Romans 8 v 5 – 13
For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s Law; indeed, it cannot. Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.
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. But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. If the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.
So then, brothers, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. (ESV)
The presence of God the Holy Spirit brings these differences:
- In the Mind of the Believer
He is changing:
a. the desires of the mind (v 5).
b. the directions of the mind (v 6).
c. the devotions of the mind (v 7).
What the flesh cannot produce in us, God the Holy Spirit does. - In the Motives of the Believer
a. A Charge against the flesh life (v 8).
b. A Change apparent in the spirit life (v 9). - In the Members of the Believer
(Members: Everything that makes you move in this world)
a. A Change in our members (v 10-11).
b. A Challenge to our members (v 12).
c. A Caution to our members (v 13).
Has your life been changed by the Holy Spirit? If it has, you have only God to thank, because only He can produce real spiritual change in the lives of the likes of us.
If your life hasn’t been changed, it can be changed even today – you need to examine yourself whether you be in the faith.
When you read these verses, do you see the differences of the Spirit life in your own life?