I used to ride a bicycle, around the house, around the neighborhood, around the town. I used to love riding my bicycle. Of course, there were some difficult times. Steep hills caused me to have to work a little bit harder at the pedal. This I gladly endured for the fleeting pleasure of riding back down, sometimes pedaling harder in order to zoom that much faster.

And then there were also the occasional wrecks. More than once, I went home scraped and bloody, having taken an unexpected fall. But I loved my bicycle and I loved the enjoyment of riding my bicycle.

It has been close to twenty years now since I have ridden a bicycle. You see, as I matured in age, I started to drive a car. I no longer rode a bicycle. The thing “I do” became the thing “I used to do.” And the thing that brought me such enjoyment (despite the hardships it inflicted on me) ceased to enthuse me anymore. At the present moment, I can honestly say that I do not ride a bicycle, even though I was once was known to do so.

Sin is a lot like riding a bicycle. There is pleasure in sin for a season (Hebrews 11:25), but the ultimate cost is death (Romans 6:23). The fleeting moments of pleasure blind us to the agony of sin’s harvest. And so we find that we are willing to strive a little harder to experience a cheap thrill that actually brings us harm. The flesh lusts to sin. Sowing to the flesh reaps corruption (Galatians 6:8a). The solution is seen in sowing to the Spirit, by walking in the Spirit, with the resulting fruit of life everlasting (Galatians 6:8b).

The Lord Jesus has made us free from the bondage of sin. It has no more dominion over us (Romans 6:14). We can now walk in the Spirit and not serve sin. The longer we go without practicing sin, the less appeal sin has for us. I used to be an alcoholic. I used to be a pornographer. I used to be a thief. I still know how to do these things; but now my desire is to honor the Lord, Who bought me.

Riding a bicycle is the same way. There were plenty of opportunities for me to go back to riding a bicycle, but I didn’t act on these opportunities. The longer I went without riding was that much longer I had been without riding; until now I can say that I am not a bicycler. Even though I still know how to ride a bicycle, I no longer have the desire to do so.

Walk in the Spirit and you will not fulfill fleshly lusts. You will not feed those sinful desires, and they will cease to be prominent in your life. You will come to a level of Spiritual maturity in which the things in your old life no longer enthuse you. And you will be free to live a New Life in Christ.