A Mission Possible
ICS Daily Devotions

Luke 6:27 (NKJV) “But I say to you who hear: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you,

2 Corinthians 5:17 (NKJV) Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.

Jesus asked us to love our enemies. However, God would be unjust if He asked us to do something that we are unable to do. When we are born again, we are completely new. This newness is not found in the physical or soulish realm. Instead, it is located in the heart, the spirit, or the inner man. We are completely new in the spirit being.

The old things, or ways of living and behaviour, should disappear. We shouldn’t continue living our old lifestyles, but rather renew our minds to live in the newness of life in Christ Jesus. We should no longer walk like the unbelievers who are under the influence of the god of this age, but should begin feeding and yielding to the Holy Spirit. We are a three-part being, comprising spirit, soul, and body. Whomever we feed, either the soul or the spirit man, will be stronger or more dominant in our lives. Therefore, we should starve the soul by disallowing it to dictate how we behave, and instead feed our spirit with the Word so it can grow strong. The more we yield to our inner man that’s empowered by the Holy Spirit, the more we crucify the works of the flesh in our lives.

2 Peter 1:3-4 (NKJV) as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.

We must also acknowledge that we have the nature of God within us. This divine nature includes love, joy, peace, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self-control in our hearts. The fruit of the Holy Spirit will grow when we feed the inner man by listening to the Word and yielding to the prompting of the Holy Spirit. The precious blood of Jesus Christ washes us. Therefore, we have a clean and clear conscience, enabling us to be sensitive to the Holy Spirit regarding the right thing to do, even when we do not yet have a deep understanding of the Word of God. We will be conscious of what is right and wrong because we are very sensitive to God, particularly regarding matters of love.

When we yield to the Holy Spirit as born-again believers, we are operating in the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus. This enables us to do what Jesus requires of us concerning how we treat our enemies. There is an enablement through the new creation and the empowerment of the Holy Spirit.

Sermon Series: Dying to Self