Applying the Word of God. Romans 6:12-18 “Therefore do not LET (allow) sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. Do NOT OFFER any part of your self to SIN as an instrument of wickedness, but rather OFFER your selves to GOD as those who HAVE BEEN brought from death to LIFE; and OFFER every part of yourself (body, mind, spirit) to HIM as an instrument of righteousness.” Like Paul, do we beat our body into submission? Do we moment by moment yield, or deny ourselves, our hunger, our fleshly desires to God? Who is our Master in every choice we make? To eat that?  To do that? To say that?  “For SIN shall NO LONGER longer be your MASTER, because you are NOT under the law, but under GRACE. What then? Shall we SIN because we are NOT under the law but under GRACE?” Answer NO!

“By no means! Don’t you KNOW that when you OFFER yourselves (body, mind, spirit)  to someone as obedient slaves, you are SLAVES of the one YOU OBEY” — wisely, we choose who we serve. Am I a slave to SIN, which LEADS to DEATH, or a slave to OBEDIENCE, which leads to righteousness? — “But THANKS be to GOD that, (in my old sin nature) though I used to be a slave to sin, by His grace, I have COME to OBEY from my HEART the PATTERN of TEACHING that has now CLAIMED my steadfast allegiance. (obedience) I HAVE BEEN SET FREE from SIN and have BECOME  God’s slave to righteousness.” So as a mature follower of Jesus, when tempted, I turn to my MASTER, my Lord, and I YIELD to the SPIRIT of GOD who abides, who resides in me. AMEN

Psalm 1:2-3 “But whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on His law day and night. That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither—whatever they do prospers.”

Psalm 119:15 “I will meditate on your precepts and consider your ways.”

Philippians 4:8 “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.”

Jesus walked among us in confidence just as He now walks with us in the Spirit. As we yield to the Holy Spirit, He shines through us with the delight and glory of God. He enables us to look through His loving eyes to perceive truth and destroy any scheme of evil. We walk humbly in His mercy with gentleness, yet full of authority. When others come face to face with the Truth abiding in us, knees quake as demons scatter. It is by His mercy that we live and breathe. The Truth now abides in us as the joy of the Lord.  We live without the stain of sin, or the pride of rebellion, because we gladly yield to our abiding Savior.

Yielding to His grace is a wise choice. Ephesians 2:8-10 “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” Our Father knows that our dependence must remain on His grace, so He had these words for us to cherish. 2 Peter 3:17-18 “Therefore, dear friends, since you have been forewarned, be on your guard so that you may not be carried away by the error of the lawless and fall from your secure position. But GROW in the GRACE and KNOWLEDGE of our LORD and SAVIOR JESUS CHRIST. To HIM be glory both now and forever! Amen.”