“Nailed”

 Galatians 5:24

Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires

of their sinful nature to His cross and crucified them there.  (NLT)

     The decision to surrender your sin-filled, rebellious nature into God’s transforming hands can be a slow and painful process.  For many like myself, this decision was a last stand to make sense of this seemingly futile life that beats us up and then ends in death.  For others, it can be a near death experience that strikes the fear of the unknown into their hearts, thinking that maybe there are consequences for living apart from God.  But whatever the cause may be, it is a life changer for sure.  Giving up the things of this world that feeds our compulsive nature to sin is something that we cannot achieve by the power of our own will.  We need some One greater than ourselves; some One who has the power to help us overcome the death grip of sin that leads us on a dark journey into bowels of Hell—a journey that is imminent for all those who remain enslaved by the pleasures of sin. 

     Like all Christians before me, I had to bring my old sinful life to the cross of Christ Jesus, to be nailed there and put to death.  It was then that I received the power of the Holy Spirit, who gave me the confidence to plow forward in the heart wrenching battle to give up the sin that I depended on to ease my pain.  It takes courage and discipline to stand against the dark powers that grip us in sin.  It takes both commitment and sacrifice to learn and use the weapons God gives us to fight the everyday battles against the powers of darkness that seek to destroy us.  It takes the sovereign power and wisdom of God to win the battles for our hearts and minds and souls.  But it’s when you nail that old life of sin to the cross of Christ Jesus that you will truly experience the amazing peace of God that comes from being saved from the bondage of sin and the grip of Hell.  God did not create us to die, my friends; He created us to live forever!  And you can live anew, if you would only die of old! 

                                            A Whisper of Hope

There is One Way…dear child.  You must nail your old sinful nature to My cross.  This single act of obedience will free you from the bondage of sin and the fear of death.  It is only through Me that you will find the power to fight your nature to sin—the curse that Satan holds over you.  Get nailed to the cross and live in Me.

Colossians 2:13-14

You were dead because of your sins and because your sinful

nature was not yet cut away.  Then God made you alive with Christ. 

He forgave all our sins.  He canceled the record that contained the charges

against us.  He took it and destroyed it by nailing it to Christ’s cross.  (NLT)

                 We have the LORD our God to help us 

                and to fight our battles for us!”

                           (2 Chronicles 32:8)