Let Us Walk
Hello Bride of Christ,
I was spending time worshiping when I came across a song with the lyric, "If I had my choice. I would choose you every time." All of a sudden streams of tears poured forth onto my face because the lyric fell so fittingly with what I had been feeling but not able to articulate. It was uplifting to my soul that there was another person out their wrestling and battling with the same struggle. Desiring to spend all their time with the Lord, worshipping Him, talking to Him, seeking Him, reading about Him, listening to Him, but sometimes that choice is not feasible because we have to work our secular job or love on those around us or we temporarily get distracted by the battle between our flesh and our spirit. Paul, like this worship singer, understood this choice and desire, and in a letter to the Romans explains this wrestling.
"For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do , that I practice." Romans 7:19
In the letter to the Romans Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ, writes about the significance of Jesus Christ death and resurrection. Paul provides practical exhortations throughout this letter to help the unsaved see the need for salvation, and for the saved to be empowered to not only believe in the facts about the gospel, but actually choose to live a life of righteousness reflecting God's grace. One of the areas Paul addresses is this battle for us in Christ, this issue of misalignment that the world often uses against us. Often the world will mistakenly label it as hypocrisy. For instance, ever say you will do something and then either not do it at all or do the complete opposite? Or ever act like your old self and pour forth everything but Christ in your actions and words?
You are not alone. Paul in his letter to the Romans in chapters 7 and 8 through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit gives insight to why this even occurs. Pause here to read Romans chapters 7 and 8, for the full context of them will not be written here. Paul in chapter 7 makes us aware of this battle between our flesh (where sin dwells) and our spirit (where Christ dwells). This awareness is freeing!
How could we succeed if we are unaware there is war happening within ourselves? How could we not feel ashamed or disappointed with ourselves every time we do what we do not want to do, and not what we want to do? Yes, we plead like Paul, "O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?" (Romans 7:24) Paul through the Holy Spirit tells us the law was created to reveal to us the sin that dwells within our members. Paul, himself, would have not known that covetousness was a sin until he read the law that said 'do not covet.' (Romans 7:7) "Therefore the law is holy and the commandment holy and just and good." (Romans 7:12) However, the law was not made to bring forth life and power of choice. It was simply God's way to show us our flesh. Thankfully God did not stop there, so that we would have no hope, because we will never be able to keep or fulfill the law.
Instead our loving and gracious God answered Paul's question "Who will deliver me from this body of death?" Paul asked the right question "Who" not "What" because God sent His one and only son, Jesus! The Holy Spirit allows Paul to answer his own question and Paul breaks out in praise, "I thank God- through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, with the mind I myself serve the law of God, but with the flesh the law of sin." (Romans 7:25)
Aha moment! We are not hypocrites! We are lovers of God, children of God (Romans 8:14), fighting a daily battle with the power of Jesus Christ to not allow our fleshly members (our bodies) succumb to sin, but instead keeping our minds fixed on Jesus Christ and serving God. Paul tells us we have started to walk according to the Spirit (Romans 8:1). Our minds are no longer focused on attaining all the carnal things this world has to offer, but instead our minds are fixed on the spiritual things of God that bring forth life and peace (Romans 8:6). "There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit." (Romans 8:1)
Bride of Christ, if you have the same heart as the worship leader, to choose Christ every time, but fail and come up short do not label yourself the way the world sees you, but instead choose Christ's perception of you. As the Holy Spirit revealed to Paul, know this is true of you too, "yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him (Jesus) who loved us." (Romans 8:37) "For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are the sons of God." (Romans 8:14) Understand today that your battle within yourself is not in vain but the Lord is taking you from suffering to glory, purely a reflection of Jesus' life here on this earth as a suffering servant who laid down His life for us to then raise again into glory to sit at the right hand of the Father. How humbling that Jesus would choose us to reflect His glory! "For who He foreknew, He predestined to be conformed to the image of His son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover, whom He predestines, these He called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these he also glorified." (Romans 8:29-30) Let us walk today in the Spirit giving glory to our maker, creator, and lover of our soul!
