Victorious Struggle

I was at a Men's Meeting for church the other day and we watched a sermon by Darrin Patrick. In his talk he spoke of another conference which he attended. At this conference John Piper was asked when he doubts God. His response was,"when my sanctification is so slow it seems like I'm not growing in Christ at all." Darrin Patrick went on to explain that this is Christianity - a struggle.

I am always falling! I keep on doing what I know I shouldn't, what I don't want to do! Sometimes the fact that I struggle with sin so much makes me doubt my Christianity. I get myself into a state of mind where I feel like God doesn't exist or He didn't save me. The apostle Paul had a very similar struggle, but the way he uses it in his letter to the Romans is striking!

"For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. Now if I do what I do not want, I agree with the law, that it is good. So now it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me.

"So I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand. For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being, but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?" (Romans 7:15-24)

So Paul cries out with us,"Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?" For that is how we feel! We're trapped in bodies of death. But Paul doesn't leave us in despair! He goes on:

"Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin.

"There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death." Romans 7:25 - 8:2)

We are set free from our sinful flesh! But where do we go from here? Paul goes on to speak of having our minds focused on the Spirit rather than our flesh. For a mind set to flesh cannot please God (Romans 8:5-8). We must focus on God and what He has done for us rather than our shortcomings! We must be aware of our shortcomings, yes, but our focus must be on God Who has sent His Son to set us free from sin and death (our shortcomings).

So when we struggle with sin, we do not struggle in vain because Christ has conquered sin and death and when we one day go to be with Him there will be no more struggle. The fight is not in vain! In fact, the struggle is proof of our Christianity! The very fact that we want to please God by overcoming sin demonstrates our Christianity. What's more, it is proof of our victory in Christ. The battle is won and it belongs to the Lord!