Opening Prayer

Heavenly Father,

We come before You with grateful hearts, acknowledging that our new life comes from You alone. Thank You for the gospel that has brought us into a living relationship with You and for the gift of the Holy Spirit who dwells within us. As we study Your Word today, open our minds to understand Your truth and soften our hearts to receive it. Teach us what it means to live not by our own strength, but by Your Spirit. Help us to rely on Your power, to walk in obedience, and to reflect Your character in all that we do. May this time draw us closer to You and deepen our dependence on Your presence.

In Jesus’ name,

Amen.

The Bible presents two kinds of people—the natural person and the spiritual person—not to label or divide for pride, but to clarify the difference between life without God and life transformed by Him.

1. Every spiritual man is sealed with the Holy Spirit.

EPHESIANS 1:13 In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation—having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise,

This passage establishes the foundation of what it means to be a spiritual person. When someone responds to the gospel in faith, God Himself acts by sealing that believer with the Holy Spirit. This sealing is not symbolic but decisive—it marks a complete change of identity and a secure relationship with God. The presence of the Spirit is the evidence that salvation is already accomplished and guaranteed, not dependent on human consistency but on God’s promise. This aligns with the truth that transformation is internal and spiritual; the believer is no longer defined by the old life but by a new identity in Christ, grounded in God’s faithfulness rather than personal effort.

2. Spiritual person has the capability of being filled with the Holy Spirit.

EPHESIANS 5:18 And do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit,

While the Spirit permanently indwells the believer, this verse highlights the ongoing responsibility to live under His influence. Being “filled” with the Spirit points to a continuous yielding, where the believer allows the Spirit to direct thoughts, desires, and actions. It shows that the Christian life is active, not passive. The contrast with drunkenness emphasizes control—just as something external can dominate a person, so the Spirit is meant to guide and govern the believer’s life. This connects with the idea that spiritual growth does not come from gaining more of the Spirit, but from allowing Him greater control in daily living.

GALATIANS 5:16 But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh.

This verse explains the practical outcome of living under the Spirit’s control. The struggle with sinful desires is real, but the solution is not stronger willpower—it is a different way of living. Walking by the Spirit means depending on Him moment by moment, trusting His power instead of self-effort. This aligns with the truth that many failures in the Christian life come from relying on human strength. Victory over the flesh is not achieved by resisting harder, but by redirecting dependence toward the Spirit, who provides the power to live differently.

GALATIANS 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.

These verses describe the visible evidence of a life controlled by the Spirit. The qualities listed are not produced through human determination but are the natural result of the Spirit’s work within. This reinforces the idea that true transformation comes from within, not from external effort. When believers rely on willpower, they struggle in the same way the world does, trying to manufacture what only God can produce. But when they yield to the Spirit, these qualities emerge as His fruit, demonstrating a life that reflects God’s character. This shows that the Christian life is not about self-improvement, but about Spirit-empowered transformation that produces lasting and genuine change.

SPIRITUAL MAN

ROMANS 6

1 What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin so that grace may increase? 2 May it never be! How shall we who died to sin still live in it? 3 Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death? 4 Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life. 5 For if we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall also be in the likeness of His resurrection, 6 knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin; 7 for he who has died is freed from sin. 8 Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, 9 knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, is never to die again; death no longer is master over Him. 10 For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God. 11 Even so consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus. 12 Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its lusts, 13 and do not go on presenting the members of your body to sin as instruments of unrighteousness; but present yourselves to God as those alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God.

1. KNOW.

To “know” emphasizes the importance of understanding these truths intellectually and spiritually. A believer must be grounded in what God has already accomplished, recognizing that their identity has fundamentally changed. Without this knowledge, the Christian life becomes confusing and inconsistent, as one may continue living as though nothing has changed.

2. CONSIDER.

To “consider” builds on that knowledge by calling for intentional reflection. It is not enough to simply understand truth; it must be internalized and applied. This involves consciously aligning one’s thinking with God’s reality—seeing oneself no longer under the rule of sin, but alive to God. It is a mindset that shapes attitudes, decisions, and responses in everyday life.

3. PRESENT.

To “present” speaks of practical surrender. Since sin often expresses itself through our physical actions, the believer is called to actively offer every part of life to God—thoughts, choices, and behaviors. This is a daily, deliberate act of yielding, not based on past performance but on present willingness. The Christian life is therefore lived in the present tense, demonstrated by ongoing dependence on God and visible through the fruit that emerges over time.

Closing Prayer

Lord God,

Thank You for reminding us of who we are in Christ and for the assurance that we are sealed by Your Spirit. As we go from this time, help us not only to understand Your truth but to live it out daily. Teach us to continually yield to Your Spirit, to depend on Your power, and to walk in the newness of life You have given us. When we are tempted to rely on our own strength, gently lead us back to trusting You. May the fruit of Your Spirit be evident in our lives, bringing glory to Your name and blessing to others. We commit ourselves to You, trusting in Your faithfulness.

In Jesus’ name,

Amen.

The content of this article is adapted from the source below:

Special Message - Appropriating God's Power