A Work in Progress

Elder - Brian Dumas

Romans 7:21-25 - So I find this law at work:  Although I want to do good, evil is right there with me.   For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; 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.  What a wretched man I am!  Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death?   Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!

Have you ever become discouraged when you find yourself falling away from God, even though in your heart that is not what you want to happen?  Did you think that once you became a Christian the desire to do what is wrong in God’s eyes would vanish?

The Apostle Paul wrote of the struggle within himself between his old sin nature, and the new nature he received when he accepted Jesus as his savior. A popular author termed this conflict as a “Battlefield of the Mind.”  We have all been born into sin. That “Old Sin” nature will remain within us until we go to be with Christ and are permanently changed to be like Him. However, we don’t have to wait until then to have victory over sin.   

When we received Jesus as our savior, we also received a divine nature that enables us to overcome our old sin nature when we align ourselves with God.  We do that by continually confessing all known sin and seeking His will for our life. It allows God to work with in us.

It transforms our life. All our unrighteousness will be cleansed and when God looks at us, He sees only the righteousness of Jesus. Matthew 5:48 - Therefore, you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

God is not surprised at our struggle with sin in our lives. It is why He sent His son to die for us on the cross. He paid the penalty for our sins so we might be reconciled to Him. God loves us that much and has proclaimed, “whoever calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved” (Acts 2:21). I believe that this not only applies being saved from the penalty of sin, i.e. death, but also from the commission of sin by walking in fellowship with Him. Victory over sin can be ours right now if we would only call on the name of the Lord. 

Prayer:

Father, I confess I have sinned against you, and I believe your Son Jesus Christ went to the cross and died in my place so that I might be reconciled to you.  I pray for your Holy Spirit to transform me into the likeness of Jesus, giving me victory over sin and newness of life that I can share with others. Thank you for loving me, in Jesus’ name, Amen.