Friday, March 23: Romans 6- No longer can we say, 'The devil made me do it.'.

No longer can we say, ‘The devil made me do it.’

Paul makes it clear as a redeemed Christ-follower, ‘I am no longer under the power of sin. I am now free to say ‘No’ to the sin impulses in my life’. This message rings out of the chapter constantly and strongly.

In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. Do not offer any part of yourself to sin as an instrument of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer every part of yourself to him as an instrument of righteousness. For sin shall no longer be your master, because you are not under the law, but under grace (11-14).

Even as I read and consider these words, I recognize that I –a Spirit-filled Christ follower for more than 40 years still sins. Ugh! And if I am reading this correctly, I can blame no one but myself.

In Christ I am dead to sin and alive to God and yet much of my time I live as if sin still has a grip on me. I allow sin to reign in my mortal body. I must own this. Because in owning it, I can now give it to the Lord and pray for strength and the power of the Holy Spirit within me to stop living for sin but instead live for God.

Excuses only allow me to continue to allow sin to reign in my life.

There are enough scriptures in the New Testament to remind me that I will never succeed in living a perfectly sinless life this side of eternity. BUT to not reckon myself dead to sin and live into the life I now have in Christ is a failure to grasp the power of Jesus’ redemption in my life.

So as I sit at the beginning of my day I grab hold of Paul’s admonition to offer myself to God, to offer every part of myself to Him as an instrument of righteousness… right living.

So Father, Jesus, Holy Spirit, I bow my head to You and offer to You my day, my life, my body, my will, my thoughts, my hopes, my dreams, my all. I avail myself to You. May my living spread Your righteousness in my world. May I do deeds that honor You.

Holy Spirit, may I follow Your lead and promptings and live in Your power… the power of a resurrected life… a life alive to my God –Father, Jesus, Holy Spirit. Through Jesus Christ, my Lord, I pray. Amen.