“And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.” – Galatians 5:24
Have YOU??? Have you crucified the flesh with its passions and desires? What does that mean? It means fighting the fight, in the resources of the Holy Spirit, to not only resist but try to kill off every sinful desire that tempts you. It means recognizing when you’ve been holding onto a favorite sin and actively working to nail it to the cross of Christ. To kill it. It means taking “small sins” that “don’t hurt anyone” seriously, recognizing them for what they are – rebellion against God – and trying to kill their presence and influence in their life.
As Christians, we aren’t called to explain or excuse our sins like uncontrolled anger, unconstrained lust, idolatrous love for money and stuff, self-centered ambitions, envy of others, or the tendency to spread gossip and stoke conflict in the church. We’re called to to kill those sins in our life. Forever. To fight back or flee every time they start to tempt us. To fight them to the death.
Those sins may well be “how you were made”, but in Christ, they aren’t how you should continue to be. Not as an adopted child of the Living God! Not as a blood-bought new creation in Christ! Your favorite sins block your enjoyment and growth in the Holy Spirit. They undermine your witness and render you ineffective for the Lord. They hinder your prayers. They keep you from experiencing the Fruit of the Spirit (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control). They aren’t a sweet souvenir from your past, they’re a tool of the Enemy! Crucify your sinful desires and #FollowJesus