Surrender To The Process

“And do not PRESENT your members
as instruments of unrighteousness to sin,
but present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead,
and your members as instruments of righteousness to God.”
Romans 6:13

But how to get there ....

Do not PRESENT yourself...

Sin comes when we present ourselves to it.

We choose what we read, where we go, with whom we associate. These are free-will choices. If you’re an alcoholic, it’s your free choice to go or not to go to a bar. If pornography beckons you, it is your choice whether or not to go there. If you find yourself weak when you’re with friends, it’s your choice whether to continue going with them, or not. It’s all about choice.

If you want to be clean, if you care to please God, it will be up to you to remove from your life those things to which you easily fall. He won’t do it for you, it’s always going to be your choice. You may not have a choice in what your weakness is, but you do have a choice whether to tempt yourself with it.

Do not present yourself…

vs 16:
“Do you not know that to whom
you present yourselves slaves to obey,
you are that one’s slaves whom you obey,
whether of sin leading to death,
or of obedience leading to righteousness?”

If you are a SLAVE to a certain sin, the message of the Gospel is that Christ will set you free if you surrender to him, for our Redeemer will not leave us slaves. It’s important to remember that you cannot do it yourself, only HE can set you free. But first, you have to surrender to him. Surrender means asking him to change you and then COOPERATING with him as he leads you through deliverance. At times that cooperation can be painful. Accept that. If your doctor prescribed a necessary but painful surgery, you’d accept that. Accept whatever circumstances God chooses to bring you to healing and deliverance.

Obedience is almost always painful. It involves choosing to go against our own will when Christ bids us to. If he tells the alcoholic to never again go into a bar, the power of the temptation may be very painful to avoid. If he tells you to get rid of your computer if porn is your weakness, do it. If he asks you to stop associating with certain friends, the decision to part ways with those friends can be very painful indeed. The follower of Jesus Christ must keep his eyes on the prize, knowing that in every act of obedience there is going to be a blessing beyond all expectation.

Ask any believer who has been delivered from evil by the Lord, and not one of them will express anything but utter relief and thanksgiving. They will shudder at the very thought of going back to what they were delivered from. They wouldn’t trade their freedom for anything in the world.

vs 21:
“What fruit did you have then in the things of which you are now ashamed?
For the end of those things is death.”

No good can come from sin. It’s always going to end in destruction. Satan lures with pleasure, but he never tells you the price tag.

Sin fascinates, then it assassinates.
It thrills, then it kills.
It will take you farther than you wanted to go,
keep you longer than you wanted to stay,
and cost you more than you were willing to pay.
-Adrian Rogers

Sin is deception. Yes, it thrills ...but it kills.

And ...sin is NEVER satisfied.

Obedience on the other hand, though painful, brings a sense of well-being, establishes one in faith, brings the pleasure of feeling God’s approval, and results in joy and peace and love and in all things good. Make the right choice, it only hurts for awhile. Being right with God brings joy forever.