Help in the Day to Day Battle (Romans 6:11)

Our text says "Even so consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus" (Romans 6:11). How is your walk in holiness? As a Christ follower are you developing habits of holiness? If you're like me then you understand that this is a daily battle. But God has given us help in the daily battle! Praise God forevermore! Christ Jesus came into this sinful world and took our place on the cross. He died to sin and through our union with Him we're told to "consider yourselves to be dead to sin." This means that we are free from the hard, oppressive control of sin. As Christ followers we're to count on this truth and resist sin so that it no longer exercises hard control over us. Because we still have to deal with our sin nature, God has provided help. I have been asked, "What good does it do to be told that the war with sin was won by the Lord in His death on the cross if I'm still bothered and many times defeated by my sin nature?" Let me answer by saying, "In order to experience practical, day by day holiness, we have to understand and embrace the fact that God in His perfect insight and wisdom has seen fit to allow this daily battle with our sin nature." Even better, God has not left us to fight this battle alone! Just as God has delivered us from the hard control of sin, so He has made sufficient provision for us to win the daily conflicts against sin. Now let's examine the second point in our passage that we must rely upon. We saw that we're not only dead to sin, WE'RE ALSO ALIVE TO GOD! What is the importance of that statement? How will it help us in our pursuit of holiness? How does it help us to build habits of holiness? The significance of that statement is it means that we're united with Jesus in all His ability! This is what it means to be alive to God. We can't live lives of holiness in our own ability! We can and should begin to respond to the temptations that come to us through Christ who strengthens us. Our responses to temptations are a part of our walk of holiness. Remember that holiness is not just a series of do's and don'ts. Holiness is conformity to the character of God and obedience to the will of God. Responding to temptations in obedience to the will of God will bring conformity to the character of God! God has given us all the power we'll ever need for a life of holiness. Your move. Be encouraged!