More to it than you think

There’s More to You than you think

God wants to touch every layer of your life! We are all wonderfully made and intricately formed—able to relate to God at His level. We are destined to great things and have an inheritance that is eternal and perfect in every detail. We are spirit beings, just like God who live in a physical body that shall be transformed one day soon into a glorious body...

...there was a prominent religious leader among the Jews named Nicodemus, who was part of the sect called the Pharisees and a member of the Jewish ruling council. One night he discreetly came to Jesus and said, “Master, we know that you are a teacher from God, for no one performs the miracle signs that you do, unless God’s power is with him.”

Jesus answered, “Nicodemus, listen to this eternal truth: Before a person can perceive God’s kingdom realm, they must first experience a rebirth.”

John3:1-4

Let joy be your continual feast. Make your life a prayer. And in the midst of everything be always giving thanks, for this is God’s perfect plan for you in Christ Jesus.

Never restrain or put out the fire of the Holy Spirit.

And don’t be one who scorns prophecies, but be faithful to examine them by putting them to the test, and afterward hold tightly to what has proven to be right. Avoid every appearance of evil.

Now, may the God of peace and harmony set you apart, making you completely holy. And may your entire being—spirit, soul, and body—be kept completely flawless in the appearing of our Lord Jesus, the Anointed One.

The one who calls you by name is trustworthy and will thoroughly complete his work in you.

1 Thessalonians 5:16-24

This is a teaching by pastor Robert Carter

Please go to a mirror and take a close look at yourself. What do you see and do you really like who you see there? When I was a boy, I had severe problems with poor self-image. When I looked in a mirror, I felt ashamed of the skinny runt of a pimply faced kid I saw there. My problems were unfounded of course as my home was a loving Christian home in which I was wanted, loved and accepted, giving me many fond memories of my childhood. Those feelings of inadequacy however were there and were so strong, I often cried alone with the sheer frustration of my supposed weakness. One day Jesus came into my life and changed everything. I began to see things in a totally new way and discovered that I was indeed Accepted in the beloved! Many people have issues like that and they can bind them emotionally and intellectually until they are unresolved. We can go to a counsellor and receive professional help, but despite the efforts of learned psychologists and councellors, the real issues are spiritual and there is of course only one solution for that. Only one person has the ability and authority to change the very life of an individual and He is of course, the Lord Jesus Christ

In our core text, Nicodemus who was a religious leader, knew nothing of such things, despite his qualifications and expertise. He recognized that Jesus was who He claimed to be but could not understand the things that are essential to eternal life. Jesus explained that he needed something beyond his ability and understanding, or as we often see in modern day language to be recycled

recycled

JJesus told Nicodemus that he needed to be born again. When we experience this new birth, we embark on a new journey in life. This is but the beginning. It is a process, that in a natural birth starting at the moment of conception and continues right throughout the remainder of our lives.

My personal recycling process started in September of 1968 and I am still learning. In fact, I have been invited to meet with the president of a very large inter-denominational training institution that has taken me by surprize although the Lord had been telling me to be prepared for a pleasant surprize. He is a Spirit filled man and approached me, not the reverse as is often the case. I do not know what shall eventuate, but my wife and I are on the verge of a major ministry expansion.

Those who have known us for a while will remember that I have been speaking about imminent changes to The Church, to our own ministry and to every one of us.

Ukraine is talking of launching a counter-offensive against Russia. Iran just executed an Australian citizen for his part in recent demonstrations. China is becoming more aggressive and offensive. We cannot discount the possibility of a nuclear war, so we must consider if we are living in historic times, perhaps the lead up to the return of the Lord.

If, for no other reason, we need to ensure that our eternal destiny is sure, so this leads me back to our salvation experience. How sure are we? How “saved are we?

People who ask us to receive Jesus or to get saved may in their enthusiasm, neglect to add that it is just the starting point.

Paul revealed that we are running a race and that we must finish the course to win the prize.

Our journey may not always be as we expect, but we have God’s promised help every step of the way.

The oft-quoted John 3:16 is real, but sometimes misunderstood. Many Christians believe that being born of water relates to believers’ baptism, but this is not totally correct—baptism gives testimony to the conversion experience. When Philip met the Ethiopian Eunuch in Acts chapter eight, the Eunuch was reading Isaiah chapter 53, but did not understand it. He was a well educated man who occupied an important place in a kingdom. As Paul elaborated in the first three chapters of first Corinthians and in Philippians chapter three, the intellect cannot comprehend the spiritual. Unfortunately most of our religious training institutions, where future ministers are to be trained, focus on the “natural” that is devoid of the impartation that only the Holy Spirit gives. If, as he said in 2 Timothy 3:16 that all scripture is given by inspiration of the Holy Spirit, to properly understand God’s word, we must have that form of Divine inspiration. Without the Holy Spirit’s help, we function merely in the natural realm of the mind and that is at enmity with God.

I wonder why I am being invited to meet with the president of this organization. Is there going to be a change on the emphasis of that institution? I do not yet know.

Jesus told Nicodemus, a well versed man of scripture—a religious leader that he had to be born of water and of the Spirit to enter into the kingdom of God ( John 3:4-5). This phrase born of water is a translation of the Greek words ex hudatos, that means out of water and refers to a natural birth.

When a woman is about to give birth to her baby, the amniotic sac, that is the fluid-filled sac surrounding and protecting the fetus, breaks. Many women use the term that her waters have broken prior birth and this is what the Lord spoke about.

The term born of the Spirit in the Greek is kai Pneumatos, that literally means of or by the Spirit. Therefore, we refer to two births.

One is out of water—a natural birth from a mother and the other is of the Spirit or by the Spirit of God and this is a spiritual birth. Jesus said that unless a person experiences both of these births, he cannot enter into the Kingdom of God.

The word cannot is from the Greek words ou dunatai, that means it is not possible. Therefore unless we are born from above by the Spirit of God, it is impossible for us to enter the Kingdom of God, or ten basileian. This describes the dominion, the kingdom, or the rule of God—as a King who rules in a Kingdom that has Kingdom rules and laws.

Unless we are “recycled” we live in the natural realm only, or in a domain that is called The Flesh. Jesus said that flesh can only produce Flesh—it is the Spirit that produces spirit (John 3:6). A flesh-and-blood father and mother can only produce a flesh-andblood baby.

power

This is why it is only by the Spirit of God that a person’s spirit can be recreated in Christ Jesus. When we repent of sin and invite Jesus to be our Lord and Savior, it is our spirit that is born again—not our mind, not our emotions and not our body.

People often struggle with wrong thoughts and wrong behaviors and wonder why, if they have been born again. The reason is that the soul and body were not re-created at salvation but the spirit was. It is the Spirit of God, through the Word of God, that works in and with us throughout our lifetime to renew our soul, which affects our body. That’s why Paul prayed:

And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 1

Thessalonians 5:23 (emphasis mine)

To reassure you, in case you wonder if you can “make it”, Paul added:

Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it. 1

Thessalonians 5:24

If you have made some form of commitment to the Lord in the manner of which I speak, the Lord intends sticking with you at all times to the very end so that the day shall come when He comes for you.

SShortly before Nicodemus’ meeting with Jesus, John spoke of power, saying: But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name.

John 1:12

The word but is the Greek word de, that is there to get our attention. It means as great as or as much as, indicating it is an unlimited number. God’s offers a free wide-open invitation to as many as will receive Jesus. This word received is a form of the Greek word lambano, which means to seize to grab, to capture, to lay hold of something in order to make it your own and take possession. Whilst salvation is a free gift to us, in order to experience it, we must choose to reach out in faith and seize it and make it our own.

For all those who grab hold of salvation in Christ, He gives power or exousia, that describes influence and delegated authority. The moment our human spirit is born again, we have been given a new status and have entered a new influence with God and man. God gives us delegated authority to become a son or daughter of God. The words to become are a form of the Greek word ginomai, that describes a change that leads to a transition of one thing to another. This means that being born again is just the beginning of a growing process, hence the term we are saved, we are being saved and we shall be saved

God’s desire for us as His children is that we grow up. We cannot remain as immature infants who keep needing mother’s milk, but most of the church remains in that infant stage and we can see this in Hebrews chapters five and six. We must grow in our salvation. When we become sons of God, the Greek word teknon is used. This describes children who are still under parental guidance at home or children under the authority of a guardian. This means that the moment our human spirit is born again, we move into God’s house, and He begins to guard and guide us as a loving Father. A “divine merger” takes place between Him and us.

The first birth is the natural birth in which we are born of water by the will of man. It is flesh giving birth to flesh. The second birth is the spiritual birth where our spirit is made alive in Christ. We are born again of the Spirit from above and it is by the will of God, not man. To enter the Kingdom of God, we must experience this second birth by the Spirit, regenerated or recycled as it were in a supernatural process.

Paul explained in 1 Corinthians 6:17 that we are joined unto the Lord. The word joined is the Greek word kollomenos, that speaks of being so joined, there is no way to distinguish the individual components. For example, we may make a cup of tea or coffee and the ingredients or components of water, tea leaves or coffee are mixed. Milk or sugar may be added and when one looks at the drink, it is impossible to tell which item is which, because the sugar is dissolved, the milk blends into the tea/coffee/water mix and a completely new state of existence remains.

Kollomenos carries this idea, hence Paul’s words in 2 Corinthians 5:17: Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

The words in Christ are en Christo are not religious phrases, but describe the state of someone being placed into a totally new sphere of existence. It is not a new version of something old but something brand spanking new. We become a totally brand-new creature, and the word creature or ktisis is something made from nothing—not made with old materials, but something that never previously existed. We are a brand spanking new creation that is totally different from what we once were.

When Paul said, old things are passed away in 2 Corinthians 5:17, it describes something passed away or rendered null and void. It means to be disregarded or to be ignored and in this verse speaks of archaic things no longer relevant about our old life. When this happens, all things have become new—so new that it should cause us to wonder as if astonished at the transformation. The original language takes it further describing a state off bewilderment, shock, amazement, and wonder. Once we have an encounter with the risen Lord Jesus Christ, we should be so changed that the difference between the old life and the new life is clearly evident. A good example is one of a butterfly that was once an ugly grub, but went through an irreversible transformation process in a coccoon or “womb” to emerge as a different species.

what can we do?

IIf we are a new species of being, do we continue to live and function as before? What can we Do? What does our Spirit do?

Our spirit is made brand new and its home is our body. God’s word teaches us that we are the temples of the Holy Spirit and that God is a spirit and we are spirit beings. This means that we relate to God spiritually and not intellectually. This also means that we are to care for these temples and the temples are also physical and we shall soon see more of how we are made.

As we’ve noted, it is our spirit that experiences total regeneration at salvation. When we are born again, we know it because the Holy Spirit enters your human spirit and brings it back to life! This is confirmed in Romans 8:16 and Ephesians 2:1.

The Holy Spirit begins communicating and confirming with your spirit that you are a child of God and you have an internal knowing that you’re saved and belong to Him.

Our soul and body remains the same—they don’t change at salvation. It’s only your spirit man—the life force of our being that is made new. The body apart from the spirit is dead according to James 2:26. When the human spirit leaves the body, the body and soul die because our spirit is the life force of your being.

The moment our spirit leaves our body, according to 2 Corinthians 5:8, our spirit man leaves the body behind to go to the Lord. Paul says that we are absent from the body and this is the Greek word ekdemeo, and it means to be away from home. The human body is the home of the human spirit. Our body is only a temporary container and we need to take care of it, so we can accomplish all that God has called us to do.

This brings us to the question, “What can our spirit do?”

The human spirit, which is the real you, is quite extraordinary and can do great things. Your spirit can pray and sing as 1 Corinthians 14:14-15 says: What then is it? I shall pray with the spirit, and I shall also pray with the understanding. I shall sing with the spirit, and I shall also sing with the understanding.

This is more powerful than many Christians think.

The heavenly language of tongues is literally our human spirit speaking. Therefore if you want to become familiar with your human spirit and what’s going on inside of you, begin praying in tongues more. I do and I am often praying throughout the entire day like that, sometimes suddenly bursting into praying in tongues. Over the years, I have learned that when that happens, the Holy Spirit is prompting me to pray for someone. Several of you can attest to that as we later share email messages. We can sing songs to the Lord also. I’ve found that “real worship” in a church can suddenly take on a different format as if we are all being led by an invisible orchestra conductor. We simultaneously fall silent, or burst out into singing the same melody. Often times I start singing the same tunes as the pianist or another musician commences and harmonize and it is not a tune which I had previously learned. It’s a wonderful and awesome thing.

The original Greek in this passage is quite interesting. The phrase with the spirit is to pneumati, that means with the human spirit and the phrase with the understanding is to noi, that means with the human mind, with the intellect, or in the language of the mind.

To experience the greatest benefits from prayer, we should pray with our human spirit in the unknown language of tongues and we are also to pray with our human mind with words we understand.

We can thus both pray and sing with our spirit. We can also bless with the spirit and this means to bless God with words and songs of worship in a heavenly language.

Our human spirit can talk and pray to God, sing to God and bless Him with words of worship, coming from the real you, the deepest part of who you are where the Spirit of God Himself lives.

The human spirit is also referred to as the inner or inward man as we see in 2 Corinthians 4:16.

The outer man (ho exo hemon anthropos) ages, gets tired and worn out. It is inevitable and unavoidable, but we do not have to have an aging mentality. My wife and I attended a regular bible study a week or so ago and some people asked our age. Marjorie asked them how old they thought we were and they were incredulous at her reply as to her age that I never disclose. You don’t do that to a woman! She than asked them how old they thought I am and they guessed! When I told them, they did not believe me, so I proved it by showing them my driver’s license. Age in that sense is a matter of how you believe and it is just a date on a calendar. I choose to believe what God’s word says such as Isaiah 40:28-31 that states:

Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, That the everlasting God, the Lord, The Creator of the ends of the earth, Fainteth not, neither is weary? There is no searching of his understanding.

He giveth power to the faint; And to them that have no might he increaseth strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, And the young men shall utterly fall:

But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings as eagles; They shall run, and not be weary; And they shall walk, and not faint.

I choose to believe! Part of what Paul said reveals that the inward man (eso hemon) is renewed daily and is renewed again and again and again, which is what the original word, anakainoo means. Our spirit man is endlessly fresh, new and unaffected by the effects of the natural.

The moment we become born again, our spirit was born from above by the Spirit of God and we became one with the Lord. We were joined to Him and became glued together with Him in the Spirit. He entered your human spirit through the Person of the Holy Spirit, and in that instant, our spirit was declared righteous and made perfect in Christ—free of all defects. This joining together is typified by marriage and this is why it is so vitally important that we marry no one other than Gods perfect choice. Everything else is false and is often based on pure lust and God does not bless those relationships.

control centre

AAlthough our spirit is instantly transformed the moment we’re saved, our soul remains unchanged. That’s why we’re repeatedly told in Scripture to renew our mind that is the control center of our life. The more we renew our mind with God’s Word, the more we will begin to think like Him, talk like Him, believe like Him, and act like Him. We are multi-layered beings and every part is designed to work together. As we have seen our spirit is the very core of who we are and it is the life force of your being. Without the spirit, there is no life according to James 2:26 and when we are born again the spirit is renewed by an act of God, but we have the task of transforming our mind, where we form feelings, attitudes and beliefs.

Paul said in Romans 12:1-3:

I call upon you, therefore, brothers, through the compassion of Elohim, to present your bodies a living offering—set-apart, wellpleasing to Elohim—your reasonable worship.

And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you prove what is that good and well-pleasing and perfect desire of Elohim.

For I say, through the favour which has been given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he should think, but to think soberly, as Elohim has given to each a measure of belief.

As I break this down a little, please note that God has already given us all a measure of belief or faith. The KJV calls it “The measure of faith”. The standard by which He measures it is the measure of Christ, so in that light we already have “all the faith” we can ever possess. We need to “release it” or put it to work. This “work process” is up to us to do and if faith comes by the hearing of God’s word as we see in Romans 10:17, the work is done by applying the word of the Lord. I used the phrase “control room” to illustrate that this is like reprogramming a computer, or overwriting the code that is in there.

• We are to present ourselves to God.

• We are to erase the memory of our mind and write the “God code” in there.

• We are to actively “prove” for ourselves what pleases God.

• We are to see ourselves as God sees us, not thinking more of ourselves than we should. Conversely this means not to think less of ourselves.

The entire process is termed transformed that is the Greek word metamorphoo, which is a compound of the words meta and morphoo. The word meta describes a turn or a change and the word morphoo depicts a shape, form, or essence. When these words are combined to form metamorphoo, it means to change or to turn into a new shape, form, or essence. This is the process of transformation and it is not instantaneous—it’s a process that takes time.

This brings us to the word renewing that is the Greek word anakainosis that describes the act of making new again or putting something back into its original condition before it was spoiled. It means to renovate and depicts a complete renewal or restoration. This is necessary because our natural mind has been corrupted by the world around us.

The remedy for our mental depravity is to fill our minds with the Word of God. This is more than looking at YouTube presentations and searching answers concerning prophecy etcetera, but reading and studying scriptures. God’s word has the extraordinary ability to penetrate deep into our soul and purge us of all of the things that have shaped our thinking. Ephesians 5:26 says we are washed by the cleansing of God’s word. Little by little, the truth of Scripture puts our mind back into the original condition that God intended and we begin to think the way He thinks.

When we start thinking the way He things, we can talk the way God talks.

The word mind in Romans 12:2 is the Greek word nous and it refers to the mind or the ability to think, to reason, to understand, and to comprehend. It is the place from which we rule and control our inward and outward environment. The mind is the central control center for a human being — the place where reasoning, perception, and understanding take place.

The reason the mind is called the central control center of your life is because it is a part of the soul, which is present between your spirit and your body. The power of God may be living in you, but your mind is like the gatekeeper that decides which part of you is going to dominate—your spirit or your flesh.

We can be motivated by our human spirit where God lives and His perfection and power reigns, or dominated by or flesh nature that acts like a tyrannical dictator demanding its own way.

If the mind is not renewed, it will tend to gravitate toward letting the flesh have its way. An unrenewed mind thinks what it wants to think, says what it wants to say and does what it wants to do. It is unbridled, unrestrained and undisciplined.

If, however, we renew our mind and bring it into agreement with our spirit and God’s Word, our mind will give authority to our spirit to lead the way. All the realities of the new life in Christ will begin to motivate our life and that is why it’s so vital that we renew our mind. Ephesians 4:23 says:

And be renewed in the spirit of your mind.

The word renewed is the Greek word ananeoo, which is a compound of the preposition ana and neos. It means to put something back into its original state—something fresh, new, or young and gives the impression of moving upwards—being led to an advanced and higher state of being.

There are many natural benefits to this process. I mentioned age earlier. Many people assume and believe that as we get older, our mind is supposed to deteriorate in its ability, but that is not so. When we renew our mind with God’s word, it will not deteriorate. Instead of becoming forgetful, the mind can stay alive, fresh, and new and even improve. One medical report I discovered shows that if we consistently use our mind, it will actually reach its peak performance between 70 and 90 years old. Wow! I’m in that age bracket!

By renewing of our mind, the power of God’s Word and the Holy Spirit can enable your mind to function better the older you get!

When I have tried to tell God that I should be retiring, not launching out into a new ministry, His quick response has been a simple, “Moses was 80 when he started”. We all need to quit thinking in the way the world tries to force us to think and start thinking like God.

The word mind in Ephesians 4:23 is the same Greek word nous, seen in Romans. It refers to the ability to think, reason, understand, and comprehend and it is the place from which one rules and controls his inward and outward environment. When we take time to read, study and memorize God’s word, the positive results will be amazing. Jesus said something powerful in Mark 4:24-25: Be careful what you are hearing. The measure [of thought and study] you give [to the truth you hear] will be the measure [of virtue and knowledge] that comes back to you—and more [besides] will be given to you who hear. For to him who has will more be given; and from him who has nothing, even what he has will be taken away [by force]

We must also be renewed in knowledge. This does not refer to getting “information”. Anyone can conduct all kinds of research in a variety of ways and get information, but still fall short of the mark with God. Paul told us in Colossians 3:9-10: Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds; And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him:

This renewal is anakainoo and it is different to the word used in Romans 12:2. This describes a continual never-ending process and what’s interesting is that it says the mind is renewed in knowledge. This refers to a well-instructed, intensive, deep knowledge of the truth and truth is different to getting information. The countless social media topics provide information, but not always truth. It describes someone who knows his facts like a professional, is very knowledgeable and does not rely on opinion. The word epignosis is used here and it is a compound of the words epi and ginosko. Those who know me, will see a favorite word, ginosko describing a very deep, personal intimacy of relationship. The word epi intensifies things and the word ginosko depicts intimate knowledge. Epignosis thus depicts a well-instructed, intensive, deep intimate knowledge of the truth. Another scripture that illustrates the power of renewing our minds is James 1:21 that says: Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls.

The word receive is δέχομαι that means to take quickly, to take readily, or to take with a receptive and welcoming attitude. It is the picture of a person who wastes no time but quickly throws their arms wide open to receive and welcome what God’s Word says. This person welcomes and receives the word with meekness and meekness doesn’t mean weakness.

This is the Greek word prautes, that describes a strong-willed person who has learned to submit his will to a higher authority. Although this individual once thought he or she was always right, this person has learned by experience that God knows better than he or she does and therefore, this person now willingly chooses to submit to what God’s word says. Most people I know of whose lives are messed up are self-opinionated, strong willed and give the impression that they are always right They argue and debate things but do not submit their minds to God. They spend vast amounts of time looking at all kinds of things in social media, on the news, or on YouTube style presentations, but little time quietening their mind and studying God’s word.

The unrenewed mind will argue and disagree with God’s Word. When it does, we have to tell it to shut up and obey what the word says. This mindset of meekness is something we must have in order to receive the engrafted word, that means what it says. We can liken this to implantation, such as an organ implant. Medical science can now replace a faulty lung or kidney and even a new heart. The natural body tries to reject a transplanted organ, their body immediately begins to reject it, so medication is often used to prevent such rejection.

I was speaking with another pastor several days ago and he told me that he had a heart problem. He has been fitted with a defibrillator device, rather than a pace-maker and needs to undergo further surgery to replace the device because the battery is going flat. There is a spiritual message there that lines up with the things I am sharing.

When we allow God’s word to come to us, our soul—our mind, will, and emotions, may want to reject what it says and we must then choose to receive the engrafted word with meekness because it has the power to save our souls (James 1:21). The word save is the Greek word sodzo that describes delivering and healing power—a supernatural ability to deliver, heal, preserve, or protect. The word of God is therefore delivering, healing, preserving, and protecting our souls. The bible therefore is not a matter of religious study and debate, but the very vehicle or instrument that God can use, if we permit Him, to save us.

Our soul psuche is the problem. Apart from God, it doesn’t think right, it’s misled by wrong feelings and ends up making wrong decisions. Just like a person with a bad organ needs to receive an organ transplant to survive, we must receive the engrafted word of God because it is the only thing that has the power to prolong our life and deliver us from wrong thinking, faulty feelings and ungodly decisions. This is what renewing the mind means. The more we submit your mind to the Word of God and come into agreement with the new ideals He has deposited in our spirit, the more you will think the way God thinks. This is what it means to have the mind of Christ as we see in 1 Corinthians 2:16.

2 Peter 1:2 says:

Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord.

When our mind is renewed with the truth of God’s word, grace and peace are multiplied to us!

WWhat I have shared is not a matter of religion, or of getting information, but a matter in many ways of life and death. Paul’s prayer on the first page reveals that God wants us to be complete and whole in every area of our life, not a part of it. He has provided for our salvation—the recycling of our spirit man, but that is not the full story. He wants us to keep going with it—to make sure that our soul “catches up” with our spirit man on this journey. That “old man” in us does not want to go on the journey, so we need to keep him under control—to educate him about the ways of God. It is a battle and Paul knew it. What you and I go through, he went through. He said so in Romans 7:14-24:

The trouble is with me, for I am all too human, a slave to sin. I don’t really understand myself, for I want to do what is right, but I don’t do it. Instead, I do what I hate. But if I know that what I am doing is wrong, this shows that I agree that the law is good. So I am not the one doing wrong; it is sin living in me that does it. And I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. I want to do what is right, but I can’t. I want to do what is good, but I don’t. I don’t want to do what is wrong, but I do it anyway. But if I do what I don’t want to do, I am not really the one doing wrong; it is sin living in me that does it. I have discovered this principle of life—that when I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong. I love God’s law with all my heart. But there is another power within me that is at war with my mind. This power makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me. Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death?

Many wonderful believers struggle like that. Perhaps you do. If so, the old life, that old man who is still sitting on the throne in your life, needs to be re-educated and I speak of the soul life. The good news is that God has provided the answer that we all need to discover as Paul did.

Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord. Romans 7:25

Put God’s word to work and I now close with this:

Never restrain or put out the fire of the Holy Spirit. And don’t be one who scorns prophecies, but be faithful to examine them by putting them to the test, and afterward hold tightly to what has proven to be right. Avoid every appearance of evil.

Now, may the God of peace and harmony set you apart, making you completely holy. And may your entire being—spirit, soul, and body—be kept completely flawless in the appearing of our Lord Jesus, the Anointed One.

The one who calls you by name is trustworthy and will thoroughly complete his work in you. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-24