If you place with in your heart the scripture that places Jesus on the Cross we will not be ruled by sin nor will we practice sin. Even so consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus. For sin shall not be master over you, for you are not under law, but under grace. But thanks be to God that though you were slaves of sin, you became obedient from the heart to that form of teaching to which you were committed, and having been freed from sin, you became slaves of righteousness. We are to consider ourselves dead to sin, and alive in Christ Jesus.
Sin is no longer our master.
We are freed from its power and death because Jesus conquered death and sin on the tree for us. So when we take up our cross we crucify the old man. If we allow sin to rule to be our master, then we have not seen what the cross did for us. If we practice sin, we then make a mockery of what Christ bore in His own body for us. We must not take our eyes of the Cross, we must never forget to take up ours and to crucify the old man and to count him as dead and for us to be made new and righteous.