Feeling Great or Feeling Christ

Romans 8:9-11

Click for a description of the mark of the beast.
Click for a description of the image of the beast.

I’ve seen some amazingly realistic robots, not flesh and blood, that look just like people. They can express joy, goodness, faith, peace, meekness, gentleness, love, kindness, goodwill, patience, self-control, and perseverance. Of course, it’s only an imitation of those qualities, not really heart-felt. It is too obvious that they do not have the Spirit of Christ and do not belong to Him. Yet, the internal government of the beast, that gives people what to think and do say and feel can create all those sentiments within the human flesh.

The world’s population is choosing to live by the image of the beast that is given breath/life to speak by speaking and living through them. The beast gives people the ability to feel all the many and various wonderful things within their flesh. But to have all those wonderful fleshly benefits requires one thing, to reject Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit. Those who live by the inner presence of the beast thrive on being under the control of its power. It has power over physiology, emotions, thoughts, behaviors, and body. People are even empowered by the beast with uncanny knowledge, heightened intuition, extraordinary skills and talents, uncanny authority over others etc. They live in the realm of the flesh but not in the realm of God’s original creation of flesh and blood. The idea of being created in the image of God is a joke to them. They do not have the Spirit of Jesus Christ, and they do not belong to Him.

Those who live by the Gospel of Jesus Christ has one very important thing over those who choose to live by the beast, eternal life. I do not live for all the benefits of the flesh that the internal government provides. Most of the time, I feel like my thoughts and feelings are crucified and browbeaten. I desire the Spirit of Christ to be a part of my life. When I reject the beast, I’m rejecting the flesh in many ways. Whereas I feel the death in my flesh that I am subject to, I have life through the Spirit because of righteousness. God, who raised Jesus Christ from the dead will also give life to my mortal body because it is Christ who lives in me. Anyone who chooses to live by the Spirit of Jesus Christ will be raised from the dead through Him.

How can we know that we have the Holy Spirit? If we do not speak against Jesus Christ and say that He is Lord then we have the Holy Spirit, “Therefore I make known to you that no one speaking by the Spirit of God calls Jesus accursed, and no one can say that Jesus is Lord except by the Holy Spirit.” 1 Corinthians 12:3

“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. 
But if Christ is in you, then even though your body is subject to death because of sin,
the Spirit gives life because of righteousness. 
And if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you,
He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies 
because of His Spirit who lives in you.”
Romans 8:9-11