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Good Morning! I trust you had a wonderful weekend. I have just returned from a miracle RU conference in Walkertown, NC. It was a phenomenal event. We had over 50 new churchs in attendance. We had 655 people in our Friday night RU class and it was a blast. I wish more of you could have been there to see the grace of God in the lives of those students. I heard many great testimonies and praise God for the great things He is doing through His many yielded servants in RU chapters across the world.

Sometimes, however, I meet people in our chapters who are NOT doing so well. I am usually approached with this phrase from a frustrated student: "Man, I need to change!" I've heard it so many times and thought it myself even more. But what a waste of energy and effort! Why do we get ourselves so worked up trying to become a better me, when I need to become is a deader me?

It is an offense to Christ to believe that we can acquire a special place in His heart by improving the behavior of the portion of our trichotomy that He was "willingly required to die" in order to destroy. That portion, our soul, was the offender whose offense nailed my savior to the old rugged tree.

Romans 5:17-20 explains the offense of man and the defense of Christ this way: "For if by one man's offense death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.) Therefore as by the offense of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life. For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous. Moreover the law entered, that the offense might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound"

I am not made righteous in heaven by "developing a better me"; I am made righteous in heaven by "depending on a better He"! Likewise I cannot live righteously or godly in this present world by changing everything I can about myself to become more like Him. No! The only way that I can live soberly, righteously and godly in this present world is to deny is to learn what the grace of God has taught us. What has grace taught us? Let's remember:

"For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world" Titus 2:11,12

What did the grace of God teach us? That we are saved from the PENALTY AND POWER of sin by grace and that not of ourselves it is a gift. Not of works lest any man should boast (Eph. 2:8, 9). So we see that when we are trying to become a better you we are trying to save ourselves from the powers of darkness in our own power. That is a work that if successful to any degree will produce an ungodly boast. This will prove to be a short term victory followed by sure defeat.

No, our role is to deny ungodliness and our worldly lusts. If we can utilize the appreciation of our salvation in order to fight off our affections and lusts, then God will do the rest of the work. This does not produce a "changed life". This produces an "exchanged life"; His life living through me. God's life is best seen through the living sacrifice of a very dead man.

Galatians 2:20 and 21 indicate that we are crucified and dead, but we have resurrected, but it is NOT us that is alive, but Christ IN us. He goes on to say in verse 21 that we will frustrate (which means bring to naught) the grace of God in our life if we try to be righteous by the law (which is me doing the work). So, grace has taught me that if I try to change, then I will stunt His work through me in my effort to become a better me, I will become a more frustrated failure. But, if I will say no to my fleshly appetites (out of the depth of my relationship, not personal will power alone) then I can rely on Him to assume control and consume my soul.

So as we seek to deny ungodliness and worldly lusts, let us follow that with the grace of God that brings salvation from the power of sin. Then rather than living a life of "deny and try", we will find ourselves living His life as we "deny and die".

Today, let us go about our life like a "walking dead man" rather than a "working dread man".

A PRAYER FOR TODAY: "Dear Father, please help me remember how offensive it is to you when I try to do you job, which is far too great for my fallen state to perform. It is my flawed thinking that leads me to believe that you need my help to become more like you. You don't want me to be more like you, you want me to BE you. I am not here to do holy, I am here to be Holy. That is an impossible request absent of the grace (or work) of you! Forgive me for my failures of late and empower me in greater measure to be not all that I can be, but rather to be all that you are! I pray this in the blood stained name of Jesus, Amen!"

A QUESTION FOR TODAY'S MEDITATION: "Am I making provision for my flesh in any way whatsoever?" If so, why do I do such silliness? I know that it will lead me to consistent failure and eventual destruction. Is its temporary satisfaction worth the eventual chain reaction?