Romans 13:12-14 NASB95
The night is almost gone, and the day is near. Therefore let us lay aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. [13] Let us behave properly as in the day, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual promiscuity and sensuality, not in strife and jealousy. [14] But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh in regard to its lusts. The words “put on” come from to Greek words, “sink” and “into.” Our victory over the desires of the flesh, such as drunkenness, sexual promiscuity, sensuality, strife, jealousy, or any other kind of sin in his behavior or thought life, is to “sink into” Jesus. 1 Corinthians 15:57 says, “Thanks be to God who (continually) gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” What makes us Christians is the reality that we are in Christ. We have been grafted into His very life that He might live His life and His story through our life and our life story. We have been immersed into Him, and He has, therefore, been immersed into us. Salvation is not something we receive from Christ. Salvation is receiving Christ. Paul said in Philippians 1:21, “For me to live is Christ.” That doesn’t just mean Christ is why I live. It means Christ is how I live. As you have clothed yourself with Christ – Galatians 3:27, Christ has clothed Himself with you. The Holy Spirit reveals Christ in us, and as He does, our part is to restfully abide in Him. Recently I gave into worrying about the outcome of a particular situation. The Lord interrupted my obsessive thinking and spoke into me as the one who is the truth. He said, “I’m not worried about it.” In response, I said, “So that means bad things are not going to happen because of the situation?” I love His response to my question when He said, “Oh, bad things might happen, but I’m not worried because I don’t worry.” I knew what He was saying to me. He wasn’t just informing me that He doesn’t worry about things; He was inviting me to “sink into” Him and His worry-free mind. He wasn’t asking to choose to stop worrying because He doesn’t worry. He was literally asking me to sink into Him who is my life and experience Him living His worry free life through me. He was tempting me to holiness (the otherness of the life He lives); therefore, in childlike surrender and faith I simply said, “I sink into you Lord Jesus. Thank you.” At that moment Christ overcame, being my victory. I haven’t worried one moment about that situation again.