To Know Struggles

Read; Romans 7

"I find then the principle that evil is present in me, the one who wants to do good. For I joyfully concur with the law of God in the inner man, but I see a different law in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin which is in my members." Romans 7:21-23

Examine:

Paul is talking about his current state. This the man who met the resurrected Jesus face-to-face in a incredible fashion. This the man who surrendered everything in his life to pursue the spreading of the gospel. This is the man who penned more of the New Testament than any other man. In terms of the early Church there is no more impactful man than Paul.

In the face of all the great accomplishments and the mighty movements of God in his life Paul stayed aware of the sinful nature to which he was still vulnerable. Paul stayed aware of the battle that was being waged inside of his mind and emotions. This allowed Paul to live fully aware of the fact that he could never rest or allow himself to think that he was beyond sin.

Apply:

To live life on this earth is to know struggles. There will be triumphs and failures. There will be growth and there will be set backs. The conflict I sense between good and evil will never cease on this earth. The battle that rages on inside of me between the truth of God and the lusts of my flesh will never stop. This is a truth and it is absolute. From where I sit I see three choices before me regarding this fact of life: I can ignore it, I can get consumed by it, or I can charge hard in pursuit of God through it.

Pray:

How long will this struggle last? That is a question that I think often runs through my mind and threatens my peace. I want things to be settled in me. I feel that if I acknowledge my sin, temptations should go away and living a life of purity should become easy. This passage from Paul makes it clear that no man will ever be free from the temptations in his flesh. As long as I live in this body and on this fallen earth I will experience the struggle between good and evil. This is my current state, but it is not my permanent state.

Until You return to me or I come to You I will struggle with my issues of sin. I am really grateful that I don't have to experience any guilt with this. The work of the cross took care of the price for my sins. There is no punishment for me because the punishment has been paid in full. Help me to rest in the freedom of Your grace today but fuel my passion to charge hard in my pursuit of Your best for this life You have given me.