When we attempt to overcome the sin in our life that so
easily ensnares us, we often fall back into temptation; then we feel shame both
for the sin and for failing to overcome it.
We are admonished to be holy as God is holy, yet we can
only do this by allowing the Holy Spirit to give us both the desire and the
power to walk in increasing realms of God's glory each day (Philippians
2:12-13).
The foolish Galatians had to learn to trust God to
sanctify them with the same faith that allowed them to trust Him for their
salvation (Galatians 3:1-3). We are to live in this same manner.
Paul struggled with walking in a manner worthy of the
Lord (Colossians 1:10). The duality of flesh and Spirit within him kept him on
a roller coaster most of the time (Romans 7); however, he finally realized that
the Spirit of life in Christ already set Him free from the law of sin and death
(Romans 8:2).
He no longer needed to struggle with sin, but to walk in
the Spirit who frees us from the law of sin and death. As we draw near to God
in dependence, worship and praise, then we resist the devil, and he is bound to
flee from us (James 4:7-11).
Through Calvary's cross, Christ exchanged His
righteousness for our sin; we simply need to access this free gift by
confessing our sin and trusting in Jesus for salvation (John 17:11-23; 1
Corinthians 6:17). Then, the Holy Spirit brings us into ever increasing
maturity in Christ (2 Corinthians 3:18).
We learn to walk in the Spirit each moment of the day,
led by the still, small voice of God (1 Kings 19:12) within our spirit
(Galatians 2:20). We know we are in God's will when we follow that perfect
peace (Isaiah 26:3), regardless of what our mind is telling us to do, or what
conventional wisdom or human reasoning wants us to do.
Jesus gave us His righteousness and we now live as Jesus
did in the world. We are an expression of His divine nature, because He lives
within us (1 John 4:17; 2 Peter 1:4). This allows His living water within us to
fill us to overflowing and to spill out into the world around us (John 7:38).
Prayer:
Father God, we thank You for Your vigilant watch care
over us (Psalm 121:4). You protect us from Satan's wiles and temptations
(Ephesians 2:2). Help us to realize that Christ in us enables us to live a life
free from the demoralizing and destructive sin that tries to entrap us (2
Corinthians 4:10-11) and to actually, factually not just positionally, live a
holy life, just as Christ in us is holy (Matthew 11:28-30; 1 Corinthians 6:17).
Thank You for keeping us, strengthening us, guarding us
from our flesh, the world and the devil (Isaiah 42:11; Psalm 4:8). We give You
all of the praise and glory for the maturity we attain over our lifetime. We
strive only to stop following our human reasoning and to enter Your rest
(Hebrews 4:10).
Thought for the Day:
We no longer struggle with life on our own, because the
Trinity of God abides within us, and the Holy Spirit gradually but consistently
replaces our negative attributes with Christ's righteousness.
