Do Not Disavow

Do Not Disavow By: Rick Davis   When Charlemagne established law Salic in barb’rous land, The gospel flourished, and he saw Christ’s praise on every hand.   (“Do you approve his methods now?”) I do not disavow.   King Godfrey took Jerusalem From bloody paynim hands And brought a halt to Musselmen Invading Christian lands.   (“He did some mean things anyhow!”) I do not disavow.   King Richard with his scarlet shield And passant lions ‘bossed Rode forth again unto the field To regain what was lost.   (“His deeds at Acre you allow?”) I do not disavow.   Unto the Germans Luther brought The gospel full restored, And Calvin at Geneva taught The glory of the Lord.   (“The Jews? Servetus? Holy cow!”) I do not disavow.   Stonewall and Lee like knights of old Fought for their native soil, The true and lovely to uphold Against the tyrant’s spoil.   (“Those vile racists ...

Mortify the Flesh

Romans 13:14 says, “put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof.”

Do not try to domesticate sin, to keep it as a pet on a leash carefully controlled to be enjoyed in moderation. Sin brings death; it destroys. You may think that a sin is small, that it hurts no one, that you can give yourself just a little leeway to indulge in a lie, in bitterness, in lust, in laziness, in irritation or anger. But the more you feed the flesh the stronger it gets. Very quickly, your little pet sin grows larger than you and gobbles you up, it utterly consumes you.

How do you avoid this? First, you must know that you can’t overcome sin in your own strength. “Put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ.” Have faith that Jesus died for your sins and was raised so that you could have life and be conformed to His image. You must believe that despite how strong your sin seems, there is power in God through Christ to conquer and overcome it. Second, “make no provision for the flesh.” Give the flesh no opportunity and no excuses. This is a life and death battle. As we read in Romans 8:13, “If you life according to the flesh, you shall die. But if by the Spirit you mortify (put to death) the deeds of the flesh, you shall live.”

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