After we have converted to follow God and not ourselves, when we have gotten saved, the believer has moral choices to make every moment of every day. We must continually yield ourselves to God: Romans 6:12-16 Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof. (13) Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God. (14) For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace. (15) What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid. (16) Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness? For Christians, surrounded by the spirit of the world, the Word of God says there is a practical morality based on absolutes. We are not to use these absolutes as only tool or a front before others, but we are to live them daily in public and in private. We are, by the grace of God, to practice them, to live them, to yield ourselves to righteousness. In other words do not just talk the talk, but also walk the talk. Daily we are to yield ourselves to God and His Will for our lives.
Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof. Does sin rule your life? We should not allow sin to rule us, we have the Holy Spirit within us, we do not have to let sin rule us. Note how it is phrased: “Let not…” That means we have a choice, we choose to sin, sin only controls us when we allow it to control us. Conversely, the Holy Spirit only controls us when we allow Him to control us. If we are intent on doing things our own way, then we grieve the Holy Spirit, but He does not take over our bodies like a robot and make us do something. If that were to happen, which it will not, then that is not love, that is control. There is not a single instance in the Bible where God takes over one of His children and makes them do something. He may chastise and test us, but He does not force anyone to do something. Likewise, sin does not make us do something, we choose to sin, we can choose to let sin control us. Drinking, smoking, looking at things we should not, hearing thing we should not hear, being in places where we should not be, adultery, covetousness, lying, are all things we choose to do, not something that we have to do or must do.
Paul wrote to the Philippians: Php 4:6-8 Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. (7) And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. (8) Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. If we are thinking on things that are honest, just, pure, true, lovely, then we will not be thinking about sin. And this brings us around to the beginning of this message, that we must win the thought battle in order to win the flesh battle. Rom 12:2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. We are renewing our mind when we follow the statement in Philippians 4:8 Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. This is a daily task, renewing our mind. When we allow our minds to wander in the wrong direction, when we neglect our Bible reading and prayer, then our thoughts will go in the wrong direction and that will lead our flesh into the wrong direction.