Always Reforming

For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace.  (Romans 6:14) Christian, you have been freed.  Through the Person and Work of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, you have been set free from the guilt and corruption of sin.  The Fall has been reversed.   The guilt of sin no longer has dominion over you.  There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus (Rom 8:1).  No one, not even the accuser, can bring an accusation against God's elect (Rom 8:33).  Satan has no right to your body or your soul.  Resist him; he will flee (James 4:7).  The power of sin no longer has dominion over you.  "For one who has died has been set free from sin," Paul says (Rom 6:7).  "So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus" (Rom 6:11).  We have been given the gift of true freedom--not freedom from restraint, but freedom from slavery to sin.  W...

Joshua 23 (take 3 minutes to read this passage)     Have you ever had a friend who just couldn’t break free something or someone, even though he (or she) knew it was bad for them?  Maybe it was an addiction, or perhaps it was an ungodly friend or romantic relationship? Whatever it may have been, he (or she) knew it was spiritually harmful, but they just couldn't break free from it.          In Joshua 23 we see how the Israelites were like this. We also see how important it is for us break free from these types of situations and to dedicate ourselves wholly to God.     Verses 1-2 give us our context.   The Israelites have conquered much of the land, but there remains some occupied by various Canaanite people groups.  Meanwhile,  Joshua is old and dying.  His days of leading the people in battle are over, so he calls the leaders together and he  gives them a final charge.  This charge comprises th...