Who Is In Control?

I use the term Jesus used in John 3, when speaking to Nicodemus, and the term is born-again. Some people have a problem with this term, in that it has become minimized to the point of jest by some who see themselves as intellectuals, and the term for them as a Christian is almost a derogatory term. Wellll, these are the words of Jesus from John 3:³ Jesus replied “I tell you the truth, unless you are born again, you cannot see the Kingdom of God.” If you have a problem with the term born again, then you have a problem with Jesus, and that is a REAL problem. We are in a "spiritual" battle, and we live with the help and guidance of the "holy" spirit of God. Life in the Spirit should not be a stretch for any born-again believer, IF they are truly born again. If they are not truly regenerated and made new, then that is an eternal problem, and they need to receive Jesus by faith and let Jesus have control of their life.

Paul explains it all in Romans 8, where He says Romans 8: 1 So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus.² And because you belong to him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death. ³ The law of Moses was unable to save us because of the weakness of our sinful nature. So God did what the law could not do. He sent his own Son in a body like the bodies we sinners have. And in that body God declared an end to sin’s control over us by giving his Son as a sacrifice for our sins. ⁴ He did this so that the just requirement of the law would be fully satisfied for us, who no longer follow our sinful nature but instead follow the Spirit.

You cannot follow the Holy Spirit if you were not born again in the Spirit!! Church attendance won't make a difference, and all the Bible reading in the world will still not guarantee you a place with God in eternity if you are not born again, and this time, in the Spirit. We are to be guided by the Holy Spirit, and that cannot happen unless you are born again!! I am not adding or taking away any of Jesus' words because His Word is perfect. Get that? PERFECT. Nuff said..

If you are born again, the Holy Spirit is in control. Not the preacher you listen to, or the Bible study leader who leads your Bible study, or even a relative in your life. Most assuredly, a religious institution is not to be in control of your life because most of them will be politically based and not Biblical or spiritually based. We are not to put any "filter" in our thinking that overrules the Holy Spirit's work in our hearts and our minds. The enemy offers many filters that add human reasoning to God's Word, and those are meant to make the perfect truth of God more palatable and pleasing. Don't fall for that and let the Holy Spirit guide you in your walk with Jesus, and that faith walk will be real and empowering. Whether you believe it or not, at that point, God is truly in control, and the Holy Spirit is leading.

But you cannot experience that power and leadership unless you are born-again in the Spirit. "Jesus' words." Who is in control? Paul went on in Romans 8 to clarify even more so. Romans 8: ⁹ But you are not controlled by your sinful nature. You are controlled by the Spirit if you have the Spirit of God living in you. (And remember that those who do not have the Spirit of Christ living in them do not belong to him at all.)¹⁰ And Christ lives within you, so even though your body will die because of sin, the Spirit gives you life because you have been made right with God.¹¹ The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you. And just as God raised Christ Jesus from the dead, he will give life to your mortal bodies by this same Spirit living within you. I will just end my blog right there.....

The Pilgrimage Continues,

David Warren