These last several days I have been meditating on  Romans 8:1.  As a matter of fact these last couple of years I have been, so to speak, revisiting my salvation experience and looking at my own personal relationship with my Father in Heaven.  It is more real to me than it ever has been and I am amazed at God’s plan for our salvation–our reconciliation with Him.  A true miracle. Romans 8:1 says:

There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus,^[a] who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.  NKJV

The words “no condemnation” in this verse speak to our eternal life. When we “believe in” and “confess” Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior we are no longer destined(condemned)  to eternal hell. You may say, “That sounds a little strong.”  Maybe, but it is the Truth. There is only one way to Heaven and that is by accepting Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior.  He died on the cross for our sins–past, present, and future. 

 There were many years in my life where I wandered and searched for my purpose in life. Yes, I believed in God and loved Jesus,  but I didn’t have a real understanding of what my salvation meant when as a ten year old little girl I repeated the “sinner’s” prayer in the backyard of my friend’s house. Her Mother had invited me to her “Good News Club” and I was so excited to go because there was not much  talk of Jesus in my home and I so wanted to know Him more than the pictures my Grandmother had in her house.  I know He carried me with His grace and mercy for the rest of those years when I confusingly wandered and questioned my existence.  I was definitely on a crooked path for quite a few years — it was like I was trying to find my way back to Him but there was something blocking it called “life in the flesh”.  Other religions even tried to catch my attention.  In my study I found out that not all Bible translations have the last part of the verse which says,  “who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.”  That’s the key !  I was trying to live what I thought was a Christian life while walking in the flesh. It can’t be done.  We have to walk according to the Spirit of God who dwells within us–The Holy Spirit.  If we don’t, even though we are no longer condemned because we asked Jesus to come into our hearts, we will wander aimlessly. For some reason I had no conception of this as a child and with NO discipleship and not being taken to church I ended up forming my own idea of being a Christian. I had no idea about walking in the Spirit. I cannot even begin to decribe how important it is for us to walk in the Spirit and not the flesh.  Christ is in us–our hope of Glory.  The love of God has been shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit.  What keeps us from walking in the spirit? Why do we seem to struggle with it? How can we get to the point where our spirit more times than not will overrule our flesh?  That is where I want desire to live–in the spirit.

Lord God, I ask you to touch all children who have accepted your Son as their Savior but aren’t being discipled and are confused but at the same time have an inner desire for you.  You formed them in their mother’s womb and they are fearfully and wonderfully made.  Show them how they can walk in the Spirit right now.  Put people in their paths so theirs may be straight. And Lord strengthen all of us in order that we may operate in the spirit and not the flesh. In Jesus’ name I pray,  Amen