Mortify Sinful Deeds

Romans 8:13 “For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.”
Here we have laid on us as saints and children of God the responsibility to put to death those sinful deeds of the body. Though redeemed, though washed in the precious blood of Christ, though secure in the arms of our Sovereign Lord, we must not rest while in this continuing battle. The security a true believer enjoys is a security that compels us towards being the bride that Christ will present “to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish.” (Ephesians 5:27) It is only the false professors that can go on living in sin, falsely comforted in their deceived state.
Dear brother and sister, we are never to rest in this daily battle against sin. Our flesh, the world, and the Devil with his demons confront us this morning with a three-pronged attack. We must stand firm. (Ephesians 6:13) We will do well to cry out for God’s sufficient grace this morning, to pray God’s Spirit fill us afresh, and to put on the whole armor of God, standing armed and ready for the day’s trouble. (Matthew 6:34) Will you stand against Satan’s tactics today? Will you grasp the shield of faith (Ephesians 6:16) to keep you safe from the fiery arrows being shot your way? Will you mortify the sins of the flesh, refusing to give in to carnal and temporal desires?
“How incredible it is that we do not hate sin more than we do! Sin is the cause of all the pain and disease in the world. God did not create man to be an ailing and suffering creature. It was sin, and nothing but sin, which brought in all the ills that flesh is heir to. It was sin to which we owe every racking pain, and every loathsome infirmity, and every humbling weakness to which our poor bodies are liable. Let us keep this ever in mind. Let us hate sin with a godly hatred.” ~ J.C. Ryle
May we shun our natural complacency and forsake every destructive notion that would keep us from the task at hand. Christ is more than sufficient for your battle and He will give you strength which flows from an unending supply. “Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.” (Joshua 1:9)
~ Lee Dodd