Redeemed and Rewritten: Part VI
Scripture:
“For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin— because anyone who has died has been set free from sin” Romans 6:6-7 NIV
Observation:
Pastor Julius spoke a message from Romans, chapter six, that—if we’re being honest—hits home: Sin. We rarely call our sin, sin. Instead, we use excuses like, “I only gossiped because they did first/that’s just how I am/that was the example I had.” Full transparency, I’ve struggled with that in the past. I knew gossiping was wrong. I knew the way I was living and acting wasn’t according to the Word. I was fooling myself and others by using spiritual language and mannerisms that mimicked holiness. It took a leader having a real and raw conversation with me that gripped me. I couldn’t live two lives before God.
Christianity, even at base level, cannot be what we want it to be; it’s not named after us–but after Christ. If we play God, deciding what sins are actually sins and which aren’t, we’ve already fallen off track. The pride that was within me convinced me that I knew better than the Lord about what was sin and what wasn’t.
Never will the Lord place His stamp of approval on our fleshy inclinations; rather, He tells us to deny them. To starve our flesh, to crucify it. To CRUCIFY FLESH. Not entice nor enable it, and not to keep under our bed in a memory box to take out every time we get the urge. To crucify. Not to think longingly of it, not to reminisce on the good ol’ days or to live there in our minds. To crucify. Not to reach out to that person, just in case. To crucify.
Death to the flesh. What does that look like? Our crowns of sin and pride must go. If we are unwilling to crucify our flesh, to discipline ourselves, we will never advance in true relationship with Christ. If we deliberately keep on sinning, we have given ourselves a false stamp of approval. Sin is death. We can die to it, or we can die from it. But, a choice must be made; and the compulsion should be this: get closer to Him, so we can look like Him. Our sin nature is heavily contrasted by pure white; even the smallest stain will be stark in comparison.
And yet, the Lord brings a promise, “for he who has died has been freed from sin,” (Rom. 6:7, NIV). This means, as we continue to deny our flesh, we become more and more free in Christ. Pastor reminded us that we can’t use grace as our get-out-of-jail-free card. We cannot, while unabashedly proclaiming our love to the Lord, continue on in a cycle of sin. It took that hard conversation with my leader to shake me awake. It took more hard conversations, ones with apologies, tears, and prayer for real change to happen. And it did. I was made new in the pruning process and, if the Lord did it for me, He sure can and will do it for you.
Application:
Don’t feel overwhelmed by guilt and condemnation; the Lord brings renewal and stands firm on His promise to make us new. Here are some steps to walking in freedom from sin.
Step One:
Acknowledge your sin before God. Call it out by name in prayer, repent, and ask forgiveness of Him. Stop doing the sin that you know is there. Truly repent from your heart, not surface repentance that only covers the outside. Let it come from the depths of your heart and reach the hidden places. Be honest with the One who intricately made your heart and formed your being.
Step Two:
Find an accountability person. Do you have a person that can look you in your eyes and tell you that your sin is sin? Is it from a place of love, true, Christlike love? Is it someone who truly walks the walk? I implore you to be vulnerable with the people God has placed before you. We have the tendency to be most real with the ones who aren’t living a true Christian life; the ones who ‘OK’ our sin. Find a true disciple to walk with—one who will pray with you, stand with you, and encourage you in the fight to put your flesh to death.
Step Three:
Stay in the Bible, stay close to God, and stay humble before Him. “My heart says of you, “Seek his face!” Your face, Lord, I will seek” (Psalm 27:8 NIV).
Prayer:
Lord, if there’s any habitual sin in my life that I have been holding onto–I repent. I ask for forgiveness and Your strength to help me put this to death. I repent of pride and any sin cycle that I’ve been stuck in. Continually make me new and keep me humble before you. You are worthy of all my praise, yet my attention hasn’t been on You lately. In my heart, I know the Holy Spirit is working in me. I don’t want to live outside of You and Your costly grace. Lead me in the steps to become like you, thank you Lord. Amen!