Before Christ, our natural man had no comprehension of the meaning of spiritual things (1 Corinthians 2:14). Believers were foreign to us, and we made fun of them. Before we surrendered our life to Jesus Christ, our human nature controlled us. We were slaves to sin and death. When we came to Christ, He gave us victory over Satan and destruction (Romans 6:2-6). Now God’s love always surrounds us, fills us and lifts us.
Our former self died in Christ and we are now hidden in
Christ with God (Colossians
3:3). Although we still live on this earth, it has no more power over
us. We are justified, as if we had never sinned, and God’s Spirit is
sanctifying us from one stage of glory to the next (2 Corinthians 3:18). We live by the faith of
Christ, who loves us and gave Himself over to a cruel death for our sake (Galatians 2:20).
This free gift is not the result of our goodness or any
works, which we perform (Ephesians
2:8-9). It comes from Jesus, through whom we are crucified to the world
and the world to us (Galatians
6:14). The world and the lusts of it have no power over or attraction
for us anymore. The nature to sin is replaced by the divine nature of Christ (Ephesians 2:1-3; 2 Peter
1:4). We live in the Spirit now, rather than in the flesh (Romans 8:8-9).
As a new creation, our life is transformed from sin and
deprivation to righteousness, peace and joy through the Spirit (2 Corinthians 5:17; Romans
14:17). We rest in God’s love and stand firm in His power, devoting our
self to His Kingdom (1
Corinthians 15:58). God’s Spirit provides us with God’s divine power to
live a Godly life, and He accomplishes God’s victorious life through us (2 Peter 1:3; Ephesians
2:10).
Prayer:
Father God, knowing that Christ crucified our flesh on Calvary’s
cross allows us to choose to live in holiness rather than in disobedience to
You. Once we are Born Again, we only sin when we fail to acknowledge You and
seek Your plans for our day (Proverbs 3:5-6). Thank You for directing our feet on the paths
of life and for protecting, guarding, directing and loving us with Your amazing
grace and love.
Thought for the Day:
When we choose to sin, we act out of character with our new nature and new identity in Christ.
