Just say no to works...

I love what Charles Stanley once said, "Remember the flesh that rages within you is at war with God, not with you. You may feel as though the battle is yours, but in a spiritual sense it is God's battle. We are the ones that must learn to say no to the desires of the flesh, but not just because we are disciplined. Without a sincere love for God and a desire to obey His will for our lives, discipline becomes nothing more than a physical exercise."The flesh is the part of us that stands in opposition to God's truth. It cannot be improved, disciplined, or changed. It is totally self-focused. It is self-centered, self-pleasing, self-promoting, self-seeking, self-concious, self-righteous, self-indulgent. Oswald Chamber writes: "If you are not right with God, you can never turn your mind anywhere but on yourself." We overcome the flesh by setting the focus of our hearts on loving the One who gave us life.

The secret is not in anything you can do, it is in abiding in Christ. We think we have to do something, but we can't. So what do we do to overcome sin in our lives? Believe. Believe in Christ's finished work on the cross. The Cross + nothing. How did we get saved? By trusting in Christ. It is the same way we get sanctified. You didn't get saved by anything you did, and you can't get free from sin by any self-effort. Just say no to works, and abide in Christ and trust Him to finish the work He started in you.