Romans 8:9: You, However, Are Not In The Flesh, But In The Spirit

Romans 8:9
[9] You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. (ESV)

There are times that believers in Jesus Christ can become discouraged. The enemy of our souls, Satan himself, uses discouragement as one of his greatest weapons to hinder the work of God's people. Have you ever questioned whether or not you even belong to the Lord even though you know that He has redeemed you and forgiven your sin? You are not alone.

Paul has a reminder for his readers, which includes you and me, that we are not in the flesh if the Spirit of God lives in us. This is a wonderful truth. Sometimes our struggle with the sinful nature causes us to despair. We feel as if we are all alone in our battle with temptation. That is just what the enemy wants.

Have you given your life to Jesus Christ? You are in the Spirit. There are those in the body of Christ who will tell you that you need to go to some special service or pray some special prayer in order to receive the Holy Spirit after you have already been saved. This goes counter to the truth Paul is telling  us in these verses.

If you belong to Jesus Christ you have the Spirit of God. He set up his home in you the moment you became a Christian. Now, the concern is not whether or not you have the Spirit of God in you, but rather the concern is whether or not you will let him have control of your life. Be encouraged. Your life involves struggle with sin, but the one who lives in you is greater than your sin.

The Spirit of God lives in each one of those who have believed on Jesus Christ for salvation. Focus today on doing the things that the Spirit wants you to do. Those things will always be in conformity with the written Word of God.