KILL OR BE KILLED

"So kill (deaden, deprive of power) the evil desire lurking in your members [those animal impulses and all that is earthly in you that is employed in sin]: sexual vice, impurity, sensual appetites, unholy desires, and all greed and covetousness, for that is idolatry (the deifying of self and other created things instead of God)" (Colossians

3:5, Amplified).

The Christian faith from the beginning to the end is a call to a life of grace - the grace of God in Christ Jesus. We are saved by grace, called by grace, and live by grace. It is grace, God’s unmerited favour, that makes things happen for the believer. It is by grace that we can live above sin, pursue righteousness and please the Lord. No wonder that virtually all the New Testament epistles open with a prayer for the supply of grace to the church.

But whereas it is true that God’s grace is the most important tool for the believer's existence, it is also true that the individual believer has a lot of responsibility if the work of grace will become evident.

The Christian must put grace to work. In pursuit of the beautiful Christian life that pleases God which we are all called to, the

believer must understand grace to simply mean the release of divine capacity to obey divine commands.

The instruction in today's Scripture verse is a good illustration of the point been made. We are told to deaden our evil desires and our ungodly tendencies by depriving them of power. In other words, you must consciously starve your members of the resources that enhance misbehaviour. That is a task you must personally attend to by

yourself. No one else can do that for you, neither your friends nor your pastor. Not even God could do it for you. All that God will do and has done for you is to give you grace - divine capacity - to do what you should do.

For example, if you find yourself constantly plagued by sexual lust, immoral thoughts, masturbation and the like, the first thing God wants you to do is to get rid of the things that feed those habits. You will need to do away with all ponographic pictures, movies, inscriptions and other such materials. You will also have to cut off from friends who delight in such things and avoid environments or occasions that pull you in the direction of lust and immorality. That is how to put grace to work.

But notice that you will be the one to do those things, not God or anyone else. When you have successfully done so, you would have taken power from what has previously held you captive. It will only now be a matter of time before those ungodly tendencies wither off in your life. May you continually find grace to do the needful and receive help in time of need.