“Easier said than done!” … is a classic, “tongue in cheek” response people give when they believe they have received a simplistic solution to a complex problem.
However, some thorny problems have rather simple solutions (even if the application of the solution is, as they say… “Easier said than done!” Here’s just a sample…
“Don’t spend what you don’t have!”
“Plan ahead… It pays off later!”
Overcoming sin and living a victorious life as a Christian is a bit like that… It really has a simple solution (but the application of it – the doing of it can be challenging – and probably requires an ongoing process of application) … I read about it this morning during my time of “coffee with the Lord” – Romans 6:1-11…
The secret to overcoming sin and living a victorious Christian life is fully identifying with the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus (and it’s all pictured in water baptism)!
Jesus died for our sin… And His death is somehow our death to sin!
Jesus was buried… Our identification with His burial is pictured and realized in our baptism!
Jesus rose from the dead! And by identifying with His resurrection we are enabled to live new, overcoming lives!
So… “CONSIDER YOURSELVES to be dead to the power of sin and alive to God through Jesus Christ!” Do that publically and decisively at the time of your water baptism… Then consider His death for your sin – your death to sin; His burial – your burial of your old sinful self; His resurrection – your resurrection to live a new life, overcoming sin by His power and enablement!
Here it is right out of the Bible (read it, reflect on it, believe it, and appropriate it day by day!)…
“So should we keep on sinning so that God can show us more and more of his wonderful grace? Of course not! Since we have died to sin, how can we continue to live in it? Or have you forgotten that when we were joined with Christ Jesus in baptism, we joined him in his death? For we died and were buried with Christ by baptism. And just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glorious power of the Father, now we also may live new lives. Since we have been united with him in his death, we will also be raised to life as he was. We know that our old sinful selves were crucified with Christ so that sin might lose its power in our lives. We are no longer slaves to sin. For when we died with Christ we were set free from the power of sin. And since we died with Christ, we know we will also live with him. We are sure of this because Christ was raised from the dead… So you also must consider yourselves to be dead to the power of sin and alive to God through Christ Jesus.” (Romans 6:1-11 the New Living Translation)
“Easier said than done?” I know – believe me, I know! But I also know it’s God’s Word, it’s God’s provision in Christ Jesus, and it’s God’s promise… and IT WORKS!
Coffee With The Lord 