THE INWARD BATTLE OF ROMANS SEVEN -- Tomorrow:
INTRODUCTION
Make no mistake about this, the saints of God ARE being conformed to the image of Jesus (Rom 8:29), and they ARE being changed from one stage of glory to another (2 Cor 3:18). That change, however, is facilitated through faith, not works. Those who walk by faith and live in the Spirit have an intense regard for HOW they live. Like Paul they confess, "I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me" NKJV (Gal 2:20). Armed with spiritual weaponry, they engage the powers of darkness, striving with all that is within them to "stand against the wiles of the devil" (Eph 6:10-18). Faith constrains us to "abstain from fleshly lusts that war against the soul" (1 Pet 2:11), and the grace of God teaches us how to do it (Tit 2:11-12).
In the process of this type of living, tremendous outbreaks of unwanted thoughts occur within. These are the eruptions of "the flesh," which remains linked to our earthly bodies. There is no limit as to how vile these thoughts can be, or how frequently we may have to contend with them. They may pop into our minds when we are engaged in the most focused spiritual activities, and when we least want them to show themselves.
The "good fight of faith" (1 Tim 6:12) involves dealing with these wayward and unwanted thoughts. Spiritual weaponry has been provided in Christ that can be used to throw down these thoughts, refusing to allow them to dominate our minds, even though they enter into them. The Spirit says this of these weapons. "For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ" (2 Cor 10:4-5). These weapons, however, cannot stop the thoughts from occurring.
This situation is a source of consternation to the believer. You will sense this in the text we are to consider. If there is no understanding of what is actually occurring, the child of God may conclude he is surely condemned, or has not even been born again. Many a fainting soul has interpreted the eruption of the "old man" as a personal decline in spirituality.
The purpose of this series of devotions is to identify the cause of these eruptions of he old nature, and what they prove. I will affirm they confirm the presence of newness of life, and serve to corroborate our justification. Further, it is only when this is comprehended to some degree that victory can be gained in the situation.
PRAYER POINT: Father, in Jesus name, help me to understand the things in my that I hate, and empower me to reject their plea for dominance.