PUT YE ON THE LORD JESUS CHRIST - Romans 13:14
Romans 13:14 But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfill the lusts thereof.
We are instructed to diligently add temperance to our faith, virtue, and knowledge. In this passage, Paul is admonishing us how we are to live our lives if we are not going to make provision for our fleshly desires. The things of this world can be a great temptation, but the things of God must remain a primary concern.
We often wonder why temptation seems so strong in our life. Why is it that Satan appears to have such a stronghold in our life? It is because we are more concerned about the things of this earth than we are about the things of God. If we desire to live a dynamic life, a life that has the strength to overcome the temptations of this world, then we must start by putting Christ first.
How many Christians have you come across who proclaim to be a Christian yet they do not demonstrate self-control in some aspect of their life. How much more powerful could their life be if they only learned to rely upon the strength of Christ for every aspect of their life? Satan loves to get you to segregate your life so that you remain in control over certain aspects of your life.
David was king of Israel and it was the time of the year that kings go out to battle. However, David did not lead his troops in battle but instead put himself in a position where he was able to see Bath-sheba bathing on her housetop. David made provision for his flesh by first not being where he was supposed to be, second by looking, third by inquiring, and fourth by requesting that Bath-sheba be brought unto him.
At any step of the way, David could have stopped the process which led to him committing adultery with Bath-sheba. However, each small compromise that David took eventually led to him disobeying the commands of God and suffering the consequences of his actions.
We need to follow the example of Joseph who did not make provision for his flesh. He was given the opportunity to sin, but instead of yielding to the temptation, Joseph fled. Joseph fled and suffered the consequences for something he did not do, but Joseph was faithful to God and God used him.
Daniel is another man who could have made a soft compromise. Daniel was a long way from home so who would care whether or not he ate the food of the king. Nonetheless, Daniel chose to do that which was right in the eyes of God. It was because Daniel understood who God was and that he would be accountable to God that Daniel did not sin by eating unclean food.
If you desire to obey God by adding self-control to your life, you must start by putting on the Lord Jesus Christ. You must dare to be a Daniel, you must follow the example of Joseph; you must understand that God is watching you and that you will be accountable to HIM for every word, thought, and action.
If you start living your life for God, God will give you the strength to overcome the lusts of the flesh. It does not matter what your addiction is, putting Christ as the center of your life will be the tool that you should use to overcome the temptations of this world. Through God, you can do the impossible including overcoming you addiction.