Romans 8:7-9

Romans 8:7  

“The mind governed by the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so.”

The mind ruled by the flesh is incapable of pleasing God—hostile to Him even, refusing to submit, to acknowledge something with wisdom beyond its own. That is why we need the spirit within. It has the power to overrule the mind and long instead for our heavenly home. The spirit inside will form the connection to the Spirit of God.

Romans 8:8

“Those who are in the realm of the flesh cannot please God.”

By living mentally in the realm of flesh, we are subjecting ourselves to it. A mind not fixed on God will not please Him because it doesn’t listen how.  Bunny trail: fasting is seen in the Bible is a way to step away from the physical and into the spiritual. By denying the flesh its “bread“ we force it to turn to Christ as it’s “daily bread”. Fasting is denying oneself, and when we deny our own earthly devices, we must seek another, heavenly sustenance to rely on.

Romans 8:9

“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.”

How amazing that we who have Christ within us are not bound by the chains of this world, that it is not our home. We are now in the realm of the spirit! 

Those without the Spirit of God in them do not have all of this amazing access to God or assurance of another beautiful life apart from their void earthly one. This fact ought to make us desire to show others the power of Christ and the amazing happenings of heavenly realms! We are not in the realm of flesh, but in spirit! That is, if The Spirit of God lives in you. Those without the Spirit of God do not belong to Christ – the spiritual body of the church. Apart from him there is no true identity. Keep your mind on things above. Look to the Lord to know yourself, the Maker knows His work. Heavenly realms are revealed when you open your eyes to them – when you choose to look beyond the flash and take hold of the spiritual world you are present in.