Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. —Romans 8:1, NAS
TODAY, I WANT to talk about how you can have a victorious thought life. My friend, the solution to temptations, sinful desires and thoughts is found in the very first verse of Romans 8: “Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” (By the way, some Bible translations, like the New King James Version, go on to say “who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.” This was added by the later Bible translators. In the oldest manuscripts of the New Testament available today, the Greek simply states, “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”)
You now have the power of Christ to rise above your temptation and to rest in your righteous identity in Christ apart from your works. You may experience temptations and sinful thoughts from time to time, but right in the midst of that temptation, you need to know this: There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. Notice that this verse is in the present tense. Right now, even if at this very moment, sinful thoughts are going through your mind, there is no condemnation because you are IN CHRIST JESUS!
Are we then to sit still and entertain those sinful thoughts? Of course not. Sin cannot take root in a person who is full of the consciousness that he is righteous in Christ. You cannot stop birds from flying over your head, but you can certainly stop a bird from building a nest on your head. In the same way, you cannot stop temptations, sinful thoughts and desires from passing through your mind, but you can certainly stop yourself from acting on these temptations, sinful thoughts and desires. How? By confessing at the very moment of temptation that you are the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus!
The power of Jesus to overcome every temptation kicks in when you remain conscious that even at the point of temptation, Jesus is still with you and that you are righteous in Him apart from your works (Romans 4:6)! When you do that, you reject the condemnation for the temptation that you faced. You now have the power of Christ to rise above your temptation and to rest in your righteous identity in Christ apart from your works. That, beloved, is the overcoming life in Christ!
Today’s Prayer
Father, I thank You that because I am in Christ Jesus, I have the overcoming life. I also have Your unmerited favor because I am righteous in Christ, who is always with me. It is Your goodness and grace that will help me triumph over every challenge today.
Today’s Thought
I choose not to be sin-conscious, but conscious of the fact that I am righteous in Christ.
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Prince, Joseph. 100 Days Of Favor, Daily Readings From Unmerited Favor.