Reign

Romans 6:12, "Do not let sin reign in your body."

The word reign can be understood in two different ways:
1. to rule over, make all decisions for (sovereign)
2. that which advises the decision maker

At royal court, there are varying degrees of authority. The King or Queen is the most powerful, but they have advisers that temper that power. If at any time one of the people they have at court is known to be a traitor to the crown, action is taken to remove that person and all of his influence at court as to prevent a threat to the royal family, the palace, or the nation.

When sin is allowed to stay at court in your heart or mind, it causes a traitorous uprising amongst them. It begins subtly taking control of your thoughts and actions, and you don't even realize how easily you hand over your power and authority. Soon, it is no longer you that is truly making your decisions, but rather the clouded judgment that sin has brought in. Sin is a traitor - it doesn't want what is best for you. It just looks enticing and friendly in the moment to get you to look away as the Enemy steals from you and attacks your palace.

So, how do we stop this? We are choice-makers. We have the ability to choose whether sin is allowed to stay at court or we take action against the traitor and all its influence. When sin tries to re-enter and advise us on our decisions, we have the power of Christ to make it leave and never come back. One work from us in Jesus's name makes the order final, just like when a king's seal is placed on an order to his people. There is no questioning the king's order, no trying to convince him otherwise. Once you've ordered sin out of your court, nothing and no one should be able to change your mind. Remind yourself of sin's traitorous nature and the harm it wants to cause in your life. Stick to your order and ask the Holy Spirit - your right-hand adviser - to help you. When the temptation comes to let sin back in, the Holy Spirit can be there to remind you of why you ordered sin out of your court and the havoc it was causing.

Royalty and the royal guard never lose their vigilance in protecting their court from the enemy. They know that if they do, the life of the king or the entire nation is at dire risk. they take all threats against the king seriously and protect him to the fullest extent. The same goes for the Holy Spirit and angels in the Christian's life. If we step into a danger zone, there is only so much the Holy Spirit can do to keep us alive and well - He cannot defy our free will to choose danger. We have to be vigilant at all times - it's when we get lax that sin can easily re-enter and destroy us.

A Living Sacrifice

Many Christians are familiar with Romans 12:1-2 where Paul talks about letting your life be a living sacrifice for the glory of God. It is one of those ideas that is commonly talked about when pastors discuss the need for us to choose pure actions. But lately I've been looking at another side of sacrificial living that Paul brings up in Philippians 2:12-18. In my Bible this section is titled "Lights in the World" which then begs the question: Is there more to sacrificial living than just to live a pure life the way God intends?

My answer is yes. This kind of hit me with one of those "mindblown" effects. Verse 13 talks about how God works in us to cause us to gain His will and do His work. But right after that is another very familiar verse, often taught on but not within the context that it is found. It reads: v14-16: Do all things without grumbling or questioning, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine like lights in the world, holding fast to the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labor in vain.

I realized, then, that Paul continues to talk about how he is poured out for the work that the Spirit of God has called him to do (v 17). I can honestly say that I have given God liberty to use me as He will, but that doesn't come easy. In fact, that might just be the hardest part of my life. Every day I am faced with questions, implications, defeat, and even persecution due to my obedience to reach the people God has placed in my life. Even in that, though, I find impeccable, inconceivable joy. Why? Because God has given me a mission, one that only I can do, and has said that because I have agreed to do His work, I will be poured out. That is a guarantee. When working for the Lord, our spirits and even our physical bodies can get taxed and worn down; but when we look back at verse 14, God reminds us that it is our choice to do His will. Therefore, we should not be complaining or asking why He put us in the task He has chosen for us. Instead, when we start to feel like we have nothing left, we are to cling to the Word of God as our only source of strength and direction. Only then can we truly say that we did God's work the way He desired and the labor and weakness was not in vain.