Verse of the day: Romans 8:11 But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.
As born again believers we have no real excuse for living a defeated life. This does not mean that we are not going to be in daily battle, but the truth of the matter is that as we grow in our relationship with Jesus, we have no real excuse for living as if we are still enslaved by sin. The very first verse in this chapter of Romans tells us that for us there is no condemnation in Christ. I will take this moment to clearly state that this is not license to live any way we want to. This simply means that the chains of sin have been broken, and sin no longer has power over us; therefore, in Christ, we have been justified (declared not guilty), and our salvation has been sealed by Christ’s death and resurrection, and the sealing of the Holy Spirit who keeps us (Eph 1:13; 4:30). The fact that we are free does not mean that we will never struggle with temptation and with our own desires or that we will never stumble (Gal 6:1-5). However, it does mean that, in the power of the Spirit, we have the strength to overcome temptation (1 Cor 10:13), and take up our cross, denying self, and follow Jesus (Lk 9:23). Too many of us Christians, even though we are saved, stumble because we are still trying to fulfill the letter of the Law in our lives. The Law could not save any of us, and the Apostle Paul tells this clearly in this chapter. Its purpose was to expose our sinfulness, not bring us salvation. It showed us the truth of our imperfection and need of the Savior. Our freedom from the enslavement of sin and fear of death comes from the power of the Blood of Christ, and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit (v. 15), who sets us free from sin, so that we can truly serve God. As a result of trusting, and calling upon, Christ, we have been made dead to sin, no longer to be enslaved by it. The Power that resurrected Jesus Christ is the same Power that now indwells us, and will raise us from the dead as well. However, we must remind ourselves each day that we have already been taken out of death and quickened (brought into life). Life eternal is already ours. Jesus has not only given us life, but has given us life more abundantly (Jn 10:10). We owe nothing to the flesh, and owe everything to God, in Christ. The bottom line is that in the power of the Spirit we can overcome the daily battles with the flesh. We may find ourselves stuck in battle with a sinful habit, but we can have victory. We fail to have victory because we fail to truly come to God with repentance and a willingness to acknowledge sin for what it is, thereby allowing it to still take control. I read somewhere that repentance is not just about crying for what we did; but about changing what we are doing in the power of Christ. We defeat ourselves by allowing the enemy to convince us that whatever sin we struggle with still has us in its grip. Sinful habits, lust, and the enemy can only have whatever control we choose to give them. Instead of giving up control to that which is ungodly, let us strive to surrender ourselves to God, in Christ, under the leading and power of the Spirit; being consistent (and continually) in prayer, study of the Word, and obedient application. The bottom line is that we have to decide; “Am I a warrior in the Army of God, or am I still a slave in the prison of sin and ungodliness?” The unsaved person has no choice but to be a slave to his/her sinful nature. For a child of God, the only true answer is, “Because I have been set free by Jesus, in the power of the Spirit I am a warrior in the Army of God!”
Satan wants to see us perish in our sins, and be enslaved by our fear of death. God has sent His Son Jesus to free us from the grip of Satan, sin, and death (John 3:16; Rom 6:23). He extends an invitation to you today, to accept His free gift of salvation. Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus in repentance, confessing their sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive Him and His free gift of salvation today (Rom 10:13).
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