Spirit of Life
1 There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. 3 For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin,c he condemned sin in the flesh, 4in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. 5 For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit.
O God, law Giver and Sustainer of our life, You’ve judged our soul according to Your righteous and good law and therefore condemned those who are not children of God to be children wrath. Through Jesus Christ, our Savio, we are redeemed, reconciled, and restored to the Father. By Your grace, we no longer walk in the flesh by the spirit of faith in the Son of God. Let the Spirit give us a new life and zeal to understand God’s will.
Spirit of Peace
6 For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. 7 For the mind set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law; indeed, it cannot. 8 Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.
Holy Spirit, you’ve taught us how to set our minds on the things that please God. For once we were hostile with God through our transgressions. God’s law is holy, which is all good, profitable, and perfect. Let us follow His word by faith and not by our good works. We pray, O Lord, that your teachings will expand our understanding of your word and develop wisdom from it. Crush our spirit of fleshly and earthly desires that please the eyes and instead seek your heavenly ones.
Spirit of God dwells in You
9 You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact, the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. 10, But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. 11 If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.
What a beautiful gift of freedom we have in Jesus Christ our Saviour. He provided us with a Helper so that all His teachings would be us. Your promises, steadfast love, care, goodness, and righteousness are imputed into our hearts.
Lead by the Spirit
12 Then, brothers, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. 13 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. 14 For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. 15 For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” 16 The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, 17 and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.
O God, the Spirit revealed and made us understand we are children of God. Daughters and sons of the Beloved Son, in the hope of eternal life that is found in Jesus. Spirit of truth, you bear witness and glorify Him so that we may sing hymns and songs to the Almighty.
Glory Revealed
18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. 19 For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. 20 For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope 21that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. 22 For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. 23 And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. 24 For in this hope we were saved. Now, hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? 25 But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.
Oh God, we groaned inwardly as we waited eagerly and prayed for our lost sons or daughters. Their unfaithfulness, rebellion, austerity, and asceticism against You have grieved us as parents. Our hope of their redemption rests in Your promises, and we shall wait through our prayers that one day, they also will be saved and glorify Your name. Our distress and pain not being able to pull them out of their misery and suffering at times take their toll on our weak spirit. Forgive us, Lord, when we doubt your divine intervention.
The Spirit Helps
26Likewise the Spirit helps us in weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. 27And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. 28 And we know, that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. 29 For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed that of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. 30 And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.
We’re thankful our prayers are heard and the Spirit helped us in our weaknesses. Forgive us when we pray for things we do not need. Let your servant be humble in prayer to do Your will in all things. Spirit, lover of our souls, make our simple prayer a sweet aroma to God. We’re in your merciful hands. Oh that all things will work together for the glory of God.
The Love of Christ
31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? 33 Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. 34 Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us.j 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? 36, As it is written, “For your sake, we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaugh tired.”37No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
The Spirit revealed Jesus Christ through His work of saving grace and redemption, and now He’s sitting at the right hand of God. Nothing shall separate us from the love of Jesus Christ.
This prayer was longer than I remembered, but it was worth reading. It was written on February 26, 2003. That’s what I love about recording my thoughts in a journal. It’s a record of my heart and mind’s willingness to learn from God.
Let’s Go Pray!
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