Scripture to Read: Romans 13:13
God continues today from Romans 13:12, as He told us to “lay aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light.” As we choose to live for our Lord, God tells us in Romans 13:13, “Let us behave properly as in the day, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual promiscuity and sensuality, not in strife and jealousy.” We must not get caught up in the deeds of our flesh. Our flesh is so ugly, and God does not want any of these characteristics to be evident in our lives. We see in Galatians 5:19–21, Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality, 20 idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, 21 envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. As we read through this list, we see characteristics that we all struggle to overcome. The good news is that we have God's Holy Spirit living in us. Because He lives in us, we have everything needed (2 Peter 1:3–4) to be able to crucify our flesh and die to the temptations that come our way (1 Corinthians 10:13). All of this is in light of what we have been examining all week—the fact that each day brings us closer to our Lord’s return! We must live above reproach and let our lives shine brightly for our Lord.
Challenge & Application
· What areas of your flesh do you need to crucify so that you “behave properly,” knowing Christ’s return is close?
· After looking up the Scriptures mentioned above, how are you seeing victory each day in the spiritual battlefield?
Don’t forget to pray using the A.C.T.S. (Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication) method!