Grace For The Journey

Does your life seem like a constant battle between your will and God’s will?  Every child of God feels this way, because that is exactly what goes on inside us each day!

The Bible says in Galatians 5:17, “For the flesh (sinful nature) lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary the one to the other, so that you cannot do the things that you would do.”

To be sure, we are delivered from the dominion and reign of sin in our lives when we are united to Christ by grace through faith.  But sin remains in us all, and we all experience the tension Paul described to the Galatian Christians.

And this is an internal conflict between flesh and spirit – between the old and new nature.  And the strange thing is, that in this conflict the power and faculties of the Christian seem to be occupied at one time by the one, and at another time by the other.  The same intellect, will, and affections come under different influences, each seeking to control and direct our heart.

A tug-of-war seems to be the best way to describe the battle within for every child of God born of grace.  How often we feel like there are two opposing teams inside of us, pulling in opposite directions on the same rope!  Sometimes the good team wins and sometimes the bad team wins.  But in the end – for the one who has acknowledged that he is a sinner, that he cannot save himself, and have asked Jesus to forgive him of his sin and give him the gift of eternal life – we know that our victory has been assured, and the new, spiritual nature will prevail – not because there is anything special about you or me, but because of the work on the cross and empty tomb which Christ accomplished.

If we refuse to acknowledge the truth that we are in a daily, ongoing struggle against sin, we will not make any progress against it.  It is only by affirming the truth that there is such a battle that we are set free to take sword to our enemies.

As we look to Jesus as the One who is fighting on our behalf,

We rest in the truth that the Bible declares in Romans 6:14,

“Sin shall not be your master,

Because you are not under law,

But under grace.”

We are not to be mastered by sin,

Because sin is not our master.

Jesus is our Master . . .

But sin will seek to entangle us along the way to heaven.

However, enabled by the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit, we can claim the promise of Romans 6:12; 5:17-21; 6:6,12, “For if by one man’s offense death reigned by one, much more they who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.  Therefore, as by the offense of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation, even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life.  For as by on man’s disobedience many were made sinner, so by the obedience of One shall many be made righteous.  Moreover, the law enter, that the offense might abound.  But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound; that as sin has reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ” … “Knowing this that our old man is crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin” …  “Let not sin, therefore, reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts.”

We must remember that willpower will not win the battle for us;

We must always acknowledge and depend upon the power

That God has given to us in Christ to fight the good fight of faith,

Knowing that ultimate victory has been assured.

These words from the Bible should be a constant reminder of the tug-of-war we are called to each day we are on this side of the grave: “Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul.” (1 Peter 2:11)

This is God’s Word For Today … This Is Grace For The Journey

Rest and Rejoice in this eternal truth!

Pastor Terry

Ephesians 4:7 – “But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it.”

Hebrews 4:16 – “Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”