Saturday after Judica, 4/7/01

Galatians 5: 24, 25 Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit. --NASB

In the name of the One to Whom we belong, amen.

Somebody once said, "We are our own worst enemy." That statement is so very true. In fact, it is so true that we find we must execute ourselves. Now, I'm not speaking of suicide here, not even in the spiritual sense. Instead, I'm talking about making war on our own sinful natures.

You know, Satan gets a bum rap. He gets blamed for far more than he does. We are quick to say, "The devil made me do it." But the devil can't actually make you do anything. Rather, it is your own sinful nature that drags you into sin again and again. Sure, Satan can tempt you, and so can the world, but it is your own sinful nature that not only tempts you, but causes you to sin.

So we make war on it and execute it as our passage says, "Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh. Crucifying the old sinful nature allows us to walk by the Spirit to the glory of God. Amen.

Prayer: Dear heavenly Father, our sinful nature has been crucified through Baptism. But it constantly tries to rise again from the dead. Lord, give us Your Holy Spirit so that we may put our sinful nature to death each day. Help us, Lord, to walk by Your Spirit, amen.

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