Romans 8:12-13- talks about how we are under no obligation to live after the flesh but that if we live that way we will die. Woah! what is that saying? Simply put, living after the flesh could mean blindly following our emotions, just doing what feels good or familiar without thinking of consequences. It could mean engaging in destructive habits or making choices that are ignorant of God’s standards. There is more to dying than just physical death. Anything that robs us of life, like fear, anxiety, depression, sickness or even addictive behaviors, are forms of death. The good news though is that, as sons of God we have His Spirit and we can follow after that instead. Vs 15 & 16 says: “For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.” 16 The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God.” In His Word God has given us the tools we need to produce the changes needed to live lives free from the fear of all things that can produce death. 2 Peter 1:3-4 says-“ His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. Because the Spirit of Christ is in us our bodies might be dead (corrupt and subject to failure) but our spirits are alive because of righteousness. This spirit is what gives life to our mortal bodies, and it is what gives us the choice to resist the flesh and choose to make choices led by the spirit which result in life instead of death. (Romans 8:9-11) As a traumatized child/young adult I experienced a lot of death because I was ignorant of God’s standards and so were the people that controlled my life. The choices I and others made were after the flesh and I reaped what had been sown. (Galatians 6:8). As an adult Christian the same pattern continued because though I believed in God, I didn’t know Him and what was available to me as an adopted son of God, through the power of the Holy Spirit. John 8:31-32 says Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. We often quote the second part of that verse but not the first, “if you abide in my word”. We might be saved but If we don’t abide in his word, if we don’t know what the Bible says about who we are and the inheritance we have received through our adoption as sons, then we won’t know that we have a choice. Instead, we will succumb to the lies of the enemy who says things like; “it’s just the way things are” or “after all I’m only human” and experience consequences that don’t reflect the abundant life that Jesus said He came to give us.(John 10:10) It’s only the truth you know that can set you free.
Do you know who you really are? In my book of the same name, I share the truths I’ve learned in my journey about what it means to be an adopted son of God. Death in any form no longer has dominion over us because the spirit God has given us only leads to life.
John 17:3 says And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent. Again, the key is knowing God. Eternal life and all its attributes start when we are born again. The more we get to know God through His Word, and apply these truths, the more our lives will reflect true Kingdom living. In my book I cover these truths, providing the scriptural foundations of our Identity in Christ and how to practically apply them to our everyday lives. Available now Amazon.com
