Chapter 17 of 17

As one who truly sought holiness, I discovered

As one who truly sought holiness, I discovered

As one who truly sought holiness, I discovered that I often had unholy thoughts. For example, I might speak kindly to a brother outwardly, but inwardly I disliked or even despised him. That was sinful, and I later prayed, "O God, my Father, forgive me for despising my brother in my heart. Cleanse me with the blood. From now on help me not to do this." Then I spoke with another brother, and the same thing happened again. When I did not pray this way, however, I was not troubled. Even if I tried to despise a brother, I could not do it. But after praying about it, I began to despise the brothers. This situation con­ tinued for years. One day I discovered that I had been living in Romans 7. To will was pres­ ent with me, but to do what I had willed was not.

What then should we do? We should not will any more. However, it is not easy to stop. Never­ theless, whenever you are tempted to will, you must say, "Devil, get away from me. I won't be cheated by you, and I won't listen to you." Instead of willing, we should set our mind upon the spirit. This is the key. We must practice just one thing: setting our mind upon the spirit and walk­ ing according to the spirit. Do not think about what will happen if a certain brother irritates you. If you keep on exercising your will, you will

fail. But if your mind and your whole being are set upon the spirit and you act according to the spirit, you will be freed from the flesh in a prac­ tical way. What a difference there will be in your daily living! We need to practice this. We do not need to stay in Romans 5, 6, or 7, but in Romans 8, setting our mind upon the spirit and living, walk­ ing, and behaving according to our spirit. Then we shall experience a full release from sin, the law, and the flesh.

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Life-study of Romans © 1984 Living Stream Ministry

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