Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, so that you obey its desires. And do not offer any parts of it to sin as weapons for unrighteousness. But as those who are alive from the dead, offer yourselves to God, and all the parts of yourselves to God as weapons for righteousness. For sin will not rule over you, because you are not under law but under grace. Romans 6:12-14
The night is nearly over, and the daylight is near, so let us discard the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. Romans 13:12
My words…
Praise
Sin. I don’t like to think of myself as committing a sin. I coat it with sugar and call it a weakness. There, now I feel better. Me? I would never participate in a deed of darkness! Okay – back to reality. I am a sinner. I sin. I do things, say things, and think things that I would never do, say, or think if Jesus were sitting next to me, drinking tea. You call a sin a sin. You do not sugar coat it because there is nothing sweet about it. I may live in a society that winces at the sound of the word, but You see the danger in that and warn me. Lying? I did it to make someone else feel better. (Satan smiles.) Gossiping? It’s harmless. (Satan grins.) Selfishly not sharing Your love with others? Someone’s already “knocked on that door.” (Satan jumps for joy.) Deeds of darkness, indeed. But here’s the praiseworthy part: I am alive from the dead because of You. Sin does not reign in my life because of You. I live under GRACE!
Prayer for me
I am called to be a weapon. I need lessons. Teach me to set aside my comfortable, introverted personality, strap on the armor of light, and use all of the parts of myself as an effective weapon for righteousness. I pray You will gird my spirit to stand for what is right in Your sight.
Forgive me
Forgive me my vapid outlook on sin. Shall I go on sinning so grace may abound? Certainly not! When I sin, You grieve. I am sorry for causing you so much grief.
Prayer for others
I pray for those who do not believe in sin. (Everything is permissible as long as you don’t get caught.) To them, sin is a silly word – old fashioned and uttered only by fanatics. They offer themselves as weapons of unrighteousness and revel. They need Your light to pierce their darkness. Send a light! Even if it’s me!
Thank You
Thank You for Your unrelenting forgiveness of my sins, especially the one when I give in to the temptation to keep my armor of light in the closet.
More praise
Oh, to grace how great a debtor daily I’m constrained to be. I could never repay that debt. Thankfully, You don’t ask me to.
