Romans 8:1-14 KJV 1 There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death. 3 For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: 4 That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. 5 For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit. 6 For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. 7 Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. 8 So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God. 9 But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his. 10 And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. 11 But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you. 12 Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh. 13 For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live. 14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.

There is no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus. God is no longer judging the believer, yet he does chasten or chastise/to correct us. What then are we free from guilt of sin or is it only a state of mind. Can we live in two worlds. One to live in the flesh and other to be spiritually mind in the presence in the Lord. When one receives Jesus as Lord and Savior, they no long in submission to sin and sin is no longer Lord of one's life. Our choice of who is Lord is important here. Yet it goes further then that, for our need and our strive needs to be toward the things of God. The ability to run the race must be enabled by the Spirit of God. There is times when children miss more then a month of school. When it occurs it usually puts a child behind in class, but it is the child with determination to remain in the class and not be left behind will strive hard by doing his work and extra work to catch up. There is times in our life were our walk with God is not going to be where it should be. It might even be a few years or even longer. It like being absents in our walk, but God has not left us. Christ as been put on a shelf. Some would call it backsliding or backslidden. Others would say the person was never saved. To stay intuned with God one must be filled by the Spirit of God, to walk after the Spirit of God and not after the things of the fleshly desire that is sin. Peter at his weakest hour denied being Christ disciple. Jonah at his most rebellious point ran away from his calling, Hagar ran away with her son the first time she left Abraham and Sarah yet she believe in Abraham's God. There is times when it is humanly impossible to please God. Our human nature is to sin, our spiritual nature after salvation is to live for Jesus, yet there are times we a fall into temptation. Peter denial was at his weakest point. Peter was watching a good man going toward his death. Jonah rebelled because he did not want to see Nineveh repent. He seen the grossness of sin probably at some point and Nineveh was known for its wickness. We justify the need of others to repent or to be judged often by our own attitude toward sin that worse then ours. In truth all sin and all fall short according to Romans 3:23 of the glory of God. No sin is greater or least, except for the sin against the Holy Spirit in relation to the sinning against God. The road to recovery for a believer might began with repentance, but does not stop there. Our road to recovery begins with doing some of the first works again, the first works of faith, the demonstration of love to others. Jonah went and preach to Nineveh after his own repentance. Hagar would go back and be repectful toward Sarah for a time. Peter after seeing his Lord at the creek bank would begin to slowly move toward faith in the direction of leader after Christ ascension into heaven. Our sickness of sin, is like a child out of school. It bedriddens us in the since of segregating us from the flock. It segregates from God in spiritual way. God never abandons us, but he allows us that time of failing only to draw us back to Him, when we come to our senses his way is best. Our strive becomes more determind to go in spiritual direction of God's calling in our life, until we hit another stumbling block in our life. That stumbling block has to be removed and sometimes those stumbling blocks almost destroys the believe, but it will bring them to their knees. Sin as no everlasting hold on a believer. To walk after the flesh/sin nature is condemnation, but to walk by the Spirit is not. God will judge our sin as long as we are not following after Him. It does not make us less saved by God's grace, but it means we are no longer walking in the will of God. How can I say God will not reject the saved sinner, because His word is sufficient to say there is no longer condemnation for us as believers because of Christ Jesus. Unbelief is the sin that is condemnable. It is belief that part that we must hold to. Sin beyond the point of belief is correctable. In other words faith is intact or actions are not. Our actions will come into submission to His Spirit. It interesting to note if you live a long life there are things you will forget and things you will remember. There things that our body no longer desires or needs for survival. Spend a day in the nursing home and you learn quick those laying waiting on death, most have no concern about lust of this world beyond the basic desires of longing to be loved, and cared for. How quickly time passes when you are no longer able to care for your self. Yet it seems ever so slow. The longings of this world fade and the longing for the next world becomes daily. Children and young adults just want to have fun, the longing of heaven might be in the soul but not always in the action. The body still having the zeal to be all it can be with joining the army of God. The desire to run to share one's faith with hope. Yet the desire of young to sin or try somethings that may or may not be consider wrong is normal. Yet faith may still be intacted. To believe is simple part of faith, it the second part of faith to resist tempation and to follow the Spirit of God in action that traps most. Our goal is to be Spirit, to walk after the Spirit, to do the will of God and not to follow after temptation common to man. We can not spiritual minded with guilt of sin racks our mortal mind and body. A girl/boy caught in sexual sin because of sexual transmitted disease is soon facing reality of guilt for their actions. The attitude I didn't know it would happen to me syndrome and then the fact they were caught because of their actions, because one partner was not faithful. The heart being broken by the facts and not always the act that caused the heart break. God is heart broken by our sin, but is even more heart broken when no repentance comes, because his correction sometimes comes with revealing why it is sin. No matter how innocent of what we do is, it can be seen as sin. It might start out with innocent party only to find one is at a party with drugs and booze. The sin does not come til one indulges in drugs and booze. One drink might not hurt you but the more you drink, one loose the ability to reason. One is no longer walking after the ways of God but toward a road of destruction. The hope of the believer is to follow in the ways of God and not experience the sin nature that leads down destructive paths. God has better hope for the believer then the non believer. If the believer listening to God, he not going to follow the road of temptation to have to deal with temptation. If we listen to God we never fail. If we listen to God the road would be straight and narrow and our walk in unison with God. The victory of the believer is to run and walk in the ways of God's Spirit, that is the direction we should be headed. Our eyes need to fixed on Jesus and not the temptation of this world. Dear Heavnely Father correct our sin, to enable us to walk by your Spirit and no longer feel the condemnation because of faith in you. In Jesus precious name, Amen. Continual Scripture Study for Devotion: Hebrew 12:1-8 KJV 1 Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, 2 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds. 4 Ye have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin. 5 And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him: 6 For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. 7 If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not? 8 But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons. http://www.turtle30cshell.com