The believer doesn’t need victory over sin. He isn’t fighting for victory over sin. He already has victory over sin through the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

So because he has victory over sin, he is to walk in victory over sin. How is he to do this?

1. Renewing his mind

2. Bringing his body under the control or subjection of his spirit.

Let’s start with the first one – renewing the mind or soul.

The soul is the seat of the will, desires and emotion. Most believers permit sin in their bodies simply because the will in their souls towards that wrong desire is weak. The will in their souls is more inclined towards permitting that action in their bodies.

When we renew our minds, we reprogram our thinking. When this is done we find that our minds will not be runover easily by evil thinking. The word is in dominion there.

To renew your mind you need to do the following. You must understand that you are a creature of behavior.

Imbibe a culture of feeding on the word of God daily. Feed your “sense gates”. I mean your eyes, ears. Exercise your tongue or speech in proclaiming boldly what Christ has done and who you are in him.

It is important to hear yourself say it. It registers in your mind faster and is entrenched stronger.

Now as you do this a change occurs in your soul. However, there is a point you must reach and that is changing your behavior when the “urge” to do what you have been used to doing comes.

If you don’t change your response to that “urge” you will not have mastered your body.

The “urges” of the body usually comes in response to “stimulus”. At times that response from your body is immediate at other times it is after an “accumulated period of exposure to a triggering stimuli”.

This is when a battle is fought.

There is contention between the word of God in your spirit and the word you have meditated on in your mind with the urge you have given into for many years.

You must let the word gives you a different response to “urge” to do what you know to be wrong to do.

Your first win is the most important. This is when you don’t give in the first time successfully and the urge passes away. You have to sustain that win for a period long enough for your body to learn your new behavior.

This is how you walk in victory.

However, don’t give up if you give in. Remember, you already have forgiveness in Christ. Ephesians 1:7; Colossians 1:14, 1 John 2:1-2

Start the process again. Feed on the word and meditate aloud on it. Then act on it!

CONFESSION: I have mastery over my body. I do not give in to sin. I live above sin. I meditate constantly on the word of God.

BIBLE READING: Acts 12; Ephesians 4