Monday June 20

Good morning,
How are things going for you?  Would it be wonderful if EVERYTHING could be as you would want?  
No bills, no hassles, no pressures, no demands, no traffic jams, no anger, nothing to disturb your joy and happiness, nothing to cause you concern and burden your soul.... wouldn't that be, what, HEAVEN?  
Well, you and I are going there one day soon.  
So, I often wonder when people say they are afraid of death!  It is the relief from all the cares and troubles of this world.  I believe that it is the great metamorphosis of our stupid "caterpillar" bodies into the beautiful being that God intended us to be.  
Heaven!  Pure Joy, Happiness, contentment, peace, love, all good things all the time!  
But for now, we have to put up with the troubles of this world and give our thoughts to all of its demands.  We do have a better way here though, with God's Love and Blessings.  Consider today's meditation by F.B. Meyer:

June 20


THE ROCK OF AGES
"Trust ye--the Lord for ever: for in the Lord Jehovah is an everlasting rock."-- Isa_26:4 (R.V.).


THE LOVE of God, like a cleft rock, is the age-long shelter of His people, land rears itself above the tumultuous waters of time. The lightning that flashed from the thunder-clouds of Calvary has riven it. A cleft was made in it by the spear that pierced the heart of our Lord, and this was followed, as it was withdrawn from the gaping wound, by blood and water. But there sinful souls may hide! 


God had said to Moses: "Behold, there is a place by Me, and it shall come to pass that I will put thee in a cleft of the rock, and will cover thee with My hand while I pass by, for thou canst not see My face, and live." So he speaks to us all, and promises that the water and the blood shall be the double cure from the wrath and power of sin.
It is free. The sinner need not seek to acquire the shelter of that Rock of Ages by the labour of his hands, or the fulfilling of the demands of the law. It is not required that he should burn with a zeal that knows no respite, or flow with tears that refuse to be staunched. To be helpless and forlorn, to be in peril of condemnation, to be contrite and humble---this is all that is required. To have no Mediator, no Refuge, no Helper beside, and to lift the eyes of faith to the Saviour--that is the sole condition of being lifted by unseen hands into the cleft of that Rock.
It holds all that the soul needs. Is the soul naked? There is dress for it. Is it helpless? There is grace for it. Is it blackened by sin? There is cleansing for it. Is it sick? there is healing for it. Toplady, the Calvinist, and Wesley, the Arminian, agree here: "Thou, O Christ, art all I want; more than all in Thee I find."
It is for ever. It is the Rock of Ages! Time may beat upon it, but it cannot alter it or impair it. Whilst this fleeting breath is drawn, when eyes close in death, when unknown worlds are entered, when the judgment throne is set, always and for ever the soul may shelter in the cleft Rock of the unchanging Redeemer, and Peace, like a double window, intercepts alarm from the heart which is stayed on God and trusting in Him.


PRAYER
Rock of Ages! cleft for me, 
Let me hide myself in Thee. 
Let the water and the blood, 
From Thy riven side which flowed, 
Be of sin the double cure, 
Save me from its guilt and power. 
AMEN.

God bless and keep you and yours today with His Love and Blessings.

Sunday June 19 Fathers' Day

And so it is here, Father's Day! 
A day of thankfulness for my beautiful, wonderful children.  A day to review and renew my devotion to them.  A day of love and gratitude to God, my Heavenly Father for all His blessings, Grace, Salvation, Love, and above all for His Adoption of an undeserving, unworthy soul like me into His Heavenly family.
Thank you God, my Heavenly Father for all things.  


Today's meditation from Bob Hoekstra deals with God's second greatest gift - the First, of course, is Jesus.  The second is the Holy Spirit.



June 19


Better Promises under Grace
But now He has obtained a more excellent ministry, inasmuch as He is also Mediator of a better covenant, which was established on better promises.  (Heb_8:6)
In every way, the new covenant of grace is a better covenant than the old covenant of law. "But now He has obtained a more excellent ministry, inasmuch as He is also Mediator of a better covenant." Some of the better aspects of living under grace includes: a better High Priest to minister to us, a better sacrifice for sins, a greater intimacy with God, and spiritual substance instead of mere shadows. Another better aspect of grace is that it "was established on better promises." To this excellent reality, we will now give continuing attention over many days.  
Under the old covenant of law, a basic promise is stated repeatedly. It is present in the first giving of the law, when the children of Israel were delivered from bondage in Egypt. "You shall therefore keep My statutes and My judgments, which if a man does, he shall live by them" (Lev_18:5). It was present when the law was given again to Israel, as they were preparing to enter the promised land. "Now it shall come to pass, if you diligently obey the voice of the LORD your God, to observe carefully all His commandments which I command you today, that the LORD your God will set you high above all nations of the earth" (Deu_28:1). At this time, a corollary promise of warning was made. "But it shall come to pass, if you do not obey the voice of the LORD your God, to observe carefully all His commandments and His statutes which I command you today, that all these curses will come upon you and overtake you" (Deu_28:15).  
The basic promises of the law can be summarized as "do this, and you will live." The promises under the law are contingent upon the performance of man. If man is able to keep the law, the promises of life and blessing will be fulfilled. Ultimately, the children of Israel demonstrated the inability of man to perform up to the standards of God's holy law. "Notwithstanding, the children rebelled against Me; they did not walk in My statutes, and were not careful to observe My judgments, 'which, if a man does, he shall live by them' " (Eze_20:21).  


The promises under grace are immeasurably better than those under law, because they do not depend upon man's performance. "I will make a new covenant . . . I will put My law in their minds . . . I will be their God . . . I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more" (Jer_31:31-34). 


Dear Lord, I rejoice over the new covenant of grace. How wonderful it is to live under promises that do not depend upon my ability to perform. 
Lord, I put my trust in You to fulfill Your promises in my life. Through Christ I pray, Amen.


Truly, on this day, I thank you Heavenly Father for all Your Love, Grace, Salvation, Your Blessings, guidance, and protection.  I pray that you will be with my children, my beloved, my friends and all the children who have no families or are suffering.  
I pray that Your Will be manifested in my life.  Amen

Saturday June 18

Saturday, my favorite day in many ways.  What's yours?
A day to rest, the original Sabbath, a day of reflection and thinking, of doing and catching up... a day of Freedom.


All this because God made everything, and Jesus brings it all to us in His Glory.  Are you a Christian?  A follower of Christ?  Praise God and Thank Him for His Grace.  


Today's mediation from James Ryle deals with being a true follower of Christ:



June 18


Climbing Companions
"When Jesus saw his ministry drawing huge crowds, he climbed a hillside. Those who were apprenticed to him, the committed, climbed with him. Arriving at a quiet place, he sat down and taught His climbing companions." (Matthew 5:1,2, The Message)
Crowds always collect around events and individuals that are curious or exciting. Jesus was all that and more, and so naturally His ministry drew large crowds. But He knew that crowds are fickle. So when He saw His ministry attracting large crowds — He climbed a hillside. This was a decisive movement upward; an intentional maneuver sure to root out those who were only looking for the easy way, the free ride. And as the Lord expected, the crowd dispersed. You see, crowds don't climb hillsides.
What happened next is what the Lord was after all along. Those who were apprenticed to Him — the committed — climbed with Him. Are you committed? When the crowds fade away, and following Jesus is no longer the popular thing to do, or the easy thing to do — will you be one of His climbing companions? If you will, He'll take you to the summit!
The scripture tells us that we are "partakers of a heavenly calling" (Heb.3:1). Elsewhere it is refered to as "the upward call of God in Christ Jesus" (Phil.3:14). 
It is the call of God upon our lives that makes mediocrity unacceptable. The word mediocrity literally means "halfway up a mountain.”
Are you going to settle for only following Christ halfway? I didn't think so. Rather, don't you want to be known as one of Christ's climbing companions?
The old Hymn says it so well....


I'm pressing on the upward way
New heights I'm gaining every day.
Still praying as I'm upward bound,
"Lord, plant my feet on higher ground.”
My heart has no desire to stay
Where doubts arise and fears dismay.
Though some may dwell where these abound,
My prayer, my aim, is higher ground!
Lord lift me up! And let me stand
By faith on Heaven's stable land!
A higher place that I have found;
Lord, plant my feet on higher ground.


Have a wonderful day in the Lord!

Friday June 17

Good morning, whoever you are, where ever you are.  In God we are brothers and sisters, in God we are all connected.  


It is a wonder to me why more people don't see the clear and simple logic of Christ, of being a Christian.  Of course, as you dig a bit into the Bible, and read God's Words, it is made clear.  


Vision, clarity, understanding, acceptance, and ultimately Salvation is not up to us on the receiving end, it is up to God on the giving end.  His Grace must be given to you through the Holy Spirit so that your eyes are opened, that you may begin the journey to Christ, Salvation, and the Christian life.  
I Praise God and Thank my God for the vision, for the Grace so that I might see, even vaguely, my Lord and Savior while I am on this earth.  


Have you accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as YOUR Savior?  If not, do so NOW.  Just open your mouth and heart, state that you are a sinner, that you need Jesus's blood and redemption to wash away your sins, that you need Jesus as your Savior... then the Holy Spirit will get it done!  You are Saved!  Now you begin a New Life, a babe in the Spirit.  
So, you must eat and breathe the Word of God.  I strongly recommend that you go to 
www.e-sword.net
and download all the resources.  It is a banquet, a huge buffet of God's Word.  There are many good commentaries and other resources as well.  
Then read the Bible so that you can grow.  Read the commentaries so that the saints can give you insight, the why's and how's!


Now for today's meditation from George Morrison:  (I've truncated today's thoughts but if you want the whole thing, then go the the Daily Devotions and read his whole message.)



Only One Thing Is Needful
The secret of the highest and purest success in life lies in the ability first to choose and then to make effort after those things which are of really greatest worth. 
Of course, together with this choice, there must be a ceasing to strive after things of no intrinsic or permanent value. This is what Jesus meant when He said, "Seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness." Now ability to choose rightly, and also to obtain, implies the possession of all the three qualities of Christ which I have just mentioned, namely, Light, Wisdom, and Power.


These we may obtain from Him; and before we can use them we must obtain them. By means of light we see things as they are; we discern their real nature, we can estimate their relative greatness or smallness. Only in the light, only, that is, in possession of the completest knowledge available, must we choose and select. This selection also implies skill, which is the true meaning of wisdom.


The truly wise man is the man who can both choose and use skillfully. Christ's wisdom is seen in His choices, in His decisions. The proof of His wisdom is seen in the results of these. Christ chooses, and He teaches us to choose those things which are of permanent value and which satisfy the highest parts of our nature. Our want of wisdom is seen in our frequent rejection of these things for objects which give only a very temporary satisfaction, and that only to the lower part of our nature.


But in addition to light or knowledge, in addition also to choice or decision, we need power. We need power to do what we know we ought to do and have chosen to do. Remember St. Paul's words, "The good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do."


Light, wisdom, power are three conditions of freedom—of the freedom which, as a possibility, Christ has won for us. To obtain them we must possess Him. He is the One needful; they are the few things needful. 


Possession and use of these will prevent that worry which wears out life, that distraction which, in its endless seeking after things of comparatively little value, destroys even its own object. In its constant search after what it considers necessary as means of living it forgets life itself.




So, dear friend, dear brother, dear sister,
May God give you the Light, Knowledge, and Power to live a full, glorious life in service to our Lord and King, Jesus Christ, the Son of God and our Savior.  
Praise God for His Grace and Mercies!

Thursday June 16

How's your life today?  
I hope you have joy and effervescence flowing from you.  I hope all things look possible to you.  Yet, many of us are not there yet.  


Today's meditation is from Charles Spurgeon.  Read what he states about our daily condition:



June 16


Morning
“And I give unto them eternal life, and they shall never perish.”
- Joh_10:28
The Christian should never think or speak lightly of unbelief. For a child of God to mistrust his love, his truth, his faithfulness, must be greatly displeasing to him. How can we ever grieve him by doubting his upholding grace? Christian! it is contrary to every promise of God’s precious Word that thou shouldst ever be forgotten or left to perish. If it could be so, how could he be true who has said, “Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? Yea, they may forget, yet will I never forget thee.” What were the value of that promise-”The mountains shall depart, and the hills be removed; but my kindness shall not depart from thee, neither shall the covenant of my peace be removed, saith the Lord that hath mercy on thee.” 
Where were the truth of Christ’s words-”I give unto my sheep eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand.” 
Where were the doctrines of grace? They would be all disproved if one child of God should perish. Where were the veracity of God, his honour, his power, his grace, his covenant, his oath, if any of those for whom Christ has died, and who have put their trust in him, should nevertheless be cast away? 
Banish those unbelieving fears which so dishonour God. Arise, shake thyself from the dust, and put on thy beautiful garments. Remember it is sinful to doubt his Word wherein he has promised thee that thou shalt never perish. Let the eternal life within thee express itself in confident rejoicing.
“The gospel bears my spirit up:
A faithful and unchanging God
Lays the foundation for my hope,
In oaths, and promises, and blood.”




Evening
“The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?”
- Psa_27:1
“The Lord is my light and my salvation.” Here is personal interest, “my light,” “my salvation;” the soul is assured of it, and therefore declares it boldly. Into the soul at the new birth divine light is poured as the precursor of salvation; where there is not enough light to reveal our own darkness and to make us long for the Lord Jesus, there is no evidence of salvation. 
After conversion our God is our joy, comfort, guide, teacher, and in every sense our light: he is light within, light around, light reflected from us, and light to be revealed to us. 
Note, it is not said merely that the Lord gives light, but that he is light; nor that he gives salvation, but that he is salvation; he, then, who by faith has laid hold upon God, has all covenant blessings in his possession. 
This being made sure as a fact, the argument drawn from it is put in the form of a question, “Whom shall I fear?” A question which is its own answer. The powers of darkness are not to be feared, for the Lord, our light, destroys them; and the damnation of hell is not to be dreaded by us, for the Lord is our salvation. 
This is a very different challenge from that of boastful Goliath, for it rests, not upon the conceited vigour of an arm of flesh, but upon the real power of the omnipotent I AM. 
“The Lord is the strength of my life.” Here is a third glowing epithet, to show that the writer’s hope was fastened with a threefold cord which could not be broken. We may well accumulate terms of praise where the Lord lavishes deeds of grace. Our life derives all its strength from God; and if he deigns to make us strong, we cannot be weakened by all the machinations of the adversary. “Of whom shall I be afraid?” The bold question looks into the future as well as the present. “If God be for us,” who can be against us, either now or in time to come?

Have a blessed day in the Lord.  May His love fill your life.

Wednesday June 15

Half way through June. Time is unstoppable.  It moves on no matter what man or nature does.  It is the great equalizer, it is the one thing all of nature shares.  Time is the metronome that keeps all things synchronized and working together.  
How are you using your time? 


But soon, all time stops and ETERNITY takes over, endless, forever, eternal, everlasting, with out end... and God will be there with you IF you are one of Christ's own, a Christian, saved from your old self and made new through the blood sacrifice of our Lord Jesus.  


How? James Ryle puts the whole path into understandable words, here's how he puts it:


Four Points of a Prevailing Life (Part 1)
"What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?" (Romans 6:1, KJV)
In the earliest days of my journey with Jesus a godly man came alongside me and taught me a truth with such unrelenting resolve that it has stayed with me to this very day. Indeed, not simply stayed with with — it has powerfully swayed me from turning the wrong way on many, many occasions and kept my feet from stumbling. Yes, there have been times when I ignored the voice of the Holy Spirit, and tumbled in a ditch — but even then, it was this truth that factored in my recovery. 
I want to pass this truth along to you.
Paul uses four key words in his masterful argument against sin, and for righteousness; and these four words give us the bullet points of a prevailing life. Know, reckon, yield, and obey. 
Let's look briefly at these over the following four days.


First, there is something we are to KNOW — "our old man was crucified with Christ" (Romans 6:6). 
The Messages puts it this way — "Could it be any clearer? Our old way of life was nailed to the Cross with Christ, a decisive end to that sin-miserable life — no longer at sin's every beck and call! What we believe is this: If we get included in Christ's sin-conquering death, we also get included in his life-saving resurrection."
Pass by any cemetery and you will see just what the Lord has done for you on the Cross. He brought you into His own death, and thereby rendered sin's power over you as ineffective as it is upon those buried there in the ground. Your enslavement to sin's power has ended, and through Christ's resurrection you now have been raised to a new way of living — free from always having to do what sin demanded.
You will never be able to walk victorious in faith without KNOWING this truth. This may be the primary reason why Satan is so set against the preaching of the Cross, and why so many churches have veered far off course in this happy-go-lucky-day of sentimental sensationalism in song and sermon.
Take your place in humble adoration at the foot of the cross my fellow pilgrim, and rise not from that place till you KNOW that all which is within you that once lived unto sin has been executed in your Savior's death.
"When I survey the wondrous cross, 
on which the Prince of glory died; 
my richest gain I count but loss, 
and pour contempt on all my pride. 
Forbid it Lord that I should boast, 
save in the cross of Christ my God. 
All the vain things that charm me most, 
I sacrifice them to His blood. 
Were the whole realm of nature mine, 
that were a present far too small! 
Love so amazing, so divine, 
demands my soul, my life, my all." (Isaac Watts 1748)


Four Points of a Prevailing Life (Part 2)
"What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?" (Romans 6:1, KJV) 


Yesterday we focused on the first of four key words used by the Apostle Paul in his classic case for the Cross presented in the sixth chapter of the Book of Romans. Today, we want to look at the second word: RECKON.
More modern translations use words like count, consider, think, or regard. All share the same essential meaning — "to take into account." In other words, this is the conclusion you are to carry in your heart once you KNOW that your were indeed crucified with Christ: "I am dead to sin, but alive to God through Jesus!"
Go ahead and give it a try — say it out loud just now as you read this. "I am dead to sin, but alive to God through Jesus."


Now, later on in the day when temptation comes creeping round the corner and suddly backs you against the wall — pause, take a deep breath, and then speak the truth of these words in the face of Hell's assault. You will stand, and the enemy will flee! Remember the Sienfeld episode where Jerry's dad kept yelling, "Serenity Now!" That didn't seem to work too well for him, and it won't work for you either. But THIS does work — "I am dead to sin, but alive to God through Jesus." Truth works!
Here is how The Message summarizes it — "From now on, think of it this way: Sin speaks a dead language that means nothing to you; God speaks your mother tongue, and you hang on every word. You are dead to sin and alive to God. That's what Jesus did. (Romans 6:11-14).
Because Jesus did it, you and I can now do it! He conquered sin and death, and ended their supremacy over our lives. We can now walk in freedom — and will do so only as we COUNT on it; reckoning ourselves dead indeed to sin, but alive to God!
"In the cross of Christ I glory, 
towering o'er the wrecks of time; 
all the light of sacred story gathers round its head sublime! When the woes of life o'ertake me, 
hopes deceive and fears annoy; 
never shall the cross forsake me — 
Lo! it glows with peace and joy. 
Bane and blessing, pain and pleasure, 
by the cross are sanctified; 
peace is there that knows no measure, 
joys that through all time abide." 
(John Bowering, 1872)
I reckon so.

Four Points of a Prevailing Life (Part 3)

"What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?" (Romans 6:1, KJV)
The power of the Cross unfolds daily in our lives as we first KNOW that our old man was crucified with Christ, and then RECKON ourselves to be indeed dead to sin, but alive to God through Jesus Christ our Lord.
The next thing that follows is the most sensible step possible — we are to YIELD ourselves to God as though who are alive from the dead.
Paul writes, "Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God" (Romans 6:13).
The word he uses means "to stand beside so as to present oneself for service." It is our way of saying, "Here I am; use me." The point being that this is what we once did when sin was our master. But now Jesus is Lord, and we are to yield ourselves to Him, to be used for His purpose each day.
The Message says, "That means you must not give sin a vote in the way you conduct your lives. Don't give it the time of day. Don't even run little errands that are connected with that old way of life. Throw yourselves wholeheartedly and full-time into God's way of doing things. Remember, you've been raised from the dead! Sin can't tell you how to live. After all, you're not living under that old tyranny any longer. You're living in the freedom of God." (Romans 6:12-14)


"Jesus keep me near the cross, 

free to all,

a healing stream flows from Calvary's mountain. 

Near the cross, there a precious fountain; 

a trembling soul, love and mercy found me; 
there the Bright and morning Star 
shed His beams around me. 
Near the cross, O Lamb of God! 
Bring its scenes before me; 
help me walk from day to day 
with its shadow o'er me. 
In the cross, in the cross be my glory ever; 
till my raptured soul shall find 
rest beyond the river!" 
(Fanny J. Crosby, 1915)

June 15

Four Points of a Prevailing Life (Part 4)

"What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?" (Romans 6:1, KJV)

We now come to the fourth and final word in our survey of the wondrous cross. The word is OBEY. Paul says, "God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you" (Romans 6:17).

The natural sequence of these four word are beautiful in their symmetry, and powerful in their simplicity. The life-transforming work of the Cross unfolds daily in our lives as we first KNOW that our old man was crucified with Christ, and then RECKON ourselves to be indeed dead to sin, but alive to God through Jesus Christ our Lord. The next thing that follows is the most sensible step possible — we are to YIELD ourselves to God as though who are alive from the dead. Once yielded, it only remains for us to faithfully OBEY the Lord, and do His bidding.

The word means "to listen to something with attentive stillness, so as to conform unto what is being said." The Message says, "But thank God you've started listening to a new master, one whose commands set you free to live openly in his freedom! (Romans 6:17-18)

This gives us a rich image of how the Lord shapes our lives to be more and more like Himself. It is as though the Word of God is a mold, into which our surrendered lives are poured in a yielded softness. Then, with the passing of time, we harden to the shape of the mold, and once the Lord removes it we then discover that He has used His word to remake us into what we always wanted to be! That's what happens when we OBEY!

"Holy Spirit, breath on me, 

until my heart is clean; 

let sunshine fill its inmost part, 

without a cloud between. 

Holy Spirit, breath on me,

 my stubborn will subdue; 

teach me in words of living flame 

what Christ would have me do. 

Holy Spirit, breath on me

 till I am all Thine own; 

until my will is lost in Thine, 

to live for Thee alone! (B. B. McKinney, 1886)

KNOW, RECKON, YIELD, and OBEY. There you have the four points of a prevailing life. May I encourage you to put this truth to the test? If so, then you will find that Truth Works!

I pray that all will Know our Lord Jesus, that they will Reckon their new state of existence as Redeemed saints, Yield their whole being and soul to God and Obey the Will of God.  

I pray for you and me that we will be the True Children of God.

Monday June 13

Life, this existence, this processing of energy and carrying out of the seven life functions, life is both a verb and a noun.  Life is what we have for a short time.  Life is the precious thing some so hold on to so dearly.  
How is your life?
James Ryle gives us a good way to look at our lives:
(I am going to combine two days worth of thoughts so it's easier to continue in thinking:)


Four Points of a Prevailing Life (Part 1)
"What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?" (Romans 6:1, KJV)
In the earliest days of my journey with Jesus a godly man came alongside me and taught me a truth with such unrelenting resolve that it has stayed with me to this very day. Indeed, not simply stayed with with — it has powerfully swayed me from turning the wrong way on many, many occasions and kept my feet from stumbling. Yes, there have been times when I ignored the voice of the Holy Spirit, and tumbled in a ditch — but even then, it was this truth that factored in my recovery. I want to pass this truth along to you.
Paul uses four key words in his masterful argument against sin, and for righteousness; and these four words give us the bullet points of a prevailing life. 
Know, reckon, yield, and obey. Let's look briefly at these over the following four days.
First, there is something we are to KNOW — "our old man was crucified with Christ" (Romans 6:6).
The Messages puts it this way — "Could it be any clearer? Our old way of life was nailed to the Cross with Christ, a decisive end to that sin-miserable life — no longer at sin's every beck and call! What we believe is this: If we get included in Christ's sin-conquering death, we also get included in his life-saving resurrection."
Pass by any cemetery and you will see just what the Lord has done for you on the Cross. He brought you into His own death, and thereby rendered sin's power over you as ineffective as it is upon those buried there in the ground. Your enslavement to sin's power has ended, and through Christ's resurrection you now have been raised to a new way of living — free from always having to do what sin demanded.
You will never be able to walk victorious in faith without KNOWING this truth. This may be the primary reason why Satan is so set against the preaching of the Cross, and why so many churches have veered far off course in this happy-go-lucky-day of sentimental sensationalism in song and sermon.
Take your place in humble adoration at the foot of the cross my fellow pilgrim, and rise not from that place till you KNOW that all which is within you that once lived unto sin has been executed in your Savior's death.
"When I survey the wondrous cross, 
on which the Prince of glory died; 
my richest gain I count but loss, 
and pour contempt on all my pride. 
Forbid it Lord that I should boast, 
save in the cross of Christ my God. 
All the vain things that charm me most, 
I sacrifice them to His blood. 
Were the whole realm of nature mine, 
that were a present far too small! 
Love so amazing, so divine, 
demands my soul, my life, my all." 
(Isaac Watts 1748)

and the second illumination:

Four Points of a Prevailing Life (Part 2)

"What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?" (Romans 6:1, KJV) 

Yesterday we focused on the first of four key words used by the Apostle Paul in his classic case for the Cross presented in the sixth chapter of the Book of Romans. Today, we want to look at the second word: RECKON.

More modern translations use words like count, consider, think, or regard. All share the same essential meaning — "to take into account." In other words, this is the conclusion you are to carry in your heart once you KNOW that your were indeed crucified with Christ: "I am dead to sin, but alive to God through Jesus!"

Go ahead and give it a try — say it out loud just now as you read this. 

"I am dead to sin, but alive to God through Jesus."

Now, later on in the day when temptation comes creeping round the corner and suddly backs you against the wall — pause, take a deep breath, and then speak the truth of these words in the face of Hell's assault. You will stand, and the enemy will flee! Remember the Sienfeld episode where Jerry's dad kept yelling, "Serenity Now!" That didn't seem to work too well for him, and it won't work for you either. But THIS does work — "I am dead to sin, but alive to God through Jesus." Truth works!

Here is how The Message summarizes it — "From now on, think of it this way: Sin speaks a dead language that means nothing to you; God speaks your mother tongue, and you hang on every word. You are dead to sin and alive to God. That's what Jesus did. (Romans 6:11-14).

Because Jesus did it, you and I can now do it! He conquered sin and death, and ended their supremacy over our lives. We can now walk in freedom — and will do so only as we COUNT on it; reckoning ourselves dead indeed to sin, but alive to God!

"In the cross of Christ I glory, 

towering o'er the wrecks of time; 

all the light of sacred story 

gathers round its head sublime! 

When the woes of life o'ertake me, 

hopes deceive and fears annoy; 

never shall the cross forsake me — 

Lo! it glows with peace and joy. 

Bane and blessing, pain and pleasure,

 by the cross are sanctified; 

peace is there that knows no measure, 

joys that through all time abide." 

(John Bowering, 1872)

I reckon so. Do you?