Are you thinking that I should have asked, “Is the Spirit in you?” Both are relevant questions and are clearly interrelated. Paul connects them in Romans 8:9, “However, you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him.”
First we should note that only the Spirit of God can bring us into a living relationship with Christ. Thus if one does not have the Spirit, he does not belong to Christ. I occasionally hear people suggest that we can separate the experience of new birth from that of receiving the Spirit. Such is not the case. We cannot belong to Christ at all until we are “in the Spirit.”
When the Spirit is “in us” we are empowered to live a Christ centered life and defeat the power of the flesh (sin) because we live “in the Spirit.” In other words, we volitionally allow the Spirit to control our daily lives. This is what the Bible means when it talks of “walking in the Spirit.”
What specific areas of the flesh cause you the greatest struggle? Do you find yourself defeated by envy, jealousy, impure thoughts, greed, or anger? Find victory “in the Spirit,” who continuously and progressively gives you the power to resist evil and live for God.
Prayer: Thank you for giving me Your Spirit. In return, I give you myself that I might live in the Spirit. Amen.