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How can we practice the principle in Romans 6, where we are told not to be slaves to sin, but to be slaves to righteousness?
I believe you begin by being willing to allow God to change your addiction. Then, you have to pray that change into your life daily and sometimes many times during the day. I would encourage you to pray the verse in Romans 6:19, changing the wording to identify your own particular addiction. Like this:
“Lord, by faith I offer you the parts of my body in slavery to righteousness. I ask you to replace my former slavery and addiction to _____________ with an addiction to you and your Word.”
Notice it says offer the parts of your body which were in slavery. Identify the part of your body that is connected with your addiction, and concentrate on offering that part of your body to God. For example, if you’ve been addicted to reading trash or pornography, offer your eyes as a slave to God. If they become his eyes, you know they won’t be looking at that junk. They will be eyes that are slaves to righteousness.
Now, you’ve got to reinforce that prayer with time in God’s Word, good fellowship with other believers, hearing the Word of God preached, and living in obedience to what you know. But I believe God will honor his Word; he has to. And if you will in simple, child-like faith present your addiction to him and ask him to replace it with an addiction to righteousness, you’ll start to see some incredible changes.
Probably, however, you have to do this by faith. I can promise you that as you pray this prayer you will not feel any differently. In fact, you may feel very foolish. But when you pray the Word of God, you know you’re praying right, so do it in spite of your feelings. Nothing happens in our lives except by faith, and this will take faith on your part to believe that this will do any good.
I’d sure like to hear from any of you who find this helpful. It’s been helpful in my life, and I just share with you what God teaches me.
