Unshackled Moments ~ July 5 ~ Carry Out The Execution

There are mornings when I rise and determine to keep my self in check for the day. I'm going to make sure that I do not act or react in the manner of my old nature. I will not engage in those habitual sins, character defects and bad attitudes that ruled my life outside of Christ. This is the day I will walk with Christ, like Christ. I will live a life of faithful obedience and love.

Sometimes, but not often, this vow will survive till late morning, perhaps even all the way to lunch. I can not remember a time when I succeeded in such a vow, when my determination was successful. Those times that I tried and failed are reminders that I shouldn't have been making the attempt at all. I'm not saying that I shouldn't be attempting to live obedient love, that I shouldn't desire to walk with God as Jesus walked. That is indeed the calling of our lives.

The attempt that shouldn't be made is to play jailer. I have taken a ruthless, dangerous prisoner whom the Judge has sentenced to be executed, given him a stay and tried to keep him caged instead. Rather than taking my old nature, my self will, my carnal, fleshly mind and starting the day with his execution, with nailing him to the cross, I have attempted to control him and keep him caged. But I have proven repeatedly my inability to control or contain this escape artist. I go on about my day, after determining to control my self with my self, and before I even realize what is happening, he's escaped and running loose, wreaking havoc.

We can not fix ourselves with ourselves, we can not repair our broken minds with our broken minds, and we can not contain or control our self, which doesn't wish to be controlled or contained, with our self. Self must die. The execution is scheduled and must be carried out. Daily we pick up our cross. Daily we lay our self on the altar and sacrifice our will to God. Then we get up from our knees with self not caged but dead and follow Jesus. We are then in the correct position to walk with God. We are not jailers of self. We are obedient servants. We are not self disciplined and controlled, but rather we are controlled by the Spirit as we walk in the power of God's grace. Dying daily we can live free from sin, in love.

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