Because 50 Day 39
Scripture Reading: Romans 8:9-11
9You, however, are not in the realm of the flesh but are in the realm of the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ. 10But if Christ is in you, then even though your body is subject to death because of sin, the Spirit gives life because of righteousness. 11And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you.
Today’s Prayer:
God, let me life look like the power of the Holy Spirit lives inside of me.
Going Deeper:
A few years ago, my wife and I had a young lady living with us for a few months as she got back on her feet. She had been away for the evening visiting her mom. The weather was miserable. It had been raining non-stop for several days and the ground was saturated with water. When she was dropped off, her mom’s boyfriend had pulled into our side yard. In his haste to leave, he gunned his engine. The engine roared, the tires spun and he went nowhere but down. He made an impressive set of ruts right where he had parked in our yard. He gunned the engine again and again went nowhere but deeper into the mud. It wasn’t until he came and asked for help that he ever got out of the deep, muddy situation he had placed himself.
Sometimes in our lives, we get into a situation and we try to deal with the issue on our own, in our own power and ability and we are just as effective as that car stuck in the mud. We make loud noises and we spin our wheels but we don’t go anywhere. Has there ever been a time in your life when you felt stuck like that? How did you get out of the situation? It’s not until we admit our need and submit to the leading and direction of another that we can do what we were made to be doing.
Paul wrote to the church in Rome and he said, “the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you.” We strive under our own power while we forget that the Holy Spirit, the very one who raised Jesus Christ from the dead, is alive in us. I’m always amazed by stories of people who might have coded on a surgery table and been revived. What happened with Jesus is even more amazing. He was publicly executed, declared dead by the dominating world empire of the day, buried for three days and then resurrected. Now that is power! And the same power that made that happen is alive in you! Do you believe that? Do you truly believe that? If I’m completely honest, I’d have to say that there are times that my prayer life does not indicate that I’ve truly believed that statement yet. I mumble and apologize for asking God to work if He can while the power that raised Jesus Christ from the dead is already alive and available within me. How does it change your prayer life when you fully understand the fact that the Holy Spirit lives inside of you?