Dethroned, Not Destroyed
When the true occupant enters, the room is lit.
Devotional Credit: Abide Above, Miles Stanford, entry titled “Dethronement”
Photo Credit: Unsplash
There is a kind of liberty that does not come from trying harder, but from standing where Jesus has already placed us. Miles Stanford points us back to the settled fact of the Cross. The old person in Adam was crucified with Jesus, and we were raised with Him to walk in newness of life. The flesh did not vanish, but it lost its throne. That is not an invitation to pretend, it is a call to stand on what God has accomplished.
This freedom grows as we stand upon the new, not as we wrestle endlessly with the old. When I rest my weight on what Jesus finished, I discover that sin’s claim has been broken. The Father is not improving the old life, and He is not removing it either. He is revealing that we share the life of His Son, and from that life, dominion over the old desires becomes real in everyday choices.
Stanford also reminds us that faith is not a surge of emotion or a burst of willpower. Faith is saying thank You for what the Father has already given in His Son. As gratitude rises, the Spirit makes real in our experience what is already true in our union with Jesus. We learn to reign in life by the grace that has been poured out, not by the grind of self-effort.
Thank you, Miles, for the steadying clarity. You help us read our story inside the larger story of the people of God in Jesus, where liberty is not a private achievement, but a shared grace given to all who are in Him.
Journal Entry, Voice of the Holy Spirit Through Scripture
I remind you that you were crucified with Jesus, and you live by His life in you. You are not under condemnation. The law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and death. Consider yourself dead to sin and alive to God. Present yourself to God as one brought from death to life, and your members as instruments of righteousness.
I assure you, the desires of the flesh do not rule your spirit. You walk by the Spirit, and as you do, you will not carry out the flesh’s desires. Where sin once reigned in death, grace now reigns through righteousness leading to life in Jesus. I bear witness with your spirit that you are a child of the Father, and as His child you share the inheritance that is yours in His Son.
Stand firm in the freedom with which Jesus has set you free. Do not submit again to a yoke of slavery. You were baptized into His death, and you were raised with Him to newness of life. The old has lost its governing seat. Your life is hidden with Jesus in God, and when Jesus who is your life appears, you also will appear with Him in glory. I call you to set your mind on things above, where Jesus is seated, and from that place, put to death what is earthly in you.
As you abide, I produce My fruit in you. Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control, these rise from the life of Jesus within you. Against such things there is no law. You belong to Jesus. Those who belong to Him have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If you live by the Spirit, keep in step with Me. I will complete the good work begun in you. My grace is sufficient for you, and My power is made perfect in weakness. I lead you in triumph in Jesus, and through you I spread the fragrance of the knowledge of Him everywhere.
Real-Life Analogy
Think of a room with a motion-activated light. When the true occupant steps in, the whole space brightens without a struggle. The darkness does not need to be scooped out. It simply loses its place when the light is present. In the same way, the indwelling Spirit of Jesus expresses His life, and the old patterns lose their seat. You do not empty the room by effort. You welcome the One who already lives within you, and His presence governs.
Today, when an old reaction tries to take charge, you might quietly turn toward the Lord and say, Lord, I entrust this conversation to You. Live Your patience and clarity through me right now. Then answer the text, speak to your spouse, or step into the meeting with the confidence that Jesus is active in you. The room is lit. Walk forward.
Prayer of Confidence
Father, thank You that I have been called to liberty in Jesus. Thank You that the old person in Adam was crucified with Him, and that the flesh has lost its throne. Thank You that I reign in life through the abundance of grace and the gift of righteousness. Today I stand where You have placed me, alive to You and united with Your Son. I receive the Spirit’s leading and the Spirit’s fruit as my normal life. My confidence is not in my resolve, but in the finished work of Jesus and the faithful presence of the Holy Spirit within me. I praise You that this freedom is mine in Christ, and I walk in it with gratitude.
Scripture References for the Voice of the Holy Spirit Through Scripture Section
Romans 8:1-2. Romans 6:11-13. Galatians 5:16. Romans 5:21. Romans 8:16-17. Galatians 5:1. Romans 6:3-4. Colossians 3:3-4. Colossians 3:1-5. Galatians 5:22-25. Philippians 1:6. 2 Corinthians 12:9. 2 Corinthians 2:14.