Sacrifice

The Lord truely ministered to my heart today regarding my flesh and the sacrifices I never get around to making. I want so badly to crucify my flesh to be obedient to God, but more often then not, I don't. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry out (Romans 7:18)

Lately I have felt the Holy Spirit guiding me to give up certain things, and even though in my heart I truely want to, I don't. Yet I walk around believing that I am living a holy life and that I am sacrificing the things in this world, and my own gratification for Christ. In reality, I haven't sacfriced a thing. Today was a wake-up call for me. The Lord reminded me that in my struggle against sin I have not yet resisted to the point of shedding my blood (Hebrews 12:4). I realize that I cannot choose which aspects of Christ I want to be like. I don't get to do the things that make me feel better and ignore the things that don't. I am either 100% committed to living a Christ-like life, or I am a hypocrite and no different than an unbeliever.

I am choosing today to re-consecrate myself to the Lord. To be more like Him in every way. To give up those things in my life that are hindering me from my Savior. To become a living sacfrice to God. I consecrate my mind, my body, and my spirit to you, Lord. May only your desires become my desires, may Your will become mine. If Your hand isn't in it or for it, then both of mine are against it. I wanna be just like You!

Therefore, since Christ suffered in his body, arm yourselves with the same attitude, because he who has suffered in his body is done with sin. As a result he does not live the rest of his earthly life for evil human desires, but rather for the will of God. (1 Peter 4:1-2)