to death the wicked deeds of the body. You will enjoy eternal life now, and will enter into life in its fullness when you finally leave this earth and go to be with the Lord in heaven.

Challenge:

Living your life under the influence of and by the guidance of the Holy Spirit, should be the focus of each and every believer in Jesus Christ. Paul wrote to the churches in Galatia in Galatians 5:25, “If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.” and in Galatians 5:16 “I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.” I like the fact that if you focus on living by the Spirit of God, you will not need to worry so much about the sinful flesh. This is because your full attention will be on doing good, and fulfilling the Lords will and not fulfilling your own. Your daily challenge this week is to submit yourself to the authority of Holy Spirit, and listen carefully to the Spirit as He directs you through each and every opportunity. As you spend the majority of your time seeking spiritual guidance, you will find the temptations of your flesh dramatically diminished. When you hear your co-worker complaining, use that as an opportunity to pray for them in order to find contentment. When you notice your cashiers frustration from the previous customers comments, find something nice to say to them and thank them for their service to you. We can all find ways to get agitated by the people around us and the condition of society. However, rather than contributing to the problem, may you be a part for the solution to change your own attitude and influence one person at time. God bless you.