Your victory is in living life in the Spirit.

Romans 7 and 8 have been a challenge for many believers because they do not understand that we do not serve God in the flesh but in the Spirit – John 4:24. The last verse of chapter seven tells us the answer to the challenges that are faced by a carnal (led by the five senses) believer; the victory is in living in Christ not personal strength.

According to the 8th chapter of the book of Romans we cannot completely overcome our carnality by our strength, we need to allow the Holy Spirit to rule us and then we will see the manifestation of our freedom from evil desires.

We are either ruled by the Holy Spirit or we are ruled by our desires. Romans 6:14 says sin will not dominate us because we are not under the law. The law serves to condemn and lead to death (2 Corinthians 3:7&9). The first step to overcoming sin is to accept that the law no longer condemns you if you are in Christ Jesus because the law demand was fully paid in the body of Christ – Romans 8:3.

Romans 8 tells us that we need to take our eyes off our carnality (being controlled by our five senses) and focus on who we are in the Spirit (what Christ accomplished for us). To be carnally minded brings death, being spiritually minded produce life and peace where there is death – Romans 8:6.

Living in the Spirit takes faith. Faith believes and confesses. If you believe what the Lord says about you, you will confess it even though in the natural things may look differently to what you believe. 2 Corinthians 4:13 says – And since we have the same spirit of faith, according to what is written, “I believed and therefore I spoke,” we also believe and therefore speak.

We must believe and focus on how we are before God (righteous and holy in Christ Jesus), that is what transforms our behavior. 2 Corinthians 3:18 says – But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.

The key knowledge for one to be able to live in the Spirit is that IF YOU ARE IN CHRIST YOU WILL NOT BE CONDEMNED BY GOD. Your conscience and people may condemn you but God does not and will not condemn you. Romans 8:1 & 2 Corinthians 5:21.

As Christians we are called to live our lives as a blessing to others (John 13:34). We are able to do that when we first accept God’s unconditional love for us (1 John 4:19). How can we give love to others when we thing God doesn’t love us for whatever reason? You can only give what you have.

Remember that self-centeredness is the root of all sin, while Christ-centeredness is the answer to the desire to sin – Romans 8.5. E.g. will it be easy to steal while confessing that God has supplied all your needs according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus? We overcome the power of sin when we take our focus away from sin and confess our right-standing before God. That is faith – 2 Corinthians 4:13.

We are not set free from sin and death by our performance but by the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:2,9,11,13).

Life in the Spirit requires faith to call those things that you don’t see in the natural as though they exist – Romans 4:17. Confess who you are in Christ, you will see your life being transformed by the power of the Holy Spirit (not your strength) – Galatians 5:16.