2017 40 Days of Prayer, Day 14
The Abiding Presence of God:
A Life of Complete Dependence
Day 14
“For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.” Romans 8:14
Being Led by the Spirit
A radical change has occurred. The before and after picture begins to emerge here in Romans 8. We were under condemnation. Now, we are righteous in God’s eyes. We were dead in our sins. Now, we are alive. Before Christ came, sin dominated our lives. Now, the Spirit of God dwells within us. Sin brought death. The Spirit brings life and the promise of physical restoration at the resurrection of the church. We come now to the next in this incredible string of blessings designed to give strength to our soul for the daily struggles in this life. Paul speaks now of our relationship transformation. We are sons of God. If the Spirit of God dwells in you, then you belong to Christ. If you belong to Christ, you are part of His family. Christ, the Son of God, brings many sons and daughters into the family. God becomes our very own Father through Christ. It is the Spirit of God that bears testimony to this marvelous truth. In verse 9, the Spirit gives testimony to our standing with Christ. If the Spirit dwells in you, then you belong to Christ.
Now, a new and more remarkable truth, if your life is marked by the leading of the Holy Spirit, then you are a child of God. Paul used the gender specific term here, “sons.” This is not a gender bias by Paul for Paul said in Galatians 3:28, “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” However, in Paul’s culture only male children could inherit their father’s estate. It is true that we are children of God, as verified in plenty of biblical texts. For instance, John 1:12 says, “But as many as received Him, He gave them the right to become children of God.” Even in this very passage, Paul used the gender-neutral term. “The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God,” Romans 8:16. However, in this text, Paul emphasized the relational change that comes to us; we are all sons of God through faith in Christ. He also emphasized the inheritance that is rightfully ours. All believers, men and women, share in the inheritance that comes as children of God through faith in Christ.
Prayer Focus
God, thank You for making me Your child. Thank You, for allowing me to share in the inheritance of Your Son. As Your child, let this day reflect my relationship with You. Holy Spirit, lead me today. Guide my thoughts and my attitudes. Direct my words and my actions for the sake of the name of my Lord, Jesus Christ.
From DL Moody’s Secret Power
WHAT IS NEEDED
Nine-tenths, at least, of the church members never think of speaking for Christ. If they see a man, perhaps a near relative, just going right down to ruin, going rapidly, they never think of speaking to him about his sinful course and of seeking to win him to Christ. Now certainly there must be something wrong. And yet when you talk with them you find they have faith, and you cannot say they are not children of God; but they have not the power, they have not the liberty, they have not the love that real disciples of Christ should have. A great many people are thinking that we need new measures, that we need new churches, that we need new choirs, and all these new things. That is not what the Church of God needs today. It is the old power that the Apostles had; that is what we want, and if we have that in our churches, there will be new life. Then we will have new ministers - the same old ministers renewed with power; filled with the Spirit. I remember when in Chicago many were toiling in the work, and it seemed as though the car of salvation didn’t move on, when a minister began to cry out from the very depths of his heart, “Oh, God, put new ministers in every pulpit.” On next Monday I heard two or three men stand up and say, “We had a new minister last Sunday - the same old minister, but he had got new power.” and I firmly believe that is what we want today all over America. We want new ministers in the pulpit and new people in the pews. We want people quickened by the Spirit of God, and the Spirit coming down and taking possession of the children of God and giving them power. Then a man filled with the Spirit will know how to use “the sword of the Spirit.” If a man is not filled with the Spirit, he will never know how to use the Book. We are told that this is the sword of the Spirit; and what is an army good for that does not know how to uses its weapons? Suppose a battle is going on, and I were a general and had a hundred thousand men, great, able-bodied men, full of life, but they could not one of them handle a sword, and not one of them knew how to use his rifle, what would that army be good for? Why, one thousand well-drilled men, with good weapons, would rout the whole of them. The reason why the Church does not overcome the enemy is, because she don’t know how to use the sword of the Spirit. People will get up and try to fight the devil with their experiences, but he doesn’t care for that, he will overcome them every time. People are trying to fight the devil with theories and pet ideas, but he will get the victory over them likewise. What we want is to draw the sword of the Spirit. It is that which cuts deeper than anything else. Turn in your Bibles to Ephesians 6:14: “Stand, therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; and your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all (or over all), taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God.