Ewald Schmidt

“You, however, are not in the realm of the flesh but are in the realm of the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ.” Romans 8:9 (NIV)

One evening, during my university years, our dormitory had a function at a venue outside the city. One group of friends had an evening of wine, women and song. The next morning not one of them could remember who had driven their vehicle back, or where the dent in the front fender had come from. With a lot of God’s mercy involved they survived their journey. Is this not what is happening in many people’s lives? So many living completely unaware of the identity of the driver of their lives. Then they wonder how come there are so many dents in their lives.

Yesterday, we learnt that someone who is not guided by the Holy Spirit on their journey of life is not able to please God. There is a much better way to stay on course in God’s will than trying to navigate by oneself. Children of God, people who are “in Christ” are not governed by their flesh. They have given up their position behind the steering wheel of their lives. They have given full control to the Holy Spirit. And now their lives are in good hands. The Holy Spirit is God who chooses to dwell in his children. He renews our lives from the inside. He gives us the inner strength to think new thoughts, to do new deeds, to live a new lifestyle to his glory.

How will I know if I am God’s child? The Holy Spirit dwells in God’s children, we will see his presence. It begins in 1 Corinthians 12:3 with the ability to confess that Jesus Christ is Lord – you can only honestly do that through the indwelling of the Spirit. The fruit of the Holy Spirit gives further testimony that someone is guided by him. We are all broken people in some way, but the love, joy, peace … All the fruits of the Spirit start to shimmer through all our cracks. Without the Holy Spirit in control, we do not belong to God. But with him in our lives we are renewed, living with faith, living with hope, because the Driver of our lives knows the path home …

Prayer: Holy Spirit, please take full control of my life, and guide me on the right path. Thank you for your faithfulness, that I can always rely on you. You always have my best interests at heart, and you never forsake me. Thank you, Lord! Amen