February 27 - Romans 8:1

February 27
Romans 8:1

Romans 8:1 There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.

When we accepted Christ into our hearts, the Holy Spirit came to indwell our hearts to comfort, guide, instruct and empower us to live the life of a follower of Jesus Christ. Then daily we chose to live our lives by following after the Spirit, or live our lives for ourselves by following after the lusts of the flesh..

This verse gives us an idea of what kind of inner struggles we go through as believers when we sin. You see, the Holy Spirit is busily at work within believers to convict us when we sin. Conviction brings forth repentance, forgiveness, cleanliness and freedom. The devil, on the other hand, is also busily at work to bring on condemnation when we sin to where we feel guilty, dirty and a feeling of being punished for our sins.

There is a difference between conviction and condemnation. Conviction in Greek is translated to the convincing of truth; to reprove. The truth then convinces us of our wrongs and rebukes us of our sins. That brings us to a heart of repentance. That is what the Holy Spirit does within us when we sin. Condemnation, on the other hand means an adverse sentence of punishment, and that is what Satan does with us. He wants us to stay feeling condemned, so we never feel free from the bondage of the sin and always have a feeling of being defeated.

So then, what is the remedy here? First of all, examine the feeling you are experiencing. Do you feel convicted of sin or condemned in your sin. Secondly, ask yourself whether you are walking in the Spirit or in the flesh.

If you are feeling condemned, know then it is the devil at work in your life. If you are walking according to the Spirit, then know that the devil wants to rob you of what God wants for you. If, however, you have been walking in the flesh, simply repent, make a U turn and follow after the things of the Lord.

Just never forget, God loves and convicts and Satan hates and condemns.