If we are willing to bring ourselves under the gentle rule of the Spirit He will make it possible for us to conquer our sinful deeds, words, motives, and imaginations. He frees us by bringing to us the Presence, authority, power, and moral Nature of Christ. We are set free from the lustful, murderous, idolatrous tendencies of our flesh by the Presence of God.

We always must keep in mind that the enabling power for righteous living that comes to us in the Holy Spirit is founded on the fact that our sins have been, and continue to be, forgiven by the merits of the atoning blood of Christ on the cross. We must regard ourselves as having been crucified with Christ and resurrected with Christ in order for the Holy Spirit to release us from the lordship of sin.

As we press forward in the Spirit of the Lord, bringing under subjection by Christ's power the lusts of our flesh and the rebellion of our mind, we grow in eternal resurrection life. We develop and mature in the new covenant. We move along in the purpose of God for us, which is that we be changed into the image of Christ.

By walking in the Spirit of God we keep on drawing closer to the day when we are fit to be part of the eternal Temple of God. It is God's will that we become transformed by consistent and increasing exposure to His Glory.

The Day of the Lord is breaking over the horizon of our soul. The light of His Presence will shine more and more brightly until our whole being is filled to fullness with His glorious radiance and we know as we are known.

The decision is ours each day. We can live the life of the animal, eating, sleeping, playing, working, and reproducing, or we can make the focus of each day seeking the Kingdom of God and His righteousness. We can bury ourselves in the cares and temptations of physical life, or we can spend some time each day praying and meditating in God's Word.

Living by the Spirit is made much easier when we can find an assembly of fervent Christians. Meeting consistently with them builds us up in the faith and protects us against deception.

We need to understand clearly that it is our resurrection from the dead that is at stake. If we choose to live in our fleshly nature we will reap corruption in the Day of the Lord. This means we will not be raised into immortality in the body. If we choose to pray and seek the mind of the Lord in each aspect of life, when we are raised from the dead we shall reap eternal life.

Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. (Galatians 6:7,8—NIV)

Grace and mercy do not affect the unchangeable Kingdom law of sowing and reaping, except that Divine grace will help us change what we are sowing if we choose to look to the Lord each day. (from Christ In You)