As soon as the Spirit begins to deal with the area of concern we are to go to God, confess our sin, receive our forgiveness and cleansing, and then resolve to renounce and resist this sin at every opportunity. Some sins leave us quickly. Others require a long battle before they finally leave. But we are never to quit. The Christian discipleship is a protracted battle against our sinful nature.

It never, never, never is God's will that we continue blithely and carelessly in known sin. If we cannot gain the victory by means of prayer, then we need to go to others in the Body of Christ, or the elders of our church, and ask for prayer. We may have to fast and pray on occasion. Christ will bring us to perfect victory if we do not give up.

All deliverance from sin is conducted by the Spirit of God. Notice especially the following two verses:

For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live, because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. (Romans 8:13,14 NIV)

The sons of God are led continually to put to death their sinful deeds. By so doing they enter eternal life and prepare themselves for the redemption of their physical body at the coming of the Lord.

Do you remember our discussion of Romans 6:22, that the result of being the slave of God is holiness, and the result of holiness is eternal life? Eternal life is something you have to sow to each day, and you do this by walking carefully in the Spirit of God, confessing your sins as you become aware of them, singing and praying as you go about your business.

Really, the secret of living in the Spirit of God is the practice of bringing every decision, great and small, to the Lord in prayer. We make numerous decisions each day, mostly little decisions but sometimes major ones. We are to bring all to the Lord. This is not as difficult as it may sound.

In all our ways we are to acknowledge the Lord. Then He shall always direct our path. This is what it means to live in the Spirit.

As we submit to the law of the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus we are without condemnation before God and we are slowly but surely gaining the upper hand over worldliness, lust, and self-will. This is what it means to be saved. Christ came to save us from our sins, not in our sins.

There is an excellent passage in the Book of Galatians that shows us how we escape slavery to sin and become the slaves of God and of righteousness.

So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. (Galatians 5:16 NIV)

How do we keep from living in the sinful nature? By living by the Spirit.

To be continued.