“Do not let sin control the way you live; do not give in to sinful desires . . . 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 6:12-13 NLT).
Every day you are controlled by something.
You may be controlled by your own ego or by the expectations of other people. You may be controlled by fear, guilt, resentment, or bitterness. You may be controlled by a substance or a habit. The bottom line is you are controlled by something every day.
Freedom comes when you choose what’s going to control you. When you choose Jesus Christ to be in control of your life, when you are mastered by the Master, you can master everything else. If God is not number one in your life, something else is, and it’ll control you to a negative degree. When Christ is in control of your life, he always moves you in the right direction.
Romans 6:12-13 says, “Do not let sin control the way you live; do not give in to sinful desires . . . 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” (NLT).
Giving control over to Christ is a choice. Here are some steps to help you do this:
- Admit that you’ve been trying to play God.
- Admit that you can’t change on your own.
- Humbly ask God to help you change.
- Be honest with someone else about the things that need to change in your life.
- Give Jesus Christ total ownership of your life.
Do you really want to change? Are you willing to do these things? You say, “I’m so tired of trying and failing.” Stop trying. Instead, start trusting. God gives you the option to either depend on him or depend on yourself. The result is either freedom or frustration.
Why not give it all to Christ? What do you have to lose?
Talk It Over
What character traits or circumstances keep you from giving control of your life to God?
In what ways have you been trying to play God?
What do you think it means to give yourself completely to God?
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This devotional © 2020 by Rick Warren. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
