Let your eyes look directly ahead and let your gaze be fixed straight in front of you. Watch the path of your feet and all your ways will be established. Do not turn to the right nor to the left; turn your foot from evil. Proverbs 4:25-27 (NASB)
When a person becomes a Christian so many changes take place in their every day life. New struggles, many questions, and a lot of decisions that must be made in virtually every aspect of life.
It is important to fill your mind with truth; biblical preaching, teaching, solid truth-teaching books, and theologically sound worship music. It is also very helpful to have friends who will affirm and support you in your decision to live a godly life.
Make a personal commitment to uphold and live biblical truth or you will be swamped on all sides by well-meaning people who haven't a clue about how you have chosen to live your life.
Like the Hebrews who walked out of the slavery to Egypt, the new Christian leaves behind a life of slavery to sin. They crossed the Red Sea to a new life; the Christian is washed in the blood of the Lamb and receives a new life in Christ.
At times the Hebrews longed to return to Egypt and their old lives there. As difficult as it is for us to understand at times they longed to return to slavery. It seemed preferable to their journey of freedom! In a similar way, the vices of our pre-Christian life such as lying, stealing, fits of rage, drunkenness, pride, hatred, divisiveness will bring us into sinful bondage again if we do not reject them. Even in our redeemed position we are vulnerable to falling back into old ways, and having old thoughts, beliefs, and desires. This can make us utterly miserable and give us the idea that we are defeated and conquered by sin.
We are really no different than the Hebrews. Although we have been given freedom we long for slavery. We have been given life yet we return to the grave to retrieve our old sin.
Paul gives us this wise instruction:
Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 6:11 (KJV)
The Christian has been crucified with Christ, our body of sin right along with His sinless one. The old man has been put to death.
When we truly reckon ourselves as dead to sin, that decision becomes evident in our lives.
present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect. Romans 12:1-2 (NASB)
Presenting ourselves as a living sacrifice means we do not willingly and knowingly yield to the sinful inclinations of the heart. It means taking seriously the instruction of Romans 6:12
Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its lusts, and do not go on presenting the members of your body to sin as instruments of unrighteousness; but present yourselves to God as those alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God. For sin shall not be master over you, for you are not under law but under grace. V12-14 (NASB)
Sin shall not have dominion over the Christian. Sin does not have authority over us, we shall not live our lives as slaves to sin. We are under grace, enabled to say "no" to sin.
Christian, you have been handed victory over sin at a great cost to the Lord Jesus Christ. Yield the members of your body to righteous use. It is here that you will find the secret of deliverance.