The Power: Christ Formed In
You
“Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit.” (Ephesians 5:18, NIV)
We have a choice
to make. Who is going to control how we think, feel, and act? Christ or the old
self?
We
have seen that the Spirit of God gives us the power to walk in the newness of
life since we are raised with Christ from the dead. We have seen how the Spirit
works in the life of the believer to transform us from the inside out.
“So
I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.”
(Galatians 5:16, NIV)
If
the Spirit controls us we will overcome the power of sin in our life. “For if
you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to
death the misdeeds of the body, you will live.” (Romans 8:13, NIV)
Both
of these verses say we have the power of choice here. What will it be? It is up
to us.
As
a child I was taken to an amusement park from time to time. Usually, we ride on
the bumper cars that had large rubber rings around them to protect the drivers.
The “fun” was trying to bump the other cars. Sometimes people would hit us too
hard. That would produce a fleshly reaction of anger that would make us want to
hit back as hard as possible.
Life
is like this. We are always being “bumped” by circumstances and other people.
Sometimes these bumps can be rather nasty, producing a less-than-Christian
response. At those moments we have a decision to make: Will we let the old
flesh control our reaction, or will Christ control us?
We
make the choice by the act of our will. If we fail to make the right choice, we
need to confess the sin and ask the Holy Spirit to again assume control. “If we
confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify
us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9, NIV)
The
old self does rear its ugly head from time to time, so we want to be careful to
keep a “short sin list” by confessing our sin when we become aware of it.
Today,
ask yourself:
Am
I choosing to be controlled by the Holy Spirit so my life can be brought into
conformance with the will of God? Is my behavior becoming more Christ like? By Paul Tobi
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