Journal Entry ~ 03/13/19

So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus. - Romans 6:11

Much of this chapter in Romans has been about how we are to “know this,” but now we are to consider - “consider yourselves dead”. Consider means to press your mind down upon, to think about at length. What do you press down your mind on?  What is constantly in your thoughts?  Is it God honoring?  Is it this though - that we are dead to sin and alive in Christ?

Dead is not partial, it’s complete and it’s final. You have the power to walk by sin and it’s dead to you. It’s gone. Take note that it says consider *yourself* dead, not consider sin dead. Sin is not dead, you’re dead to it. Those sinful thoughts - those fearful, anxious or angry thoughts, that temptation to eat something or give yourself away to fill a void, the desire to watch tv over picking up His Word - that sin is not dead, but you have the power to walk right on by it because you are alive in Christ. 

Why is it so hard to do that?

When we struggle, when we keep ourselves in the jail cell we’ve been set free from, it's because we're living with a divided heart. We want heaven and a relationship with Christ, but we also want the things of the world. We want what we want and we get frustrated because things aren't working out the way we want. 

Scripture reminds us over and over that we are called to lay down what we want, and we are to pick up what God wants. Daily, we need to let go of our worldly desires and focus on His plan for our lives. Daily we must consider ourselves dead to the sin that kept us trapped in that jail cell, and daily we must consider ourselves alive in Christ. Remember, consider means to dwell on and think about, so daily, we are told to meditate on these truths. How much time do you spending thinking about this truth?

It can be so hard at times, especially when our flesh chooses what we believe to be the best plan to resolve a difficult trial. But He lives in us, we have access to His power at any time to help us lay down a trial. We can live by faith in His plan, knowing that He has a broader perspective of the situation and of our lives. If He loved us enough to lay down His life so that we can live with Him, we can trust that He has a plan for our struggle that is good. 


Press on ~ you are loved 💗

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