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Led by the Spirit For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. (Romans 8:14) Paul’s assertion here is simple: those who are led by the Spirit are God’s children. Being led by the Spirit is evidence of genuine faith, evidence of the redemptive work of Christ. The opposite is also true. Those who are not being led by the Spirit are not the children of God. Being led by the Spirit is not an option that the believer can choose or decline; it is essential to the child of God. So, what does it mean to be “led by the Spirit?” We tend to think of this in a very task-oriented or transactional way. We have a decision to make that we do not feel we can make on our own, so we turn to God for guidance. We are trying to decide what house to buy, whether we should relocate for a job, or make some other decision where we realize that our choice will have long-lasting consequences. We want to know God’s will in making these big decisions. We want Him, through His Spirit, to lead us (or, honestly, just to give

So then, brothers, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. (Romans 8:12-13) This Apostle Paul draws a conclusion here based on the preceding passage, which begins with the declaration that there is no condemnation to those who are in Christ and that we have been freed from the law of sin and death (Romans 8:1-2). That is quite a declaration of freedom. Now we have this conclusion that we are debtors. If we are free, what are we debtors to? At some time or other, most of us have gone into debt for a home, a vehicle, a business, etc. We have taken on this debt because of our choices, both good and bad choices. We are familiar with the impact debt can have on our lives and prospects for the future. The same is true spiritually; the choices we make have consequences. The freedom we have in Christ is not liberty to do whatever we want. Rather, in Christ we are free to serve something other than the lusts of our old, sinful nature. So, to what then are we debtors? But now we are released from the law, having died to that which held us captive, so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit and not in the old way of the written code (Romans 7:6). We are debtors to Grace, to live a life of holiness, a life that is being conformed to His image and purpose. Paul would later amplify this point in Romans 12:1 when he wrote I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. Paul is not offering an option here of the best way to follow Christ. This is a command for every believer to, by the power of the Spirit, crucify the deeds and lusts of the flesh and follow Him with our whole being. The hymn writer Robert Robinson captured this idea perfectly when he penned these words in “Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing.” Oh, to grace how great a debtor Daily I’m constrained to be! Let that grace now, like a fetter, Bind my yielded heart to Thee. In Christ you are free. How are you walking in that freedom? By Jesse Smith

“You are not of the world…” (see John 17:14-17) “It’s when we go deeper that we go higher. What the vision is, his Kingdom instead of my empire, his will over my desires, his lordship over what I believe the industry requires. It’s an upside-down Kingdom, and we go higher when we go deeper – deeper than the world’s metric for success, where the culture would rather keep people impressed with the superficial, obsessed with what is temporal, stressed over gaining material wealth, and settling for less than what is eternal. We are called to go deeper.” These words were delivered by Spoken Word artist Jarrel Flowers at a recent Christian business leadership conference. His message was a convicting and hope-filled call to action, reminding marketplace leaders that their work is not secular or second-class, but sacred. Romans 12:2 (MSG) echoes this truth: Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. It shouldn’t be a surprise that world systems are rapidly shifting, and the pressure to ‘go-with-the-flow’ is rising. Yet, as followers of Christ, we are not called to conform but to stand apart, just as Jesus did. The apostle John exhorted early believers overwhelmed by worldly challenges with these words, Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them. For everything in the world – the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life – comes not from the Father but from the world (1 John 2:15-16 NIV). Daniel 3 tells us that Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego refused to worship the golden image King Nebuchadnezzar set up, declaring: “But even if he [God] does not [deliver us] , we want you to know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up” (Daniel 3:18). Can we be bold enough to speak these words to the gods of our culture that so easily entangle us? Friends, we have been redeemed to live differently, set apart for Kingdom impact and God’s glory. As 1 Peter 2:9 (NIV) reminds us, but you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Let us not forget this truth about Christ followers as we navigate the pressures of our culture: we are not just ordinary men walking the face of this earth, but we are ones donning priestly garments and called to be countercultural for Christ! By George Donkor George and his wife, Christiana, are proud parents of Annajoy and Elijah. They love serving Jesus together and showing Him to the world around them.