Introduction

We must have a bird's-eye view: see the trees, and also see the forest.

It is a tragedy for a person to lack a global perspective. Whether in projects or in life, a global perspective is essential. Without it, one suffers, unable to grasp the essence of things.

Romans Chapter 1 speaks of the Gospel as the power of God to save all who believe; Chapter 2 describes God judging people according to the intentions of their hearts; Chapter 3 emphasizes the close relationship between inner thoughts and faith; Chapter 4 models the faith of Abraham, who pioneered the path of faith; Chapter 5 discusses entering into the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ through faith. All these speak to the relationship between faith and grace.

Entering into grace raises another question: whom do you choose to obey? You can choose to obey God unto holiness, or obey sin unto death. Before grace came, there was little choice; after God gives us grace, we still must make a choice. Previously, because Adam and Eve ate the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, we entered into death with them, without choice. Whether you like it or not, our lives would be thus. People looked to eternal life, which comes from Jesus Christ. So Jesus Christ’s coming is crucial; He gives us grace, allowing us to choose again.

Before, because of Adam and Eve, there was no good choice; now, because of Jesus Christ, we can choose anew. Before, no choice; now, a choice – is this not grace? You can now choose to obey God unto holiness, becoming like the Lord Jesus, like God Himself. Or obey sin, like Adam and Eve, unto death. A Christian's life is a series of choices: choosing to rely on the grace of Jesus Christ unto holiness, like God, or choosing to obey the flesh unto death, and a miserable one at that.

The title of this chapter is Whom to Obey, God or sin – obeying sin is obeying the devil. The devil’s work is insidious, driving people to extremes, either left or right.

The Lord will make you the head, not the tail. You will always be at the top, never at the bottom, if you fully obey the commands of the Lord your God that I am giving you today, if you carefully follow them. Do not turn aside from any of the commands I am giving you today, to the right or to the left, following other gods and serving them. (Deuteronomy 28:13-14)

Everyone wants to be the head, not the tail, always at the top, never at the bottom. But this path requires obeying God’s word; belief in God’s word leads to obedience. If you do not believe, you cannot obey. The devil loves to push people to extremes, either left or right. On the left, it says you must rely on the law, and when you cannot fulfill the law, it accuses you of failure. Our leaders often feel lazy and inadequate because the devil pushes them into legalism. We rely on grace, but on the right, one might think it’s okay to sin casually, that the blood of Jesus Christ can always cleanse, allowing one to continue living in obedience to the flesh. Then one says, We are weak, so we sin, and it’s not my fault. Many excuses. The devil’s work is to drive us to extremes, either left or right.

In previous chapters, Paul spoke much of grace and faith. The devil then deceives the Christians in Rome: You have heard Paul speak of faith and grace, and I believe you have received grace, justification, and salvation. But what about the sins you committed yesterday? No problem, the more sin, the more grace; there is sufficient grace. And so people continue to sin.

The law was brought in so that the trespass might increase. But where sin increased, grace increased all the more, so that, just as sin reigned in death, so also grace might reign through righteousness to bring eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. (Romans 5:20-21)

Many then think, We have eternal life! Pop the champagne! But one day, suddenly, a demon appears on the left, and another on the right, and they are dragged away to be thrown into a pot of boiling oil, some fried like dough twists, others like fried dough sticks. Some then question, Isn't the Lord Jesus grace?

Paul knew how they would interpret these words. People are wicked, and so are the devils. People insist on interpreting it this way, in all sorts of ways, causing confusion. Some of our brothers and sisters are greedy for money. Some owe two million, some five million, some one million, living in dire straits. They say, It's okay, tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; and hope does not disappoint. Does this require perseverance? This sort of thing has little to do with perseverance. People often interpret things in very peculiar ways.

The global view: what is the entire Bible about, what are the main keys? Once you lose the global perspective, problems arise.

What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We are those who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? (Romans 6:1-2)

Paul knew how these Romans would interpret his letter, thinking it was wonderful. But then the tone shifts: What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! One moment speaking of faith, another of grace, and now this comes up again. Paul is arguing that we receive grace so that we can make a choice again: whom to obey.

Before, there was no choice; we all sinned. Without the blood of Jesus Christ to cleanse us, we were often tormented by devils. This is a spiritual law. Before, we had no choice but to live according to the flesh, and so life was truly miserable. Whether you were a destitute peasant or a landlord, life was hard. We who believe in the Lord also find it difficult because there is something within us that drives us to choose whether to live according to the flesh or according to God. One moment living according to the flesh, another according to God, back and forth, causing great torment. It is difficult even with a choice; imagine those without a choice, it is even harder. Those without a choice always live according to the flesh. We who live according to God also often fall into indulging the flesh, which is why it is so strenuous.

If we believe in Jesus Christ, we must know for sure in our hearts, in our faith and understanding, that obeying God is what it means to live. Paul said that those who have been baptized into Jesus Christ are dead to sin and alive to God. But some say they are not yet dead to sin, nor alive to God. Many of our brothers and sisters keep asking for prayers for this and that, issues repeating over and over. If you are not annoyed, I am.

Obeying God is what it means to live. So Paul says: Those who have been baptized into Jesus Christ are dead to sin and alive to God. But some say they are not yet dead to sin? Nor yet alive to God? Today they have just prayed, and tomorrow they live according to the flesh again.

Make a Choice from the Heart: Choose to Trust God

God gives you grace again, heals you again; you still need to make a choice in your heart: to obey God or to live according to the flesh? Living according to the flesh is no joke. You are a Christian, you can live according to the flesh, but you will have to pay the price, including myself. Do you think I have completely overcome? Not at all. But in my heart, I have made a choice: I want to fully obey God. But the process of obeying God is a struggle. Why is it so? Because there are many carnal things within us that have not been mortified, so sometimes we still live according to the flesh.

In the Bible, Paul says: We are doing something, relying on grace to keep moving forward. Sometimes we overcome, sometimes we fail. Sometimes we resist, sometimes we do not resist. This is absolutely true. Sometimes when I do things with my colleagues, I see their clumsiness, and my face falls, my expression and language become harsh. If you see me like that, you know my flesh has manifested.

So when the flesh manifests, it produces something: sin. The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Jesus Christ our Lord. So today we must constantly overcome, so I strive to overcome the flesh within me. Without grace, all is lost. But because of God’s grace, I make a choice within me: to trust God. I say, Lord, save me again; next time, I will surely overcome!

So in our hearts, we must make a choice: to choose to obey God. Perhaps this victory is a step-by-step victory. Before, I was ten percent of God, ninety percent of the flesh; later, it became twenty percent of God, eighty percent of the flesh. At that time, even if it was one percent relying on God, or 99.999 percent relying on God’s grace, no matter how much, it was relying on God’s grace. This is called unto holiness.

Later, I discovered a principle: without grace, all are dead. We can truly rely on our spirit and truth to constantly mortify the deeds of the body through the Holy Spirit, on the path of trusting God. We are dead to sin, but not completely dead. But we no longer owe sin anything, because of the grace of Jesus Christ. We no longer owe the devil anything, they cannot coerce us. It is that in the time before completion, before holiness, we rely on faith in God to draw upon God’s grace to fill us.

We cannot say: Let us continue in sin so that grace may abound. It is not that we continue in sin so that grace may abound; it is that we strive to press on to perfection. So we are dead to sin, though not completely dead, but we no longer owe the wages of sin. What if we sin? What if we are weak? Then we can still make a choice; in the depths of our hearts, strive to make a choice: do not allow sin to reign in our bodies, do not allow it to reign in our mortal bodies. Constantly let God reign, because this Gospel is the power of God to save all who believe. So we constantly let God reign in our lives, constantly withdraw ourselves from the throne, and do not live for our own limbs, but obey God.

The Law of Sin is the Foundation

We must know one thing: the foundation of sin is the law.

The law was brought in so that the trespass might increase. But where sin increased, grace increased all the more. (Romans 5:20)

If we rely on the law to commit sin, we cannot be justified, cannot overcome sin, and cannot overcome the devil. But today, the foundation for our victory lies in grace. We must strive to constantly climb, constantly climb the spiritual peaks, constantly overcome, unto holiness. This is the result of our choice.

We constantly choose to believe, constantly choose to rely on God, constantly choose to rely on God's grace. In fact, God has already released us in Jesus Christ; God has already released us from sin. So we can make a wise choice. Before, we were not released, could not overcome the devil, and obeyed the devil. You may not fully perceive the devil in a person, but you will perceive one thing: the devil often does many bad things through your body.

When a person restores the image of God, he lives like a normal person. When the devil drives him, he begins to live like a devil, very wicked. So the devil does these things through our bodies, or speaks corrupt words through our mouths. Those who are controlled by devils are accused by them. So we must know whether the devil's work can succeed depends on what we believe in our hearts.

The Lord Jesus has released us from sin; we are no longer slaves to sin, we are no longer subject to the dominion of sin. Today we are qualified to overcome it. So Paul said, Shall we sin because we are not under the law? By no means! Can we sin? No, because sin is a choice. We must strive to deal with sin, not allowing sin to reign in our bodies. We live by the word of God. This is the battle within us. The battle within us is because of our beliefs; because what we believe, we receive.

What You Believe, You Receive

People think they cannot live without food, cannot live without money, and so they love money. People are carnal; they do not eat things that do not taste good, only things that taste good. So people like to eat good things. So people live by the flesh, and the result they receive is death. In fact, the death Paul wrote about means birth, old age, sickness, and death. Many people live in a life of birth, old age, sickness, and death. Whomever a person obeys in their heart, the outcome will be thus.

If your belief is that people must eat well and have money to live, then you will follow that path, and the result will be that you are caught by the devil's hook. The devil catches you like fishing, and you will even lose your life. But today we can choose not to obey it; we can choose to obey God, because Jesus Christ is our treasure, Jesus Christ is the satisfaction of all our needs. We must know very clearly that this Gospel is the power of God. By relying on the Lord Jesus, all our problems in life, including food and money, can be solved.

If you truly believe in God, then you will no longer obey the flesh, no longer live according to carnal concepts, but live according to the word of God that we believe. What a person thinks and believes in their heart is crucial. If a person believes in their heart that living depends on the flesh, then they will think about eating nutritious things, eating this and that. If a person lives by the flesh, they will be like the ancient saying: Food and sex are human nature. They think that it is human nature to like good food and sex.

Some time ago, a couple came to me. The man had gotten together with the woman's best friend. The man said to me, It's all because she wouldn't let me sleep with her. I'm a man, and she wouldn't let me sleep with her for several months. How can my problem be solved? This really made me laugh and cry. It was a total mess. Do you have a reason to sleep with her best friend because of this carnal need?

We must know what our beliefs are. If a person believes in carnal needs, that it is human nature, then they will have thousands of excuses to live according to the flesh. But if we learn to live by God today, no longer indulging the flesh, then you will overcome. Whom you obey in your heart is the key to victory. If you choose to live according to the flesh, you are obeying sin. If you live by obeying the word of God, being a slave to God, then you can attain eternal life. So we must offer our bodies to God, as instruments of righteousness leading to holiness.

When you were slaves to sin, you were free from the control of righteousness. What benefit did you reap at that time from the things you are now ashamed of? Those things result in death! (Romans 6:20-21)

To Indulge the Flesh is Death

Brothers and sisters, we have all come from indulging in the flesh. When we indulge in the flesh, what is the result? For example, some people seek joy by drinking, traveling, singing karaoke, and some are even more outrageous, using drugs and engaging in many promiscuous things. After doing these things, they find that there is no feeling of enjoyment in their hearts, but rather a state of extreme emptiness.

In fact, our hearts cannot be filled with many worldly and carnal methods. No matter what you look at, no matter how much you see, you will not be satisfied. Our hearts can only be filled with our God. Only God is our need. Only our God can satisfy the depths of the human heart. Therefore, we will be satisfied in our hearts as servants of God. The Bible says:

But whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life. (John 4:14)

That is to say, no matter how much you drink the water of this world, you will still be thirsty. But if you drink the living water of life, which is the Holy Spirit of our God, you will never be thirsty, and you will be very fulfilled. Perhaps in the eyes of many worldly people, our way of life is very boring, but our hearts are very satisfied, and we are enjoying a state of being.

When we live according to the flesh, our hearts are empty and entangled; but when we live according to God, our hearts are full and satisfied. During the Spring Festival, many people eat, drink, and have fun, leading to all kinds of illnesses; after all kinds of eating, drinking, and having fun, people are still extremely empty and uncomfortable. Why is this? Because they are spiritually uncomfortable.

But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 6:22-23)

The Wages of Sin is Death, Obeying God's Word is Eternal Life

Who should we choose to obey? Of course, we must choose to obey God. What people think in their hearts is very powerful. Management concepts also say: He who wins the hearts of the people wins the world. If you lose the hearts of the people and cannot win the hearts of the people, you will not be able to achieve effective management. For example, the employees in the factory work hard when the boss is there, but when the boss leaves, they say why should we work so hard? You cannot manage such workers well.

In fact, through the Lord Jesus Christ, we also have the most advanced human resource management philosophy. The reason why it is the most advanced is because people choose to obey God in their hearts, so whatever they do, they do it from their hearts, and the more they do it, the happier and more joyful they become. Our obedience to God is truly a very advanced management philosophy.

Some time ago, I went to Suzhou's De Sheng Yang Lou to study management. They have hundreds of employees. Their boss said that their employees are not under pressure even if the project is not completed. He said that the sky will not fall if the project is not completed. They respect every employee and treat them as people with dignity, not as machines. This is the attitude that things are not the most important, but talents are the most important. As a result, their employees do their work very seriously, and no employee delays the project. But look at those so-called wolf culture enterprises, desperately putting pressure on employees. You must finish the work, so you work overtime, and the employees are very reluctant to do the work. In the end, not only is the work not completed in time, but people are also very tired.

What we learn in Romans solves a very important problem, that is, people do not live in obedience to sin in grace. You give him grace, and even when he is weak, you still give him grace. But we must be very clear in our hearts that we cannot abuse God's grace. It is not that we can choose to sin because we have this grace, but that we can choose to obey God with this grace, so as to be sanctified and constantly put to death the bad habits of our flesh.

Today, we want to be unbiased not only in management, but also in theological concepts. We must know very clearly in our understanding that the final wage of sin is death, and the wage of sin is sickness, discomfort, emptiness, and hardship. Why do people have to live so hard? But today we must be very clear in our understanding and thoughts that if we obey God, obey God's word, and be servants of God, God will give us eternal life, God will make us above and not below, the head and not the tail. God will make us without lack in our lives, and make our lives constantly filled in the spirit, obtaining destiny, good health, and prosperity in everything.

Remember one thing, we have never lowered our requirements because of God's grace. We have never said that it can be done casually. Because of God's grace, we are more consciously constantly improving our requirements. Who should we require to be like? We require to be like the standard of Jesus Christ raising us from the dead. We must nail our bodies to the cross like Jesus, and nail the carnal lusts to the cross, so that we can no longer live for the flesh, but for God, so sin cannot reign in us.

Today, in Jesus Christ, that is, in the church, we must follow the path opened up by the Lord Jesus and completely dedicate ourselves to God. So today, brothers and sisters, do not think that it is a burden, it is a great grace. What should we do? We should offer our bodies as living sacrifices to God. This is very well said. It is very important to offer our bodies as living sacrifices to God. It is not that you have lost anything, but it is only right and proper. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. So we really want to offer our bodies. What did Paul say?

Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. (Romans 12:1)

What you gain by doing this is life, isn't it? What you gain is more grace, isn't it? What you gain is the destiny of our life, isn't it? Today we will make a great choice. We work hard, but we are joyful. We suffer for the Lord, but we are joyful and satisfied inside. Not only do we rejoice and be satisfied in this world, but the momentary and light suffering in this world can achieve an eternal glory that is beyond all comparison.

Today, we must thoroughly examine our hearts. What is inside us? Ask yourself what you are living for. People who have not experienced a lot of knowledge and have not experienced the world will live for worldly things. They want to drive a good car if they have never driven a good car, thinking that they will be happy if they have a good car. In fact, after having a good car, there is no feeling. Later, someone told me that buying a house doesn't feel like anything, but the feeling is obvious when you don't have a house. No matter what you gain in this world, you cannot satisfy your heart. Only by gaining our Lord Jesus Christ, which is called destiny, can you satisfy our heart.

It is the Spirit Who Gives Life; the Flesh Profits Nothing

Today, we must begin to know for sure what we gain when we dedicate ourselves to God. We must be very clear in our understanding that we are living for God and no longer living by our flesh. Living by our flesh, our logic is very deadly. We think our logic is self-evident. Until today, many of us still think that if we don't eat, we will be hungry. How can people not eat for a day? People must have three full meals and two naps a day. If people don't eat well, can their bodies be healthy? Later, we found that it was not the case at all. If you observe carefully, you will know. Especially those of us who were born in the 1960s, we have lived many poor days, but our bodies were very strong. Now many people eat well and drink well, but they have many diseases. That is to say, eating too much will make you sick.

The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you—they are full of the Spirit and life. (John 6:63)

Many facts in real life also prove this. Do not see it wrong. Understand that it is the Spirit who gives life. I once observed a phenomenon, a very strange phenomenon. Some sisters vomit everything they eat after becoming pregnant. They vomit no matter how much they eat. Sometimes they vomit more than they eat. It is very strange. As a result, the fetus continues to grow in the belly, and the mother does not die, and the child is still alive and well. Isn't this very strange? Vomiting everything you eat, how can you still be alive without food? Because it is the Spirit who gives life.

If you don't understand the matter of a mother being pregnant, but I think you know about a hen hatching eggs. A hen has to spend 21 days hatching eggs, without eating or drinking, lying on the eggs waiting for the chicks to come out. As a result, the hen does not eat or drink for 21 days. After 21 days, it is not skin and bones, but its body is so strong that it can fight with eagles. Can you understand this? I cannot understand it. God's creation is too wonderful. What is this? There are many things in this world that violate the principle that people should eat and drink well. Today, everyone should know that it is the Spirit who gives life, so today we no longer live by the flesh, but live by the Spirit. Today, if we are prosperous in the Spirit, our bodies will be healthy. If we are prosperous in the Spirit, our hearts will be filled and satisfied. If we are prosperous in the Spirit, our bodies will be healthy, and we will prosper in everything.

Only by Putting to Death the Deeds of the Flesh by the Holy Spirit Can People Live Prosperously

I met a brother who would collapse at the last mile, no matter what he did. The businesses were all profitable, but they collapsed at the last mile. He did it over and over again. His biggest business was hundreds of millions, but it was still the same. He worked from 20 to 30 years old and returned to the starting point. He worked from 30 to 40 years old and returned to the starting point. I gave him a suggestion, which is to get rid of the ghosts in his body. How to do it? That is to live according to God's word in our minds and thoughts. If we live according to God's word, we will be prosperous in the Spirit. We no longer live by the flesh and no longer live by money. This is an important concept. All of our brothers and sisters must listen. Do you want to be rich? Do you want to be healthy? Do you want to be happy? Then put to death the evil deeds of your flesh. Offer your body as a living sacrifice to God, offer your body to God as a servant, and live in obedience to God. This person will surely prosper.

So brothers and sisters, do you think Paul is giving us a bad idea? No, the idea he gave us is unprecedented and has no successors. It is so good that it cannot be better. It is only right and proper for you to live in obedience to God. Do you think this is a loss?

At this time last year, many of our young brothers and sisters were not only in debt but also spent all their money every month. They were really very poor, earning $5,000 and spending $5,000, earning $3,000 and spending $3,000. A year has passed, two years have passed, and God's blessings are poured out on them because they listened to my advice and ran this road with me to put to death the evil deeds of our flesh, and then completely dedicated themselves to God. It is not that we have already obtained it, it is not that we have already overcome it, but we are striving to pursue it. Today, on the road of driving out demons, we must strive to overcome it, and then see that this gospel is the power of God, and the promises in the Bible will be completely fulfilled in our brothers and sisters, which is infinitely good.

If you fully obey the Lord your God and carefully follow all his commands I give you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations on earth. All these blessings will come on you and accompany you if you obey the Lord your God: You will be blessed in the city and blessed in the country. The fruit of your womb will be blessed, and the crops of your land and the young of your livestock—the calves of your herds and the lambs of your flocks. Your basket and your kneading trough will be blessed. You will be blessed when you come in and blessed when you go out. The Lord will grant that the enemies who rise up against you will be defeated before you. They will come at you from one direction but flee from you in seven. The Lord will send a blessing on your barns and on everything you put your hand to. The Lord your God will bless you in the land he is giving you. The Lord will establish you as his holy people, as he has sworn to you, if you keep the commands of the Lord your God and walk in obedience to him. Then all the peoples on earth will see that you are called by the name of the Lord, and they will fear you. The Lord will grant you abundant prosperity—in the fruit of your womb, the young of your livestock and the crops of your ground—in the land he swore to your ancestors to give you. The Lord will open the heavens, the storehouse of his bounty, to send rain on your land in season and to bless all the work of your hands. You will lend to many nations but will borrow from none. The Lord will make you the head, not the tail. If you pay attention to the commands of the Lord your God that I give you this day and carefully follow them, you will always be at the top, never at the bottom. Do not turn aside from any of the commands I give you today, to the right or to the left, following other gods to serve them. (Deuteronomy 28:1-14)

Which one is not what we need? Which one is not worth obeying God's word and doing it? Even if we are occasionally weak, but in the depths of our hearts we must make a smart decision. This smart decision is to live in obedience to God and constantly put to death the evil deeds of our flesh. Let us be alive to God and dead to sin. We owe sin nothing, so today we must know that driving out demons is not because of anything else, but because of the grace of Jesus Christ. It is not because we have been sanctified that we can drive out demons, but because we no longer owe sin anything through the grace of Jesus Christ. We just believe in our hearts that although we are still weak, we can trample the enemy and live a victorious life. This is called living by faith. This is called beginning with faith and leading to faith. This is called drawing on God's grace by faith. This is called God judging us according to what we believe in our hearts, or rewarding us according to what we believe in our hearts. May God bless everyone!