"Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the sinful nature" (Romans 13:14)

What a marvelous notion that we can cloth ourselves with Christ in this present world. I John 4:17 says, "as he is, so are we in this world" ( I John 4:17 KJV ).  We were made like Him the moment we received our born again spirit. It is the part of us that is identical to Christ. So Paul reminds us in today's passage to clothe ourselves with Christ, making no provision to indulge in the cravings of our physical nature and gratify the lust of our flesh.

Many believe that to do this we must deny ourselves and die again to the sin nature whenever it rears its ugly head in our lives. However, the sin nature has already been defeated through Christ Jesus, we have been freed from this nature once for all ( Romans 6: 6-7 ). So when the nature that we have been set free from tries to regain ground in our lives by enticing our fleshly desires, the key to overcoming this is to clothe ourselves with Christ and make no provision for those desires.

Romans 8 gives us insight on how to accomplish this in our lives, "Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace" ( Romans 8:5, Romans 8:6 ). By simply pursuing a life driven by the Spirit of God living on the inside of us, instead of succumbing to the physical soulish realm of our desires, we will look, live and be like Christ in this present world. Paul went on to say, "Therefore, brothers, we have an obligation-but it is not to the sinful nature, to live according to it. For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live, because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God" ( Romans 8:12, Romans 8:13, Romans 8:14 ). When we clothe ourselves with Christ Jesus it is evident that we belong to him.

So what does Christ look like? Galatians 5 gives us incredible insight on Christ's characteristics and living by the Spirit. "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit" ( Galatians 5:22-25 ). These things are currently in existence in our born again spirit. By living in accordance with the Spirit of God we will release this fruit to operate in our lives. It is possible to experience all of these things merely by seeking and following God and the Holy Spirit living within us.

This is the evidence that we belong to Christ. Paul instructs us to clothe ourselves with Christ so we will not be overcome by the desires of our old nature. "So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under law" ( Galatians 5:16-18 ). If you want to be free then live by the Spirit of God.

What an amazing truth this is. In God's brilliance, He has made it possible to live as we are called to live, as Christ's ambassadors representing Him in this world. This does not come out of our own works or trying to be the best we can be, but by allowing the Holy Spirit to guide, direct and change us into the glorious creation that God desires. May you understand this incredible truth today and start living in step with the Spirit of God.

"The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy" (Romans 13:12-13)

It's time for the church to be the church. It is time for it to stand up and be the glorious creation that Jesus paid for it to be. No longer, should there be no difference between believers and the world, but we should look like day in comparison to the darkness that exists. As Paul reminds us, "The night is nearly over; the day is almost here".

We were called to walk in the light as He is in the light ( I John 1:7 ). As believers we have been rescued from the darkness that held us captive and ushered into the kingdom of his dear son ( Colossians 1:13 ). Because of this we are new creations in Christ Jesus ( II Corinthians 5:17 ), as such we should live like who we are; not wrapped up in the behaviors of the world. The things of this world are evident; immoralities, drunkenness, debauchery, dissension, jealousy, all of these things characterize the world. As Christians there should not even be a hint of these things among us. Paul wrote to the Ephesians, "Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children" ( Ephesians 5:1 ). Emulating God will make us shine like the noon day sun in this dark world.

Paul went on to say in Ephesians, "For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light  (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) and find out what pleases the Lord. Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. For it is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret. But everything exposed by the light becomes visible, for it is light that makes everything visible" ( Ephesians 5:8-14 ). If we live according to our new nature fashioned after Jesus in true righteousness and holiness ( Ephesians 4:24 ), then every evil deed around us will be exposed by the light of His truth functioning in our lives. People will notice the difference in our lives and respond to it. The Lord living through us will convict those around us because our lives will be so different than theirs.

Jesus also instructed the disciples on this matter. "Be careful, or your hearts will be weighed down with dissipation, drunkenness and the anxieties of life, and that day will close on you unexpectedly like a trap. For it will come upon all those who live on the face of the whole earth. Be always on the watch, and pray that you may be able to escape all that is about to happen, and that you may be able to stand before the Son of Man" ( Luke 21:34-36 ). He knew that in the last days mankind would be so evil that unless we were careful those concerns would creep in and entrap us. Jesus' solution was to watch and pray in order to escape the corruption in the world. As believers we must remain in the truth, walk in the light and stand firm until the end.

As the church we are called to overcome and stand our ground. To do this we must understand the Lord's will, watch, pray and surround ourselves with other likeminded believers. We should be careful how we live, making the most of every opportunity ( Ephesians 5:15-17 ). The days are evil, but God has equipped the church to be the light in this dark world. Let's stand together and be all that he has called us to be.