Delight Yourself in the Lord Devotionals

Escape from Bondage - Romans 8

Bondage is defined as "the state of being a slave." How many Christ followers still live their lives in bondage to attitudes, habits, sins, and perceptions? The Bible tells us that the Lord has set us free. Why, then, do we continue to fall into sinful habits and rebellion?

One reason is our minds. Romans 8:6 tells us that "the mind of the flesh is death [both now and forever - because it pursues sin]; but the mind of the Spirit is life and peace [the spiritual well-being that comes from walking with God - both now and forever]" (emphasis mine). This chapter goes on to reveal that the flesh is actively hostile to God and will not submit to His law because the flesh cannot submit and that those of us still living in that place of flesh are catering to sinful appetites and impulses and cannot please God.

One of my favorite portions of Scripture is Romans 12. I feel that Romans 12 reveals what it truly means to be called by God on a basic lifestyle level. We see that this chapter in Romans tells us how one can please God and find His perfect will for their lives and it is done through the renewing of their mind. In order to live by the Spirit and renew our minds, Romans 8 tells us that we must "set our minds on God's will and purpose."

The challenge we face as followers of Christ is to make our bodies living sacrifices, holy and acceptable unto God (Romans 12) and habitually put sinful deeds to death by the power of Holy Spirit (Romans 8). How is this done? It is primarily done through a love relationship with Jesus Christ, when a follower of Christ fully realizes that the momentary pleasures of the flesh are nothing compared to the wondrous experiences with Christ. The power to avoid temptation through Holy Spirit truly comes when one realizes that Christ is far better than the fleeting pleasures of this world and the guilt and shame that accompanies rebellion and sinful choices. The rewards of pursuing a Spirit-led life rather than a flesh-fed life are worth denying oneself.

Jesus has not only given us the keys to our prisons, but He has opened the doors. All we need to do is choose to step through them into freedom.

Romans 8:3-4, AMP, "For what the Law could not do [that is, overcome sin and remove its penalty, its power] being weakened by the flesh [man's nature without the Holy Spirit], God did: He sent His own Son in the likeness of sinful man as an offering for sin. And He condemned sin in the flesh [subdued it and overcame it in the person of His own Son], so that the [righteous and just] requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us who do not live our lives in the ways of the flesh [guided by worldliness and our sinful nature], but [live our lives] in the ways of the Spirit [guided by His power]."

Read all of Romans 8 Amplified version here: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Romans+8&version=AMP