Galatians 2:20 English Standard Version (ESV) I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

We do not give up control when it comes to choosing to live by faith. We still have free will. The effort we put towards obedience of faith is in seeking His commands, understanding those commands, believing those commands, and then choosing to obey them according to our best understanding.

Philippians 1:21-22 English Standard Version

²¹ For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. ²² If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. Yet which I shall choose I cannot tell.

Paul was saying here that he has work to do. Even so, what he should choose to do was still something unclear because he knew that the hardest choices still lay ahead for him. To live or to die was still something within his ability to choose. We know from his writings that he chose to stay for our sake.

That was who Paul was in Christ. This Christian life consists of two distinct parts which must be discovered to have its full effect.

Who is Christ in me?

Who am I in Christ?

Earlier it was brought to our attention that who we let in when Christ comes knocking dictates our attitudes once we let Him into our hearts. That does not change who He is but it does affect our relationship because of our attitude. Our attitudes will change as we discover who Christ is in us. We will discover that being in His presence changes us in ways we did not expected. His speaking directly into our hearts is a new experience and one we need to experience to understand.

1 Corinthians 2:9d English Standard Version (ESV) what God has prepared for those who love him”—

What has God prepared for us? Do we know by seeking our own desires or by seeking to receive what God has prepared?

This all comes back around to being conformed to the image of the living Christ. The tendency is to look at the life of Jesus and decide who He was in life and to make every effort to duplicate a life we could never achieve in the first place.

This ignores God’s effort to conform us according to His will, His plan and His presence. It is God who changes us and not by our self-effort. Everything we were taught in our old life says to take charge, make a decision and make it happen. If the old man is truly dead, then dead men do not make decisions. He who sits on the Throne is Lord and makes decisions and gives commands. He is the Lord.

Giving over control of our lives is not an easy thing. If we came to Christ because we saw that we ruined our life in those things we chose to do, then accepted that He has a better way.

1 Corinthians 12:31b English Standard Version (ESV) And I will show you a still more excellent way.

These were Paul’s last words before he writes the love chapter, Corinthians 13. Remember what was said about knowledge and love. Seek to know the love that abides in us. These are the attributes of His abiding love and they are performed by Him who is perfect and not by some human effort that has a long history of failing. It is as simple as letting go and letting God. Letting go of control is the hard part.