We know that the law is spiritual; but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin. 15 I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. 16 And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. 17 As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. 18 For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature.[a] For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. 19 For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. 20 Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.
21 So I find this law at work: Although I want to do good, evil is right there with me. 22 For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; 23 but I see another law at work in me, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me. 24 What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death? 25 Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!
So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God’s law, but in my sinful nature[d] a slave to the law of sin.
I hope you were able to laugh a little at these verses, not because there is anything humorous about the content but by the simple fact that Paul may have a slight touch of ADD. I’m just saying.
Let’s take a look at what Paul was saying in this passage. Basically he was striving to do good, he wanted to live out the life of a great Christian and had all of the tools to help him (just like we do today). Then at times his flesh would win and he would give into the temptation to sin, all the time knowing better.
When I read this today it made me think about how many times I gave into sin knowing good and well that it was wrong. Many times I didn’t even want to sin but somehow the battle between my spirit and my flesh was lost and I gave into it.
Revelations 12:7-12 says this, 7 Then war broke out in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back. 8 But he (the devil) was not strong enough, and they lost their place in heaven. 9 The great dragon was hurled down—that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him.
10 Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say:
“Now have come the salvation and the power
and the kingdom of our God,
and the authority of his Messiah.
For the accuser of our brothers and sisters,
who accuses them before our God day and night,
has been hurled down.
11 They triumphed over him
by the blood of the Lamb
and by the word of their testimony;
they did not love their lives so much
as to shrink from death.
12 Therefore rejoice, you heavens
and you who dwell in them!
But woe to the earth and the sea,
because the devil has gone down to you!
He is filled with fury,
because he knows that his time is short.”
But woe to the earth and the sea…we aren’t fighting against the little man with a pitch fork and a red suit here. He is nasty, called the prince of this world, the ultimate deceiver…and he is filled with fury for he knows that his time here on earth is short and soon Jesus is coming back for His people.
John 16:33 says, I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world. What Jesus is saying is that He already paid the ultimate sacrifice; the battle against all evil has been won. When Jesus was preparing His disciples for His departure (to be seated at the right hand of God) He wanted to assure them that they would never be alone. He sent us the Holy Spirit (the Counselor or the Spirit of Truth) to guide us and to never leave us. Period.
Psalm 139:1-12, 1 You have searched me, LORD,
and you know me. 2 You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. 3 You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways. 4 Before a word is on my tongue you, LORD, know it completely. 5 You hem me in behind and before, and you lay your hand upon me.
6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain. 7 Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? 8 If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. 9 If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, 10 even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast. 11 If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me,” 12 even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you.
Ok, let me try and bring this all together. The devil has been hurled out of heaven, 1 Peter 5:8 says Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. That scares me. But then I remember that I am covered by the blood of Jesus and the devil has no authority over me or my life. Paul says in Colossians 1:13 For he rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. Paul also says that true believers have been transferred from darkness to light, from slavery to freedom, from guilt to forgiveness, and from the power of Satan to the power of God.
So I ask you this. Are you are true believer? Have you accepted Jesus into your heart as Lord over your life? Do you believe that He died for the redemption of our sins and that through Him we can be washed white as snow? If the answer is yes have you been baptized (any questions on this please ask me)? Will we sin, of course? Can He forgive us? Yes, if you turn from it (repent) and take it to Him. Does it get harder to live life without sin, sometimes but I always know I’m moving in the right direction when I am tempted by Satan the most. Satan loves it when we are just “good people”. When we are just moving along not doing bad but not doing anything good. In those times we will rarely her from Satan, why would we…we are in a safe place to him and not much threat. Jesus says, I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm – neither hot or cold – I am about to spit you out of my mouth (Rev 3:14-16).
I live my life everyday with the goal of trying my best to know Him and love Him more. I want so bad to be used as a servant in His Kingdom. I can honestly say that most of the time I don’t fall into premeditated sin (planned sin), the times I do have become so painful that I can hardly stand it. I fail daily. I’ve said before that my mouth and my judgment nearly do me in at times. But I know that I am forgiven! I serve a God that knows us better then we could ever know ourselves. He knows when we will fail or give into sin. Every time we repent and choose to not turn back to the sin we are stronger and more knowledgeable than before (I guess you could say he educates us J). Just remember that if we are a child of God we will not be defeated. Psalm 30:5 says, For his anger lasts only a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime; weeping may remain for a night, but rejoicing comes in the morning.
I hope you take from this today a feeling of hope and not defeat. We serve a loving God that never wants us to fail, but when we do he is there for us to pick us up and make us new again. The enemy we face is no wimp, but we are covered by the blood of Jesus and cannot be taken. Make the choice to seek Him. Ask God to make him real in your life. We have to stop wasting the time and energy thinking that we can do this alone. I am praying that everyone who reads this will experiance something with God this week that cannot be explained by anything other then the power of Him. So many times we are waiting on Him. I believe that He is waiting on you.
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