Know – Reckon – Yield

Know

You have died with Christ and are raised with Christ to walk in newness of life

or are you ignorant that as many as have been immersed into Christ Jesus, into His death they have been immersed? Therefore, we are co-buried with Him through the immersion into the death in order that just as Christ was raised out from the dead through the glory of the Father, thus also we in newness of life should walk, Romans 6:4

Our co-death and co-resurrection frees us from slavery to the sin nature (flesh) – that part of us that desires to do thing we know are wrong and be independent from God.

Experientially knowing this, that our old man has been co-crucified in order that the body of the sin [nature] should be rendered ineffective resulting in us no longer being slaves to the sin [nature]. Romans 6:6

Reckon

Count the fact that you have died and raised with Christ to be true.

Thus also you reckon yourselves on the one hand to be dead the sin [nature], on the other hand to be alive unto God in Christ Jesus our Lord, Romans 6:11

Yield

Yield your members to righteousness

Stop letting the sin [nature] reign in your mortal body resulting in obedience to it, or present your members as instruments of unrighteousness to the sin [nature], but present yourselves to God as living out from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God, Romans 6:12, 13

Dos and Do Nots of Fighting the Sin Nature

Know Your Enemy

Using the wrong defense against the sin nature (flesh) will only lead to frustration and failure.

The works of the flesh are described in detail for us in Galatians 5:19-21.

And the works of the flesh are manifest, which are adultery, fornication, uncleanliness, lasciviousness (lacking morals), idolatry, religious superstitious awe, enmity, strife, jealousy, anger, selfish ambition, divisions, heresy, envy, murder (Senseless slaughter), drunkenness, excessive carousing, and such like.

When we are struggling with these types of desires we are fighting with the sin nature (flesh) , not Satan, or the world system. God has provided to us a specific defense against each of these enemies that is only effective when used properly against the one attacking. The desires from Satan and the world system are different, even though both use the weakness of the flesh. Lying is not an attack from the sin nature (flesh) , it is not one of its works; rather, it is from Satan, where as the pride of life – one who thinks they are better than another because of where they live, the family they come from, the color of their skin, etc. – is from the world system.

The Process We Go Through To Sin

Sin is an act that results from a mindset that is focused on fulfilling the desires of the flesh. Sin is not within the mind; rather, it is the working out (doing) of a trespass.

…but each one is tempted (solicited to do something that lacks in character) by his very own desires, being baited and lured, then when the desire has conceived it births sin, and the sin, being brought to completion, births death, James 1:14, 15

A desire is presented to you from one of your enemies. At this point you have neither trespassed nor sinned. When you take that desire and accept is as your own, then determine to fulfill it, you have trespassed because you have not taken the way of escape God provided and are offending Him. Sin is the next step, when you perform the desire.