Running The Race (Christian Devotions)

Holy Spirit vs. the flesh

But through Christ Jesus, the law of the Spirit has set me free from the law of sin and death.
Romans 8:2

Hindi mo kaya mag-isa. Kailangan mo si Holy Spirit to lead and help you overcome everything in your life. Hindi mo kaya with your own efforts of discipline and control. But when stuff are controlled by the Spirit of God and inspired by Him, then everything will be possible.

For by the own efforts of man is useless, but not with God, to whom everything is possible- Even changing.

Ang tanong mo naman... Lord, anong gagawin ko? What specifically ang dapat kong gawin? How do I overcome my desires?

Here are some things you should think of:

⭐Sino ang laging nasusunod? Ang flesh ba o ang Spirit?
⭐Ano ang inuuna mo? Si Lord ba o ang mundo?

Things might be as simple as choosing who to go first, but if you really want to change, as it is mentioned by Jesus: "Seek FIRST the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, then everything will follow."

Siguro ang dapat mo lang gawin as of now is to put God in the priority list. Hindi lang sa paggising sa umaga, but all day- in every choice you make, ask the Lord.

When you finally decided to prioritize the Lord (which is technically, obeying Him, doing things in the Spirit), going after your desires will not be as hard as you think it is. Going after the Lord's Spirit will really help you overcome sin and death.

Again, here are a set of questions you should ask yourself:

⭐Am I being led by the Spirit at all times?
⭐What are the aspects in my life that I have not yet surrendered to Him?

Looking at the context of Romans 8:1-17, our lifestyle has something to do with the way we think. "Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires." Romans 8:5 NIV

Another key thing here is mindset.

Where do you set your mind? Tinanong mo na ba ang sarili mo kung bakit in some ways, may ganto kang mindset? Have you evaluated and questioned kung saan galing ang mga thoughts mo? Or bakit may mga thoughts na nag-tetake over sa buhay mo?

Saan ka nakatingin? Saan mo itinutuon ang isip mo? Kaya nga maraming naniniwala na when you change your mind, you will change your life. Pero syempre dapat biblical (not only positive) thinking. Time to get out of your system.

Here are some steps you could do:

⭐Make your mind memorize the word of God.
⭐Not affirmations of the self, but rather, the characters of Christ is the things you must ponder on.
⭐Think of God always. Be mindful about Him.

Pangatlo, you should remind yourself na hindi ka slave, but a child.

"The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, " Abba, Father."” Romans 8:15 NIV

Siguro kaya nahihirapan ka na sumunod kasi you think of "Christian stuff" as a yoke of slavery than an opportunity. Well that makes sense kung mas gusto mo pa rin sa kasalanan.

But if you truly look at God as a Father, hindi ka mahihirapan na gawin ang obligation mo bilang anak. You obey because you love and you are loved, not because you are paid to do so.

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Verses: All sources are taken from the NIV Bible through the YouVersion App.