My wife, Jan, and I encountered a rattlesnake a few weeks ago but had nothing with which to kill it. We decided that God put rocks on the earth to slay evil vipers. We stoned him while he defiantly struck at each rock. With a broken back he weakly slithered for cover but not before I crushed his head. My gentle, sweet wife then severed his head from his body with the loppers.
Rattlesnakes are resilient. This one was determined not to die. The incident reminded me of our human nature and the sinful habits that hang on even after we become believers. Though we have been born again by God’s Spirit and wonderfully saved from the penalty of sin, we discover that the old nature simply refuses to give up. The Christian journey is a process of sanctification where by God is delivering us from the power of sin, as well. Paul explained the battle like this: “So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves. The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other,…” (Galatians 5:16-17, NLT).
The Bible provides insight into how we can overcome the cravings of the flesh. The first is to die to yourself every day. The Scriptures state, “So you also should consider yourselves to be dead to the power of sin and alive to God through Christ Jesus” (Romans 6:11, NLT). Sin no longer rules over us. We no longer answer to its call. Paul declared, “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me” (Galatians 2:20, NIV). We must remind ourselves every day that we have died to ourselves so that we can live for Christ.
Second, yield to God every day. Not only have we died to self, but we have also given God the right to rule. We have given Him authority over our bodies. We are dead to ourselves but alive to God. The Bible instructs, “Do not let any part of your body become an instrument of evil to serve sin. Instead, give yourselves completely to God, for you were dead, but now you have new life. So use your whole body as an instrument to do what is right for the glory of God” (Romans 6:13, NLT).
Third, feed on God’s Word every day. Jesus was tempted by the devil in the wilderness. He answered every temptation by quoting Scripture. Jesus stated, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4, NKJ). The Bible both guards us from the cravings of our sinful nature and guides us daily to do God’s will. Nourish your soul on His Word.