Gold Tried in the Fire - Robert J. Wieland
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It's like a guarantee: "You will not satisfy <strong>the</strong><br />
desires of <strong>the</strong> human nature." The Holy Spirit is an<br />
enemy to s<strong>in</strong>, and He does <strong>the</strong> fight<strong>in</strong>g. It's like<br />
<strong>in</strong>ject<strong>in</strong>g medic<strong>in</strong>e <strong>in</strong>to your bloodstream to fight<br />
malarial parasites that cause illness. Once you "let"<br />
<strong>the</strong> anti-malarial drug <strong>in</strong>to your ve<strong>in</strong>s, it<br />
immediately goes to work, for it is <strong>the</strong> enemy of<br />
<strong>the</strong> parasites. You don't fight <strong>the</strong> malaria; <strong>in</strong> fact,<br />
<strong>the</strong>re is noth<strong>in</strong>g you can do to oppose it. The<br />
strongest man gets laid low by <strong>the</strong> disease unless<br />
he has help of some k<strong>in</strong>d from outside. The<br />
medic<strong>in</strong>e does all <strong>the</strong> work.<br />
So, says Paul, "let <strong>the</strong> Spirit direct your lives,"<br />
like you "let" that powerful anti-disease medic<strong>in</strong>e<br />
<strong>in</strong>to your ve<strong>in</strong>s. Your consent is what is necessary;<br />
<strong>the</strong>n He goes to work.<br />
On <strong>the</strong> o<strong>the</strong>r hand, if you believe <strong>the</strong> "flesh"<br />
(one's s<strong>in</strong>ful nature) is stronger than <strong>the</strong> Holy<br />
Spirit, <strong>the</strong>n you see this passage as terribly bad<br />
news. (Of course, needless to say, if <strong>the</strong>re were no<br />
Holy Spirit to help us, we would be hopelessly <strong>in</strong><br />
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