By one man (Adam) sin entered the world, and death by sin; so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned. Much more, by one man (Jesus) we receive an abundance of grace and the gift of righteousness (Rom. 5:12/17). Satan was on the earth long before Adam arrived but sin had not entered the world. Viruses can remain dormant indefinitely, lying inactive until they come into contact with living cells. Once in contact, they begin to replicate and spread rapidly. Man was made a living soul (Gen. 2:7), Adam contacted the Sin Virus in his psyche (soul) and passed it to all humanity. Naturally, it should be impossible to live righteously except by grace through faith (Rom. 5:1-2).

Now we’ve been declared righteous, we must begin to contend against the forces of sin (Deut. 2:24). Sin targets to influence the mind (decision making), so we must contend on the battlefield of our minds. “For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds; Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ” – 2 Cor. 10:4-5.

We don’t need to do anything to grow weeds, they thrive effortlessly. In contrast, walking in righteousness requires deliberate cultivation. We are either conformed to the patterns of this world or transformed by the renewing of our minds (Rom. 12:1), and every area of conformation reveals the absence of The Word. Importantly, transformation is not a once and for all event but an ongoing process.

I’ve discovered I’m most vulnerable when I’m empty of the Word. So, read the Word, memorise the Word, recite the Word, think the Word, practice the Word, live the Word. If we can kill the thoughts, we’ve killed the acts. The next step is to get ignited.

Continued…