Christ Jesus won the victory over sin and death at the cross. He defeated my sin once and for all when He paid the price for my sin at the cross, receiving the full wrath of God against sin. My penalty of death was eradicated once and for all. Then He victoriously rose from the grave, providing a way for me to be eternally united with God. Spiritually alive the moment I first believe and accept His gift of salvation. Knowing He has won the victory, why do I still struggle so much with the evil within? Why do I so often feel defeated? Shouldn’t I be able to live my life fully devoted to Him? But I don’t always! Yet, what if I told you hidden in Romans 6, are 5 strategies of battle to win every time. To stop being defeated by the evil within)!
Wouldn’t that be worth knowing?
Our spiritual journey is much like our life journey here on earth. We are continuously looking forward to the next step, thinking there is where we will finally find the peace and joy we seek. Seldom do we relish the moments now. Shouldn’t we relish each moment along the journey?
Remember back! How much you longed to grow up, be your own person. Finally, you would move past school into a career, only to find yourself longing for retirement. Then once retired, so many discover it wasn’t what they imagined it to be. Now their days filled with loneliness, despair and heartbreak. Some wanted marriage and family, only to discover that they longed for just some “me” time apart from the hustle and bustle of family. We relate well with Solomon in the book of Ecclesiastes 1:14 “all is vanity and vexation of spirit.”
The Evil Within
Within the first 5 chapters of Romans we have looked at the core problem we have as humans. We are sinners, falling short of the Glory and righteousness of God. The gulf between us and God was beyond our ability to repair it. We owed a debt too large for us to ever pay it. Yet, Christ came and with took that debt upon Himself. Ours was a death penalty and He took that upon Himself including all the wrath against sin that God justly should have poured out on me and you. Therefore, the moment I accepted Him as my Lord and Savior, my sins were justified. My debt was justly paid by His death.
In Scotland, when one has a death penalty the morning of the execution, a notice is posted outside the prison. That notice reads, at 8 am on such and such a day, the deceased named was justified. His or her debt was paid in full and he or she no longer held any debt with the law. For me, at 8am, one Sunday morning when I was 5 years old, I was justified because Jesus paid my full debt to the law: past, present and future. There I died to my old spiritually dead life of sin and was given eternal spiritual life. I was united to God through Jesus Christ. Suddenly, I was cloaked in His righteousness.
Then why do I ever still struggle with sin?
Ah, because within this mortal body, sin still dwells. It is like a castle, with all its intrigue, where their dwells still desires which try to overthrow the throne of Christ in one’s life.
Then, He rose again on the third day so that I might have eternal life in Him. Yet, the evil within fights against this new spiritual life.
The Reality of Being Defeated
Although I am cloaked in righteousness, righteousness does not always dominate my heart, mind and soul as it should. So, since my justification has been by grace alone, through faith alone in Christ Alone, why not just give up and allow sin to reign in my mortal body so that God’s grace will be shown greater? So, we have come to Romans 6, perhaps one of the most complex of all chapters. Yet, I hope to make this very clear, so that from it you might gain 6 strategies to stop being defeated by the evil within.
True, I could not have ever earned my justification; because of my inability to be righteous as God is righteous nor to love Him with the depth I should. I am incapable of reaching the goal were it not for grace alone, through faith alone in Jesus Christ alone, to the glory of God alone. Oh, but if I continue in my sin, how can I bring any Glory to God? Can I bring any honor to my Father’s name?
Romans 6:1-5 (NKJV)
1What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? 2 Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it? 3 Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? 4 Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.
5 For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection,
Strategy #1: To Stop Being Defeated by the Evil Within
Know who you are!! Don’t you know who you are in Christ!! You are God’s blessed, beloved, redeemed child, joint heir with Jesus Christ who has been declared a saint, endowed with spiritual blessings, and given the Holy Spirit to guide you. You are no lingered chained by sin’s dominion.
Romans 6:6-11
6 knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be [a]done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin. 7 For he who has died has been [b]freed from sin. 8 Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, 9 knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, dies no more. Death no longer has dominion over Him. 10 For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God. 11 Likewise you also, [c]reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Strategy #2 to Stop being defeated by the Evil Within
When you become united to Christ in Salvation, you are united in His burial and resurrection. Therefore “reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Determine this! Remember always! Don’t ever forget! Declare this truth! You are no longer chained by sin, so do not yield to sin’s desires to take over the throne.
Romans 6:12-14
12 Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts. 13 And do not present your members as [d]instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God. 14 For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace.
Strategy #3 to Stop Being Defeated by the Evil Within
Our desires in themselves are not sin; however, they can become sin when we allow them to be more precious to us than Christ. When we remember who we are in Christ Jesus and how great was His sacrifice, then our love for Him grows until He becomes our greatest treasures. Our time alone with Him becomes more important than all the other desires. When they are held in check by His being on the throne, they cannot defeat us.
Romans 6:15-16
15 What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? Certainly not! 16 Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one’s slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness?
Strategy #4 to Stop Being Defeated by the Evil Within
Because of Christ’s work on the cross we no longer are under the dominion of sin. The chains of sin’s dominion over us are broken. We were slaves to our desires whether they be hunger, sexual desire, self-exaltation, or any other desire gone amuck.
Romans 6:17-19
17 But God be thanked that though you were slaves of sin, yet you obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine to which you were [e]delivered. 18 And having been set free from sin, you became slaves of righteousness. 19 I speak in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh. For just as you presented your members as slaves of uncleanness, and of lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves of righteousness [f]for holiness.
Strategy #5 to Stop Being Defeated by the Evil Within
If indeed you, having repented from your sins, believing that Jesus Christ is your only hope of Salvation as God’s only son who died in your place and was resurrected from the dead on day 3; then, you are no longer a slave chained to your sinful desires. As I said, desires are not sinful in themselves unless we determine to allow them to reign supreme above God on the throne of our hearts. Therefore,
2 Corinthians 10: 3 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. 4 For the weapons of our warfare are not [a]carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, 5 casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, 6 and being ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled.
Concluding Thoughts:
The victory over sin is already won.
I Corinthians 10:13 No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to [a]bear it.
God always provides a way of escape from any temptation. Therefore, when desires attempt to run amuck, if we lean into Jesus through prayer, Studying His words and being honest with God about what is going on; He will show us the escape. Furthermore, we must know and remember who we are in Christ as well. Nothing comes into my life; but that He may use it to bring me closer to Him. When I do fail, He will cut away the chaff and bring me back into sweet fellowship with Him, whatever it takes.
DO YOU KNOW CHRIST AS YOUR SAVIOR AND LORD?
If you don’t know Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord: I urge you to go to my page titled How to Be Saved by clicking on this link. There is nothing more important than this; because He is the way, the truth and the life. Therefore, I urge you to seek Him today.
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©Effie Darlene Barba, 2019
Disclosure of Material Connection: I have not received any compensation for writing this post. I have no material connection to the brands, products, or services that I have mentioned except for my own books. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.
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