My Majestic King, I give You praise because through Your work on Calvary sin’s power has been broken. Through Baptism, I am baptized into Your death. And, when a person dies, they are no longer responsive to external stimuli. Now that I have died with You, I am now not subject to the stimuli of sin. I have chosen to bury my old life and, arise as You did, into newness of life. If I truly believe that my old sinful life is dead and buried, I have a powerful new motive to live for You and resist sin. Each day, I must consciously choose to treat the fleshly desires and temptations of my old nature as though I am dead to them. In so-doing, I’m able to walk in freedom enjoying the wonderful new life You’ve provided for me. My evil desires, my bondage to sin and my love of self are now dead. United with You through the resurrection, I have unbroken fellowship with You which frees me from my old connection to sin.
The power and penalty of sin died with You on the cross. In the same way that sin entered the world through one man (Adam) … by one man (You) it’s power has been removed. I know that when I offer myself to someone to obey them, I become their slave. But, by sacrificing Yourself for my sake, I’ve been given a choice of a new master. Being a servant of sin, puts my life on a path to eternal death. By choosing to become a servant of Yours, I’ve been set free from the power of sin and have put my life on a path to eternal life. In the past, I made myself a slave of impurity and ever-increasing wickedness. Now I’ve chosen to be a slave of holiness and good works. When I was a slave of sin, righteousness had no control over me. However, now that I’ve dedicated myself to You, it is becoming more natural to lead a holy life driven by love and selflessness.
As a result of Your death and resurrection, I no longer need to fear death. That assurance frees me to fellowship with You and respond to Your will. This also adds new meaning to … how and when I worship You … how often and how deeply I delve into Your Word … how I incorporate caring for others into my life. Knowing that I no longer have to fear death allows me to put new vigor into all aspects of my life. Because of my identification with You, I am no longer under that influence of my old nature to carry out old motives, desires and goals. I can now focus on what You ask of me and respond to it. I’ve been given a new start and, with the help of the Holy Spirit, I can become more like You. I have chosen to link my life to Yours … acknowledging You as my Master and looking to You to empower me to do good. By my choice, I’ve avoided death and accepted my new life. And it’s in Jesus’ name I pray. AMEN!!
Romans 6:5 If we have been united with Him in His death, we are certainly united with Him in His resurrection.