ICS Daily Devotions
Overcoming Sin and Temptations
Ezekiel 11:19 (NKJV) Then I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within them, and take the stony heart out of their flesh, and give them a heart of flesh,
The heart of stone caused men to be rebellious and hardened against God’s ways, laws and statutes in the Old Testament. The sin nature controlled them. They were not able to overcome sin and temptations. The soul dictated and ruled their lives before they were born-again.
2 Corinthians 5:17 (NKJV) Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.
We are a new creation the moment we have accepted Jesus into our lives. It happened in our hearts therefore we are able to yield to the prompting and leading of the Holy Spirit. The “inner man” or the “inward man” or the heart which is often referred to in the Bible is completely NEW! We are able to reign in life through the empowerment of the Holy Spirit.
We are able to live very differently while the values and principles in the world are deteriorating daily because of the lust of the flesh and the eyes. The corruption in the world includes unnatural marriage unions, lawlessness in the aspect of fornication, adultery, and the love of money. We are so used to being dictated by what we see, hear and feel, that we live our lives from the realm of the soul, but we need to begin to live our lives from the spirit man! The scripture below promises us that God’s divine power through the new creation enables us to take hold of His great and precious promises to walk in godliness!
God’s divine nature is found in the new creation through our born-again experience. Instead of the sin nature, we have the ability to tap into God’s nature in us so that we are able to walk in godliness. It is made available in the new creation. The nature of God should have love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.
2 Peter 1:3-4(NKJV) as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.
We are able to overcome the dictation of the soul and the flesh in order to reign in life through the new creation. The law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus through the empowerment of the Holy Spirit will help us to overcome the work and the lust of the flesh. Then we can prosper in our souls and grow spiritually.
Sermon Series: Is Your Soul Prospering
