BVOV Magazine 2013 - present

I think every Christian has said that kind of thing at one time or another! We’ve all felt condemned for falling prey repeatedly to some kind of sin and wondered how we were ever going to find the strength to overcome. But, thank God, Paul doesn’t leave us wondering. In the next few verses, he gives us the answer. He says: "There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death. For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit. And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you. For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God" (Romans 8:1-2, 5, 10-11, 13-14). The No. 1 Leading of the Spirit Look again at that last verse. It says that as sons of God we are led by His Spirit. What does His Spirit lead us to do? First and foremost, according to this particular passage, He leads us to mortify the deeds of the body. He leads us to get rid of sin and to live “[under obedience to the promptings] of the Spirit in newness [of life]” (Romans 7:6, "The Amplified Bible, Classic Edition"). This is why the Holy Spirit constantly says to us the same thing Jesus said to His disciples in Gethsemane: “Spend time in prayer!” Prayer releases the resurrection power of God that’s within us and quickens our mortal bodies. It influences our flesh and helps bring it into submission to our spirit so that instead of yielding to temptation we can do the will of God. “But Gloria,” you might say, “sometimes I don’t really know how to pray about the temptations I’m facing. Other than just asking the Lord to help me, I don’t know what to say that will strengthen my spirit and give me the power to overcome.” Many times I don’t either. But that’s OK because when we find ourselves in that situation, "The [Holy] Spirit comes to our aid and bears us up in our weakness; for we do not know what prayer to offer nor how to offer it worthily as we ought, but the Spirit Himself goes to meet our supplication and pleads in our behalf with unspeakable yearnings and groanings too deep for utterance. And He Who searches the hearts of men knows what is in the mind of the [Holy] Spirit [what His intent is], because the Spirit intercedes and pleads [before God] in behalf of the saints according to and in harmony with God’s will" (Romans 8:26-27, "AMPC"). The word weakness can apply to any kind of inability that might hinder us in our Christian life. But as it’s used in these verses it refers primarily to the weakness of the flesh. It’s talking about the natural body’s susceptibility to temptation and its tendency to hold us back from walking in the spirit. This is what Romans 8 is all about. Paul wrote the entire chapter to explain how we can live as overcomers. He wrote it to reveal to us the keys to breaking free from the bondage of sin and the flesh and experiencing “the glorious liberty of the children of God” (verse 21). Praying in other tongues is one of those keys! It edifies us. It enables us to pray mysteries beyond our understanding (1 Corinthians 14:2, 4). It enables us to rise up “like an edifice higher and higher” and build ourselves up on our most holy faith (Jude 1:20, "AMPC"). Praying Out God’s Will for Your Life Think about how thrilled the believers in Paul’s day must have been when he told them about the benefit of praying in other tongues! They were in the same predicament we are. They were spiritual beings in a fleshly body, but without the same advantages we have. They didn’t have a New Testament all bound up in a leather book. They couldn’t renew their minds with the Word by opening up the Scriptures anytime they wanted to or turning on their CD player or smartphone and listening to someone preach. Yet, by praying in other tongues and obeying the promptings of God, they turned the world upside down. By allowing the Holy Spirit to bear them up in their weakness they prayed beyond their knowledge and helped bring forth a move of God the likes of which this earth had never seen. 30 : BVOV

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