“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)” (Romans 8:9, NLT).

Paul’s point is that every believer has the Holy Spirit. He pointed out in Titus that the Holy Spirit is the One who gives us new birth. “He saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit” (Titus 3:5).

The disciples received the Holy Spirit when Jesus breathed on them in the Gospel of John and they were filled with the Holy Spirit in Acts 2 and the Spirit inspired the Church’s growth throughout Acts.

The important thing for all of us is to access the life and power to which the Holy Spirit gives us access.

I read the other day about William Randolph Hearst. He once read of an extremely valuable piece of art, which he decided he must add to his extensive collection. He instructed his agent to scour the galleries of the world to find the masterpiece. He was determined to have at any price. After many months of painstaking search, the agent reported that the piece already belonged to Mr. Hearst and had been stored in one of his warehouses for many years.

Romans 8 points to many blessings we have because of the Holy Spirit. God has already given them to us. We have the right to access them.