Red Light, Green Light

Romans 8:9-14 (NLT)

⁹ But you are not controlled by your sinful nature. You are controlled by the Spirit if you have the Spirit of God living in you. (And remember that those who do not have the Spirit of Christ living in them do not belong to him at all.) ¹⁰ And Christ lives within you, so even though your body will die because of sin, the Spirit gives you life because you have been made right with God. ¹¹ The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you. And just as God raised Christ Jesus from the dead, he will give life to your mortal bodies by this same Spirit living within you.
¹² Therefore, dear brothers and sisters, you have no obligation to do what your sinful nature urges you to do. ¹³ For if you live by its dictates, you will die. But if through the power of the Spirit you put to death the deeds of your sinful nature, you will live. ¹⁴ For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God.

In 1984 at First Baptist Church in Monroe, LA, in the 10th grade girls Sunday school class, my teacher explained these verses by using this simple example: When we accept Christ as our Savior, the Holy Spirit comes into our lives and He acts as a stop light. The green light stays on as long as we are walking according to the Spirit and behaving in a way that is pleasing to our Heavenly Father. The yellow light will come on when we are tempted or get dangerously close to sin letting us know we need to prepare to stop. When we do sin, the red light of conviction lets us know we need to stop quickly.  I will never forget that moment when I realized I did not have the Holy Spirit living in me. On my knees in my bedroom, I asked Jesus to forgive me of my sin and become the Lord of my life. Twenty-nine years have passed since that day and the Holy Spirit has been faithful to be my stop light. He directs my path, teaches me and trains me, comforts me, strengthens me and goes along with me in my journey. He is my ever present help! I praise God for the gift of His Holy Spirit...truly we would be lost without Him! Will you take time today to celebrate all the Holy Spirit is to you personally? If it's been a while since you've tuned into His voice or His leading, will you heed the red light and stop right where you are, turn and go in the right direction? Is there an area of your life where the yellow light is warning you to prepare to stop?  If  you realize your need for Jesus as your Savior, I pray you will admit you are a sinner and accept His free gift of salvation. Then as a child of God, you too will know the joy and privilege of having the stop light, His Spirit living in you!