Category Archives: Lordship of Jesus

The Romans Challenge: Crucified With Him

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“For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin—”
‭‭Romans‬ ‭6‬:‭6‬ ‭NIV‬

You and I have a “flesh.” This “flesh” is our human nature. It is what we inherited from Adam and Eve when they chose to sin in the Garden. This “flesh” is consumed with self. It wants what it wants when and how it wants it. There is no consideration for God in our flesh. There is no desire to do what is right or to obey what God says. When we act selfishly and with no thought of God and His desires, we are acting according to our flesh.

What we were, before we experienced salvation through Jesus, ( or being born again) was our “old self.” This person was ruled by the flesh. The “old self” made all of its choices according to the desires of our old sinful human nature. All of these choices brought only death, darkness, and destruction into our lives. This sin separated us from God and His true life that He wants us to experience. Sin enslaved us!

Jesus has broken the chains of sin. What we once were has been “crucified with him (Jesus) so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with…” In Jesus, we are not what we were before. The “old self” has died. We have “been set free from sin.”

The Old Janet has been crucified with Christ. The New Janet is not ruled by sin! I am no longer a slave to the sin. I am free! If you are in Jesus, you can declare the same!

Let’s celebrate our freedom in Jesus, and experience it day in and day out!

The Romans Challenge: Dead to Sin!

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“What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We are those who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer?”
‭‭Romans‬ ‭6‬:‭1‬-‭2‬ ‭NIV‬

(Today we start Romans 6)

Baptism symbolizes a very important fact in the life of a follower of Jesus. We follow Jesus in His death, burial, and resurrection. Our old sinful life that we all lived before Christ is to die. It is “buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised form the dead… we too may live a new life.” Being “dead to sin” enables us to live the “new life” that God has given us.

If I were physically dead — at the funeral home, lying in a casket — it would be impossible for me to sit up and eat a donut that you may bring and pass before my nose and my mouth (even the cream filled ones…). I will not take a bite. I am dead to that donut. Our enemy will bring temptation to sin into our lives, but through Jesus we do not have to take a bite. We can live our lives dead to sin!

How can this be? I have this nature, a sinful one, that desires to do things that are wrong all the time… We cannot forget that WE HAVE NEW LIFE! This life is the Holy Spirit living in us. He comes as our Helper to help us to say “no” to the temptations. He comes as the Power to enable us to live our lives “dead to sin.”

We can live free of the patterns of sin that we have been chained to i.e. addictions, bad habits, sinful thought patterns, etc. We don’t have to “live in it any longer.”

As a Christian, it is one thing to slip up and say a hateful thing, do a sinful action, or make a wrong choice, chose to do a sinful act…God has given us a remedy for such a scenario…

“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”
‭‭1 John‬ ‭1‬:‭9‬ ‭NIV‬‬

It is a whole other thing to embrace our sinful choice, sit down for coffee with it, and indulge in it day in and day out… that is not being dead to it… That is preferring the sinful choice over obedience to God and His word. It is loving God less and our sin more… In this case, we are not dead to sin, we have chosen to let it grow, fester, and consume our lives.

Thank you God that You have provided all that we need to die to sin! We cannot die to sin on our own. The Holy Spirit is very willing to fill us with His life so that there is no room for sinful patterns to grow. God has given us His Word so we can keep our way pure. (Psalm 119:9) As we read His Word, live according to what the Word says, and ask the Holy Spirit to help us in our weakness, “we too may live a new life” that is dead to sin!

The Romans Challenge: A Sign and A Seal

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“And he received circumcision as a sign, a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised. So then, he is the father of all who believe but have not been circumcised, in order that righteousness might be credited to them.”
‭‭Romans‬ ‭4‬:‭11‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Today is Romans 4.

My husband and I started dating in the Spring of 92. We married after a whirlwind romance that occurred in what we fondly call our “Summer of Love.” (We married after 8 months, in January) I was 21 and he was 19.

It was during this time that Rich decided he wanted to seal the deal on our relationship and display that we were “a thing.” So as we were driving across an overpass not far from the campus house I lived in, he flipped his High School Senior ring up on the dashboard of the car and said, “Here you go! Put this on. It should keep the other boys from flirting with you.” Being 21 and having been in college for three years. I thought it was a little to “High Schoolish” for me, but I didn’t want to scare him off. (He was soooo cute!). So I put it on!

My heart was already his! We had a relationship. That ring was a sign and a seal!

For the Jewish people, Circumcision was meant to be just that! God wanted a nation that was His. This nation was to display Him, His glory, to the world around it. Circumcision was meant to be a sign and seal that the Jewish people were in a committed relationship with God. It wasn’t what made them righteous, or in right standing with Him. Righteousness only comes through faith! Not our deeds.

I could have wore that ring around back in 92 with my heart far from loving Rich. I could have hung out with him out of obligation or to get a free meal. Wearing it would have been hollow.

The circumcision that the Jewish people thought made them something special was only a hollow act if their hearts were not God’s.

They had the law. They followed the rules. But they weren’t obeying out of a heart that was connected to God through faith. They didn’t have the relationship!

The Romans Challenge: Righteousness Through Faith

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“But now apart from the law the righteousness of God has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile,”
‭‭Romans‬ ‭3‬:‭21‬-‭22‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Today is Romans 3

We are all deeper in sin than any of us could ever imagine. When we finally see our condition, we should be very concerned. There is nothing we can do that will fix our sin problem.

The Jews of Pauls time thought that if they could work and work at it, they could become righteous and have the purity it takes to stand rightly before God. They had the attitude of “I’ll do it myself.” But none of us can “do it” on our own. Righteousness only comes through the perfect sacrifice of Jesus. When we believe in Jesus and receive what He did for us on the cross, we are brought into right standing with God.

Jesus is God’s solution for everyone’s sin!

A few months ago my husband came across this video. It perfectly illustrates how we cannot clean ourselves up on our own. Only God is able to do the heart transformation we need to make us right — righteous.

Will we call our to Him? Will we accept through faith His great gift?

The Romans Challenge: Conscious of Our Sin

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“Therefore no one will be declared righteous in God’s sight by the works of the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of our sin.”
‭‭Romans‬ ‭3‬:‭20‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Today is Romans 3.

One of the most impactful exercises I have ever done is taking the time to complete a “Spiritual Inventory” list. It is a check list of sins that are listed in the Scripture. Prayerfully considering the condition of my spiritual heart is of upmost importance.

I believe it is healthy for us to come to God with the same prayer that David did on a regular basis:

“Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.”
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭139‬:‭23‬-‭24‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Sin numbs us. Our enemy would love for us to live unaware of the sin in our lives. He would love for us to blame all of our problems on others and our circumstances. He is aware that once we see the truth, we have a sin problem, we are close to freedom. Because it is the truth that sets us free from the chains of sin!

Romans 3 has a list that describes where we all are without God. It concludes that the Law of God, makes us “conscious of our sin.”

Knowing that we have a problem with sin is good! Then God can show us the answer for our sin problem, Jesus.

Even in the life of a believer, sin that we embrace separates us from that close and intimate relationship that God desires for us to have with Him. It clogs up the communication lines. It keeps us at a distance from Him.

Jesus has provided all that we need to deal with our sin problem. Once we become conscious of our sin all we need to do is go to Him in prayer. He promises us this: 

“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”
‭‭1 John‬ ‭1‬:‭9‬ ‭NIV‬‬

The Law served its purpose. It helped us to understand that we need Jesus! Jesus said that He didn’t abolish the law, or set it aside. He fulfilled it. What Jesus did on the cross is enough to deal with the sin in our lives.

Thank you Jesus!

The Romans Challenge: The Power of Sin

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“What shall we conclude then? Do we have any advantage? Not at all! For we have already made the charge that Jews and Gentiles alike are all under the power of sin.”
‭‭Romans‬ ‭3‬:‭9‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Today is Romans 3.

A few years ago, I was trapped in a sinful pattern. When I asked an older sister in the Lord if what I was struggling with was sin, she asked me a question that began a great change in me: “Why would you think it isn’t a sin?” My reply was, “Because I cannot control it…”

The truth is, I was not living my life totally surrendered to God. I had experienced His salvation, but I wanted to do things my ways, not His. I was choosing sin over obedience to His Word.

Sin wraps us in chains. What we think we can mess around with will control us. Without our total submission to Jesus as the LORD of our lives, we are all “under the power of sin.” We need salvation! We need the Holy Spirit’s sanctifying work in our lives if we are going to live free!

Our enemy would love for us to think that sin is no big deal. The truth is sin destroys, and we are all under its control. “There is no one righteous, not even one”

Jesus has paid the price for us to be able to live free from sin’s death, darkness and destruction.

Is there a pattern of sin that is holding you chained up in its power? In Jesus there is freedom from the “power of sin.”

The Romans Challenge: Circumcision of the Heart

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“No, a person is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is circumcision of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the written code. Such a person’s praise is not from other people, but from God.”
‭‭Romans‬ ‭2‬:‭29‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Today is Romans 2.

God’s desire since creation has been to have people who are His. (Jeremiah 31:33). We were created with a purpose. This purpose is for our spiritual hearts (the center of our being —our mind, will, and emotions) to be a reflection of Him.

When sin entered our world in the Garden of Eden, the sinful nature filled our hearts. Since that time, our minds have been filled with selfish thoughts. Our will- desires- have been for our own ways and not God’s. Our emotions have reflected this. We feel hatred, bitterness, anger, anxiousness, discontentedness. This is all because we need our spiritual hearts to be transformed!

At salvation, when we accept Jesus as Lord of our lives, we receive a new heart — one that desires to obey Him. BUT our old desires, our old thoughts, our old emotions need to be removed. This is a spiritual circumcision — cutting away — of our spiritual hearts. The Holy Spirit is the one working all this within our hearts as we submit to Him. Simply put, God wants to change us from our old way of living to His new way of living.

Where we had turmoil, He desires to give us peace. Where we had hatred, He longs to give us love. Where we have been angry, He offers to help us to forgive others. The list goes on and on.

When we allow God to transform our lives, we will experience Him in a close relationship like none other. We will know Him. This knowing of Him, or intimacy with Him, will change us. We will reflect Him more and more each day.

May we submit to the Holy Spirit as He circumcises our hearts!

The Romans Challenge: Living a Double Life

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“As it is written: “God’s name is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you.””
‭‭Romans‬ ‭2‬:‭24‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Today is Romans 2.

People are watching to see how we live. Paul warned the Jewish people of that. He told them that they were “relying on the law and boasting in God”, but then they would turn around and not practice what they were preaching. They were committing sins that were effecting the people around them. Non believes (the Gentiles) were watching and they blasphemed, were irreverent and spoke of God reproachfully.

When people hear us speaking of how we are so much better because of God, but cannot see any evidence of God in our lives because of our behavior, they have no reason to believe what they hear.

If we are living a double life (one that says all the right stuff, but does the opposite), It will eventually come out that we are a hypocrite, and unbelievers will take it as opportunity to speak against God.

May we live as ones desiring to follow Jesus with all our hearts and to reflect Him in all we say and do!

Life goal: To know God and make Him known!

The Romans Challenge: Written on Our Hearts

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“They show that the requirements of the law are written on their hearts…” 
‭‭Romans‬ ‭2‬:‭15‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Today is Romans 2.

The Jews of Paul’s time thought that they had it together. They believed they had the inside connection to God because they obeyed a long list of rules and regulations — outward obedience. But even with all their efforts they still would end up breaking the smallest of laws (such as “thou shalt not lie”… ). Keeping a long list of rules in our own effort is exhausting and it is fruitless. Jesus came to give us the better way. Through Him we can be born again!

When we are born again, we are given a new spiritual heart. We desire to do the things that are pleasing to God. The Old Testament prophet Jeremiah describes it this way: 

““This is the covenant I will make with the people of Israel after that time,” declares the Lord. “I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people.”
‭‭Jeremiah‬ ‭31‬:‭33‬ ‭NIV‬‬

God has given us everything we need to live close to Him. His desire is for us not to be living our lives “checking off the boxes” of our spiritual life — i.e. “working” for His approval. He loves us!

He desires us to have internal obedience — I desire to obey God because I know He loves me and His way is always best! His Law (His Word) is in my heart and my mind so I don’t sin against God. He will help me to obey because His Holy Spirit is living inside of me working to make me more like Jesus in each and every way — transforming my heart and mind.

May the way we live “show that the requirements of God’s law are written on {our} hearts.”

The Romans Challenge: The Darkened Heart

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“For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened.”
‭‭Romans‬ ‭1‬:‭21‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Today we read Romans 1.

You and I were born with a heart defect! Before you object and try to tell me that your “ticker” is working just fine, let me clarify. This defect is within our spiritual hearts. This defect is serious, and many of us do not even know we have it, much less that our spiritual hearts exist.

However, we need to understand that not only do we have a spiritual heart, it is the MOST important thing about us. This heart is where we are able to experience the very thing we were created for, relationship with God or oneness with Him. It is comprised of our mind (the thinker), will (the doer), and emotions (the feeler).

The defect of this heart is that we are born with it being darkened. To be darkened is to be made black, obscure, or destitute of light. We come into this world with a spiritual heart that is inclined towards sin. Our thoughts are “futile” — sinful; acting without regard to the divine law and glory, or to one’s own eternal happiness. (Webster’s 1828) Our actions are motivated by “dishonorable passions.” (Verse 26 ESV) We believe our self centered actions are wise, but in truth it is foolishness. (Verse 22). This is because we worship ourselves (a me centered life) and the things we have created (our jobs, our homes, our hobbies, our phones, etc.) instead of worshiping God. We don’t accept His truth that we hear in His Word. Instead we would rather believe a more convenient lie (Verse 25) about the things we want when and how we want it.

God will not force Himself on us to correct this defect. BUT, He does offer us the cure! A NEW Heart! 

“I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.”
‭‭Ezekiel‬ ‭36‬:‭26‬-‭27‬ ‭NIV‬‬

We must choose…

Is what you are doing in your life not working? Has sin (knowing what is good to do, but not doing it) been a struggle? God offers us transformation from what we are to what He intended us to be all along – a reflection of Him full of His peace, joy, love, etc. We can walk in truth, live with purpose, be full of His wisdom, and experience His life. It all starts with asking God to give you a new spiritual heart. Ask Him to transform the way you think, and to align your feelings with His truth in His Word. Ask Him to help your actions to flow from a new pure heart inside of you.

We do not have to live with a darkened heart any more. We can have a new spiritual heart and experience relationship with God!