The Struggle Within
"So I find this law at work: When 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 the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members. (Romans 7:21-23)."
There is a struggle present within each one of us that begins when we become a follower of Christ. We have this struggle because although we are saved by the blood of Christ, we still have a sin nature. If we are not careful, we will give in to our sin nature.
At times, the battle rages. This battle begins in our minds. If we allow wrong thoughts and negative thinking to take up residence in our minds, we will end up living a defeated life and eventually give way to sin in our lives. That's why God tells us in His word that we are to renew our minds. We are not to be conformed or influenced by the pattern of this world but rather be "transformed" by the renewing of our mind. It is then we will be able to test and approve what God's will is-His good, pleasing and perfect will (Romans 12:2).
Renewing our minds is something we need to do everyday, not just once in awhile or on Sunday at church. In order to live a victorious life in Christ, we must stay in His word and let it change us. If left to ourselves, we will fail every time. We cannot even trust our own heart because it is deceitful above all things and beyond cure (Jeremiah 17:9). Our feelings come and go. Some days you may greatly desire to read the Word, but other days, you have to make the choice to read it whether you feel like it or not. It is about choices my friend. No matter what, choose to do what is right;choose to do what is pleasing in the sight of the Lord. This is not always easy. The weight of this world gets heavy. Circumstances leave you feeling alone, saddened and at times, almost to the point of despair. God may not answer your prayer in the time you thought He would or in the way you thought He would. Family members, friends or loved ones disappoint us. In those times, you must cling to Him. You must cast down any thought that does not line up with His Word. Don't entertain thoughts that you know are not from God. This will only result in disastrous consequences. We, my friend, have the power to demolish strongholds, to demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ (2 Corinthians 10:4-5). Choose to believe what God says about you. You are dearly loved, precious, beautiful and you are His. Remind yourself of God's truth. It does not matter what others say about you or do to you, what matters is what God says!
Every day we have a choice to make. We can wake up and thank God for another day or we can wallow in our own self pity-which is actually a form of pride. When we choose to focus on ourselves, we are in essence saying 'I am the most important person.' We have to work through this and it is not easy some times. Our flesh is screaming, 'what about me?' while our spirit is seeking to please the Lord. I hope I am speaking to someone other than myself as I type these words. I can so identify with Paul as he talked about the war within! I long to please the One who gave me new life-the One who took all my sin and shame-the One who broke all my chains and set me free!
So, what then do we say? Thanks be to God, through Jesus Christ, we are victorious! (1 Corinthians 15:57)
"Therefore, my dear brothers (because God gives us the victory through Christ), stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain (1 Corinthians 15:58). Hold on to those words my friend. God sees your work for Him, He knows your pain and struggles and He loves you with an unfailing love.
Jesus is coming! "Behold I am coming soon! My reward is with Me, and I will give to everyone according to what He has done (Revelation 22:12)." So, my friend, until that day-remain steadfast in the Lord. Hold on to the hope you have that is Jesus. Love Him with your heart, soul, mind and strength (Deuteronomy 6:5) and don't grow weary in doing good, for at the proper time, we will reap a harvest if we do not give up (Galatians 6:9).
There is a struggle present within each one of us that begins when we become a follower of Christ. We have this struggle because although we are saved by the blood of Christ, we still have a sin nature. If we are not careful, we will give in to our sin nature.
At times, the battle rages. This battle begins in our minds. If we allow wrong thoughts and negative thinking to take up residence in our minds, we will end up living a defeated life and eventually give way to sin in our lives. That's why God tells us in His word that we are to renew our minds. We are not to be conformed or influenced by the pattern of this world but rather be "transformed" by the renewing of our mind. It is then we will be able to test and approve what God's will is-His good, pleasing and perfect will (Romans 12:2).
Renewing our minds is something we need to do everyday, not just once in awhile or on Sunday at church. In order to live a victorious life in Christ, we must stay in His word and let it change us. If left to ourselves, we will fail every time. We cannot even trust our own heart because it is deceitful above all things and beyond cure (Jeremiah 17:9). Our feelings come and go. Some days you may greatly desire to read the Word, but other days, you have to make the choice to read it whether you feel like it or not. It is about choices my friend. No matter what, choose to do what is right;choose to do what is pleasing in the sight of the Lord. This is not always easy. The weight of this world gets heavy. Circumstances leave you feeling alone, saddened and at times, almost to the point of despair. God may not answer your prayer in the time you thought He would or in the way you thought He would. Family members, friends or loved ones disappoint us. In those times, you must cling to Him. You must cast down any thought that does not line up with His Word. Don't entertain thoughts that you know are not from God. This will only result in disastrous consequences. We, my friend, have the power to demolish strongholds, to demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ (2 Corinthians 10:4-5). Choose to believe what God says about you. You are dearly loved, precious, beautiful and you are His. Remind yourself of God's truth. It does not matter what others say about you or do to you, what matters is what God says!
Every day we have a choice to make. We can wake up and thank God for another day or we can wallow in our own self pity-which is actually a form of pride. When we choose to focus on ourselves, we are in essence saying 'I am the most important person.' We have to work through this and it is not easy some times. Our flesh is screaming, 'what about me?' while our spirit is seeking to please the Lord. I hope I am speaking to someone other than myself as I type these words. I can so identify with Paul as he talked about the war within! I long to please the One who gave me new life-the One who took all my sin and shame-the One who broke all my chains and set me free!
So, what then do we say? Thanks be to God, through Jesus Christ, we are victorious! (1 Corinthians 15:57)
"Therefore, my dear brothers (because God gives us the victory through Christ), stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain (1 Corinthians 15:58). Hold on to those words my friend. God sees your work for Him, He knows your pain and struggles and He loves you with an unfailing love.
Jesus is coming! "Behold I am coming soon! My reward is with Me, and I will give to everyone according to what He has done (Revelation 22:12)." So, my friend, until that day-remain steadfast in the Lord. Hold on to the hope you have that is Jesus. Love Him with your heart, soul, mind and strength (Deuteronomy 6:5) and don't grow weary in doing good, for at the proper time, we will reap a harvest if we do not give up (Galatians 6:9).
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