John 6:63 NLT
The Spirit alone gives eternal life. Human effort accomplishes nothing. And the very words I have spoken to you are spirit and life.
How often do you find yourself fighting to repent/change something in your life that you know is not pleasing to God? The more you fight, the more you feel defeated. As I listened or read sermons from different teachers and preachers, I noticed very few taught repentance which simply means to change the course of your life toward God’s will not your own. I believe according to scriptures after becoming a follower of Jesus your life must transform from your former lifestyle.
Jesus explained clearly what it takes to follow him (Mark 8:34-38, Mathew 16:24-27). Galatians 2:20-21 explains what transformation in a Christian’s life should be like. In verse 21, the writer went further to say, “righteousness is not gained through the law”, otherwise “Christ died for nothing.” When Jesus utters these words in the passage, it is a reminder that we can’t change ourselves. The Holy Spirit is the only way to access eternal life. Jesus went further by telling us how to obtain the spirit and life through his words. One of my favorite scriptures is Hebrews 4:12-13, “For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are open and laid bare to the eyes of Him with whom we have to do” (KJV). My encouragement to you is to stop fighting to change by your own strength! Simply allow the word of God through the Holly Spirit to transform you as you learn the different schemes that the devil is throwing in your path to distract you. The decision to repent is the first step; allowing God to help you get rid of all the things that can hinder your progress is the second step and sometimes the hardest is the last step which is surrendering to the will of God by allowing the words of Jesus to speak new life into your soul. I believe everyone who teaches and shares the Word of God are ministers by Jesus’ design when he said: “go and make disciples of all nations” (Mathew 28:19). He has called each of us into ministry. As ministers of the word, we must teach repentance and the power through the Holy Spirit that helps us fight against the flesh. Yes! We “have all sinned and fell short of the glory of God” (KJV). In the next few verses of the same chapter Paul reminded us that in God’s grace, he makes us right in his sight because Jesus freed us from the penalty of our sins (Romans 3:23-24). Yet, many use verse 23 of that chapter as a reason to keep sinning and disregarding the fact that those who are in Christ are no longer bound by the flesh which is our sinful nature. Our goal is to strive daily to remain in that freedom and when we stumble, the blood of Christ that is full of grace and mercy is there to help us get back on course as we wait for the return of our Savior. Let us surrender our will to the Holy Spirit who can only lead us to eternal life!
