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 with Christ in 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 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).
The
Law of the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus set us free from the Law of Sin and
Death (Romans 8:2). We no longer blindly follow the dictates of our flesh, the
world and the devil, but we purposely follow the guidance of God's Holy Spirit.
Our carnal nature is crucified with Christ, and although
we still live in this world, Christ actually lives His life in and through us.
We live by the power of the faith of the Son of God who loves us and freely
gave Himself for us (Galatians 2:20).
Prayer:
Father God, knowing that Christ crucified our flesh on
Calvary’s cross helps 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). We currently rest in Your
love, and stand firm in Your power, devoting our self to Your Kingdom (1 Corinthians 15:58).
Thank You for directing our feet on the paths of life and
for protecting, guarding, leading and loving us with Your amazing grace and
love. The world and the lusts of it have no power over, or attraction for us
anymore. As a new creation, our life is transformed from sin and deprivation to
righteousness, peace and joy through Your Holy Spirit (2 Corinthians 5:17; Romans 14:17).
Thought for the Day:
When we choose to sin, we act out of character with our
new nature and our new identity in Christ; 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).
