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Staying Dead – Part 2

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. Romans 6:13

When you were in Adam, you almost had no choice but to offer the members of your body to sin because sin was in you, and you were born to sin. However, God says, “No, you have the opportunity to live the kind of life where you actually offer and surrender the members of your physical body to your heavenly Father.”

And so we come to another “D” word, the word “devote.” Devote your body to God. Would you like to make this declaration a reality in your everyday physical life? Would you like to declare something and then devote your body, the members of your physical body, to God? If you do, it has the potential to make all of the difference in the world. 

Set your minds on the things that are above, not on the things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory. Colossians 3:2–4 (NASB)

And that’s when it dawned on me. I can’t live the Christian life; only one person can live the Christian life—that would be Christ. So, as long as I am striving to somehow live up to his standard—be everything the Bible says and be accountable and be perfect—as long as I am trying to imitate Christ, of course I am going to fail. I need to learn how to allow this life that has been given to me now that I’m in Christ to radiate through me. I need to learn how to allow Christ to live his life through me, and that one single thought was a game-changer for me. 

You literally are not the person you used to be, so, of course, you can't live the way you used to live. It's not a matter of trying harder because your old dead life in Adam is never going to be capable of living the Christian life, the life of Christ. Your new life that you have in Christ is now something that you've got to learn to allow to happen through you. It means we wake up every day and say, “Of course I can't, but you can. Sin is not my master, so I don't have to let sin reign in my mortal body.” 

In fact, you have the freedom now to devote every member of your body to your new master who has promised to live his life through your mouth and your hands and your feet and your ears and your mind and your fingers and your thumbs. It's a completely different way of viewing the Christian life.

So here's what I would suggest. Start every day by declaring something you may have never experienced: “Sin is not my master. I am going to decide not to let it rule over me. And today, heavenly Father, I want to devote every member of my body to you. I know I can't, but you can. Live your life through me.”