Devotion #1: How to Train an Elephant

“Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions. Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness.” Romans 6:12-13 

I have read that when elephants are babies, they are taught by a trainer who uses a chain and attaches one end around the elephant’s foot while the other end is attached to a stake in the ground. The baby elephant will pull and tug and try to get free, but when it realizes it is not strong enough to pull the stake out of the ground, it will simply give up. When the elephant gets bigger, it still believes it is enslaved, even though it could easily pull the stake out of the ground and be free. 

In our passage, Paul is teaching the same sort of thing to believers. He had previously shared that as believers in Christ, we are no longer enslaved to sin. Romans 6:6 says, “We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin.” When we put our faith in Jesus, we have the ability to say no to sin because we are no longer enslaved to it. Even though we have been set free from sin, we still struggle with it, and we are still tempted to sin. In Romans 6:12, Paul is encouraging believers to “let not sin reign in your mortal body.” It is funny to me that Paul uses the word “mortal body” because the mortal body is dying and decaying. Why would we continue to give in to something that is dying? When we let sin rule our lives, we are giving into our sinful desires. We are free but acting like we are still enslaved. 

Paul goes on to say that instead of giving into the desires of sin, we should live like people who have been brought from death to life so that God can use us for His purpose and His glory. 

Before we put our faith in Jesus, we are like the baby elephant, and no matter how hard we try to get free, we are enslaved to the chain and stake of sin. When we put our faith in Jesus, He removes the stake and chain. We are free from sin! We have the ability to say no to sin. This does not mean we will not be tempted. So, how do believers overcome temptation? 

1. We overcome by studying and knowing God’s Word. When Jesus was tempted by Satan in the desert, the first thing He did was quote Scripture (Luke 4:1-12). 

2. We overcome by praying. In the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus told Peter to pray so that he would not fall into temptation (Mark 14:38). 

3. We overcome by having another believer that we trust to come alongside us and encourage us when we are being tempted (Galatians 6:2). 

In 1 Corinthians 10:13, we read, “No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.”