“That we should no longer be slaves of sin” (Romans 6:6)  

If you’re a saint, you should hate sin. It dominated and humiliated you until Christ set you free. When you couldn’t stop yourself from sinning, your conscience was seared as with a hot iron (1 Timothy 4:2). But now, Christ has cleansed your conscience with His blood (Hebrews 9:14), and enabled you to sense when you’re being “set up” for a fall. Will you now, ignore all God’s taught you, and return to sin? Haven’t you had enough of Satan and the world? Having escaped the Serpent, do want to be bit again? God’s given you a great gift...the ability to walk in newness of Life. 

 “What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it? ... 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” (Romans 6:1-4). God made a New Man inside you to fight the Old Man. “Put off, concerning your former conduct, the Old Man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and that you put on the New Man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness” (Ephesians 4:22-24). 

 God place the Holy Spirit in you to overcome your flesh. “Do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit” (Romans 8:1). Yes, your flesh and your Old Man will still tempt you, but now you have a choice. Dear saint, accept the reality, that this side of Heaven, your struggle with sin will never end. You must consciously avoid temptation and “flee also youthful lusts; but pursue righteousness, faith, love, peace with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart” (2 Timothy 2:22). Saints that deliberately ignore God’s grace in order to sin will pay dearly for their moment of pleasure, and cause them, (rightfully so), to doubt their salvation. For more on this subject click here. 

 But there’s a higher argument for not sinning: When saints willfully sin, they “crucify again for themselves the Son of God, and put Him to an open shame” (Hebrews 6:6). Can you bear that thought? Oh! If you willfully sin, I pray Christ will use this devotion to bring you back to Him before you backslide further. Turn to Christ; He hasn’t forgotten His love for you; His grace is still the same. With weeping and repentance, come to His feet, and be restored.