Romans 6:11 Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Remember the posters all over town in the old western movies?  The posters had a picture of a criminal with the caption…wanted, dead or alive. 
In today’s devotion we find our Lord desires both in our Christian experience!  Dead to sin, alive unto God!  Dying to sin and self is never easy, but it is absolutely necessary if we would succeed for the Lord.   The scripture tells us in Matthew 6:24 No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.  Every day of our life, we must decide who our master will be that day.  Will we allow sin and self to reign, or will we allow the Savior to reign?  As many as are led by the Spirit of God,  they are the sons of God.
If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature!  It is very sad when the new creature begins to slip back into his or her old ways.
Paul, as far as I can tell, never went back to Saul’s ways!  He is not just preaching to the church at Rome, he is practicing the truth that he’s preaching!  Our Lord desires that we reckon ourselves dead indeed unto sin, that we might live unto Him that loved us and gave Himself for us.  After all, He alone is worthy!
Have you failed?  Peter did. Pastor has.  Failure is not final!
There’s a new day, with new mercy!  Thank the Lord! Amen.  Pastor