For in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God. Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof (Romans 6:10-12).
" + "If life were as simple as a decision, it seems, a lot more people would be alive. Diseases, accidents, unexpected internal bodily failures, murders, etc., all seem to bring life to a screeching halt without us having had some choice in the matter. Millions of people struggle every year with the prospect of unexpected deaths. It is hard because often we wish we had some say as to whether a person would live or not. Cancer patients have their lives cut short. And yet, it seems, that these people regardless of how much they fight or how much they try have no say in the matter of their own lives.
" + "All such scriptures make it quite difficult for us to hear scriptures as the one above. The fact of the matter is this: God has given us the choice one whether we will live or die. Physically, there are smaller choices we can make to determine with some probability when we live or die. If we drive safely, eat healthy, do not participate in illicit sexual activities, we can assume that we will probably not obtain something that would unexpectedly take our lives. Yet, there is still a degree of uncertainty that remains at the heart of this dilemma. The power of the gospel is that it takes us as physical beings and grants us the opportunity to transcend the physical and enter into the heavenlies. Just as Christ was dead to sin and alive unto God, God has given us a choice to be like Jesus. Death may come to us in the flesh but as long as we have partaken in the life of God through the Spirit, the death in the flesh we endure will not last long. In other words, the deaths that we suffer are only temporary. Regardless of how uncertain we may be about them happening or when they will happen, it is no matter. God has given us the ability to "reckon," to decide, to die unto sin and be alive unto God. We have the power through Christ Jesus the Lord to make up our minds to be in relationship with God. This means that no sickness, disease, ailment, person, or anything else can bar us from coming into unity with our Father. This means that we have the ability right now to be like the Son of God, to overcome the power of death through the Spirit of God.
" + "No matter how much uncertainty we may experience from all of life's vicissitudes, God through Jesus Christ gives us a guarantee. If we believe on the name of Jesus Christ, on the name of His Son, we will live. There is no greater guarantee that one can have than knowing that if one comes to God that one will live. We are guaranteed that we will live because he is living. We will live because he desires to be in relationship with us and we will be in relationship with him. Let us remember this throughout this week. If we think on this promise, nothing can stand in our way. God bless.
";