Romans 12:1-2 (NLT)
And so, dear brothers and sisters,[a] I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him.[b] 2 Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.
Galatians 2:20 (NLT)
20 My old self has been crucified with Christ.[a] It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
2 Timothy 2:3-4 (NLT)
3 Endure suffering along with me, as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. 4 Soldiers don’t get tied up in the affairs of civilian life, for then they cannot please the officer who enlisted them.
2 Timothy 1:8-9 (NLT)
8. …..With the strength God gives you, be ready to suffer with me for the sake of the Good News. 9 For God saved us and called us to live a holy life…..
Romans 6:12 (NLT)
12 Do not let sin control the way you live;[a] do not give in to sinful desires.
Be A Living Sacrifice
Dying to self-seems to be man’s greatest challenge. Not many of us start our day saying, “Lord I am your living sacrifice today. My flesh completely dies to all that I desire, in exchange for what you desire of me”.
I know personally that dying to self-has always been a struggle for me. Like Paul, my flesh is constantly at war with my spirit. In Romans 7:19 Paul says that: “I want to do good but I don’t. I don’t want to do what is wrong but I do it anyway. I feel sure that if we are being completely honest, we can all agree that like Paul, we have been there many times as well.
