Romans 8:37(NKJV) 37Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.
(Tomorrow will be a travel day for me and we will be in Puerto Rico for 10 days so this may be my last post for a couple of weeks. Check back though, as I may find the time to get something up sooner.)
Today I am going to conclude our study on walking in the spirit for now. Keep in mind that this is one of the major goals of our Christian life here on earth. If we can accomplish this, most other things will fall into place for us. Neither you nor I have arrived in this and we will not until we go home to be with the Lord. Even the great apostle Paul said in his letter to the Philippians that he had not arrived. Neither have we, but we can follow his next admonition:
Philippians 3:13-14(NKJV) 13Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, 14I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
We must keep pressing forward to the goal of walking in the spirit. We must continue to renew our minds, build up our spirits and put to death the deeds of the flesh. If we do these things and keep doing them we will get the same results that Paul did. What were those results? I believe Romans 8 is the testimony scripture of what Paul gained through the things we are talking about.
In today’s verse we read the conclusion to Romans 8. How very different than the conclusion of Romans 7.
Romans 7:24(NKJV) 24O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?
Take some time over the next few weeks and read Romans 8 over and over again. You will see each one of the principles that enable us to walk in the spirit laid out before you. As you meditate on this chapter you will come to the conclusion that Paul did. You are more than a conqueror in Christ Jesus!
I want to point out briefly some of the things in Romans 8 we did not cover. These are important because they are points that, as we meditate on them, will reinforce all that we have studied. They are also foundational truths that will cause our spirit to rise, our mind be renewed and our flesh come under control.
We have already mentioned verses 15-17, but it bears repeating. In these verses Paul reminds us that we are the children of God. We are not interlopers in the realm of the Spirit. Our Father is the absolute ruler of that realm and we are his rightful heirs along with Jesus Christ. I can walk in the spirit because, as a child of God it is my right, my heritage and my natural place to do so.
As we think on these things they become a powerful tool to use when our flesh tries to rise up and take control. It is also a weapon against the devil as he tries to distract us and take us away from the things of God. We can remind our flesh and the devil, “I am a child of God. I am a joint heir with Jesus Christ. The Kingdom of God is my rightful place and its power is at my disposal. Flesh, get in line. Devil, I resist you and you must flee!”
In the next section, verses 18-25, Paul focuses on two basic thoughts. First we must not be too focused on the things of this world. Look at verse 18.
Romans 8:18(NKJV) 18For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.
This is not to say that Paul is not concerned about this life. It does not mean that he is “so heavenly minded he is no earthly good.” It just means that Paul is aware of the fact that this life, with its troubles and its pleasures, is just a fraction of what God has for us. We often fail to walk in the spirit because the pressures of this life become so great. When we know that there is more than this life, and that is an integral part of how we see things, it changes everything. We need to remind ourselves of this often.
Second he points out that God has a plan and we are part of that plan. When we know that God is working toward something, we can be content in whatever circumstances we find ourselves because we know that God is moving. We may see only part of that plan in our lifetime, but we are part of something that is greater than any one of us. That said, each of us is important to what God is doing. We must do our part. If we do that, no matter how small or great it may seem to us, we will receive the reward promised us by Jesus. “Well done thou good and faithful servant.
Finally in verses 26-30 we read about the many ways God is working in us and with us to bring his will to pass in our lives. From the intercession of the Holy Spirit beginning in verse 26 to the fact that God has revealed that his will for each of us is to walk perfectly before him in this life. We may not do what it takes to fulfill that will, but it is his will for us nonetheless.
The important thing to remember is that you are not alone in your quest to fulfill the purpose of God for your life. It is not in your own strength alone that you will grow in the walk of the spirit. The Spirit of God, Jesus as your savior and intercessor before the Father, and the Father God himself are all actively involved, helping you come to the good end.
And what is that end. It is that we be more than conquerors. Victorious in every situation. Completely free of all sin and weakness. You say this is an impossible goal. Not for an heir of God and joint heir with Christ. Not for someone who understands that this life is a fraction of what is planned for him. Not for someone who has The Father, Son and Holy Spirit as his ally.
As we close, read the whole of Paul’s conclusion to Romans 8. Let it sink in. Meditate on it and let the power of Paul’s words explode in your heart as it did in his. You can walk in the spirit. You can be more than a conqueror. You already are. Walking in the spirit will just bring the truth of who you are in Christ to the surface so it can affect your whole being, spirit, soul and body.
Romans 8:31-39(NKJV) 31What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? 33Who shall bring a charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. 34Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us. 35Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 36As it is written: “For Your sake we are killed all day long; We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.” £ 37Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. 38For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, 39nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
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