A Christian is everyone who has the Spirit of God living in him or her… and who follows Christ! My brother, my sister, if you have sincerely trusted Christ for your salvation and acknowledged Him as the Lord of your life, then the Holy Spirit lives within you and you are a Christian. What does this imply? The answer is in today’s verse: “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.”
This implies that as Christians, we can be assured that we have the Holy Spirit because Jesus promised to send Him. And the presence of the Holy Spirit within you will begin to manifest as He leads you to act as Christ directs, for the Bible says “Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires” (Romans 8:5). Besides, as you leave according to the Holy Spirit’s guidance, you will begin to bear the fruit of the spirit (Galatians 5:22-23). This is also how you will be able to find help in your daily problems and in your praying life for “26 In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God” (Romans 8:26-27). In other words, the Spirit of God will always lead us to obey God, do His will and empower us (Acts 1:8) for us to be able to become part of God’s plan to build His church (Ephesians 4:12-13).
Yes, my friend, the Spirit of God is not within us to serve us, but to lead us to do what is please to God. Why is it that many believers think that the Holy Spirit is there to heal and bless them? It is Jesus who, by His stripes, heals and by His sacrifice on the cross, has restored our blessings! My friend, a true Christian is the one who has understood that the Holy Spirit was sent by the Lord to us for a divine purpose: “to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ”. (Ephesians 4:12-13). Therefore, since you believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and that eternal life comes through Him (1John 5:5), you should now live a life directed by His Spirit by serving Him, and being available to build His church. Stay blessed in Jesus’ name.