The Struggles Believers Face In Their Attempts To Overcome Sin As Exemplified By the Apostle Paul! Part 1

19 Mar 2025 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Mark 14:38.       Watch ye and pray, lest ye enter into temptation. The spirit truly is ready, but the flesh is weak.

Sunny days are here again! Glory Hallelujah! Yes friends it’s another sunshiny and warm day, warmer than yesterday, with temps up in the high teens, and people are already out walking without a lot of clothes on. Let’s hope that spring is truly in the air and the devious weather doesn’t turn around and bite us in the you know where. (smile) 

Now, et me apologize for the lateness of the Bit, what with it being Wednesday and I had to go to my church group at mid-morning, then I had an afternoon doctor’s appointment. Don’t get me wrong, I am thankful for the medical help, but it’s intruding too much on my normal day to day affairs. 

Anyway, today, we’re going to look at an interesting scripture…sorry, all scripture is interesting… (smile) where Jesus is in the Garden of Gethsemane with His most intimate disciples, Peter, James and John, going through an agony of soul and spirit over His upcoming crucifixion. But every time He goes away to pray in private, He comes back and finds them sleeping. One time when He came and found them sleeping, He admonished them thus, saying to Peter: ‘Simon, sleepest thou? couldest thou not watch one hour? Watch ye and pray, lest ye enter into temptation. The spirit truly is ready, but the flesh is weak.’ (Mark 14:37-38) 

And right there my brethren we have a major human problem. Our spirits are ready to follow God, but our flesh is weak, readily falling to the temptation of the enemy and his evil associates. Unfortunately, this did not start recently, but way back in time as Genesis tells us of man’s wickedness. ‘And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart (intent or thought) was only evil continually (all the day long).’(Gen. 6:5) 

And one could easily mistakenly believe that we’re living in those times because the wickedness of man in this generation is so perverted and pervasive that I’m sure the Lord is saying the same thing about us. Why are we so wicked and ungodly eh, and have no LOVE for ourselves and each other? Note I didn’t mention God in that, because it’s so obvious that we have no regard for Him whatsoever, otherwise our wickedness would not be so all pervasive. 

But thankfully, there are some scriptures that try to explain our wicked situation, like this one from Bruh Paul to the church at Rome, where he talks about his struggle against sin. ‘For we know that the law is spiritual: but I am carnal (fleshly), sold under sin. For that which I do I allow not (I don’t understand why): for what I would (want to do), that do I not; but what I hate, that I do.’ (Rom. 7:14-15) Now that’s a problem we all have my fellow believers, because we have a sin nature that tends to lead to sinful rather than godly stuff. 

And Bruh Paul was no different than us, as the scholars explain. ‘The law is spiritual, means that it has the characteristics of the Spirit and is consistent with the character of God. Meanwhile, I am carnal, explains the biographical nature of what follows and is designed to reveal the real struggle the apostle experienced in the flesh. His experience is also exemplary, for it shows the problems all believers experience in their battle with sin.’ And that’s no lie, as Bruh Paul continues to show. 

‘If then I do that which I would not (I don’t want to do), I consent unto (agree with) the law that it is good. Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not. For then good that I would (want to do) I do not; but the evil which I would not (don’t want to do), that I do.’ (Rom. 7:16-19) 

Oh my fellow believers, how many times have we found ourselves in such a situation eh? Wanting to do the right thing, but ending up doing the wrong one, and we’re at a loss as to why we did what we didn’t want to do, instead of what we wanted to do. It’s certainly a human predicament, as we’re so often dominated by sin and sinful pursuits. And we’ll stop there for today, as Bruh Paul goes on make several other tough statements that would make the Bit way too long and confusing to digest all at once. If God spares life tomorrow, then we’ll continue with Bruh Paul’s epic struggle with our sin nature. 

Now, let’s go home declaring (chuhhh!!!) our Wednesday Wail, letting all and sundry know of our wonderful position in Christ Jesus. As one strong and sincere voice: ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday! I am halfway home. My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’ 

And please, let’s not forget the added promise that if we endure with Jesus right to the very end, then that future will be even more glorious than we can ask or imagine. So, let’s make plans to meet at the very end and together enjoy the marvellous future promised then nuh! Much LOVE!

…man’s sin nature was inherited from our forefathers…but it can be made to bow…by the works and words of Jesus

Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien

Today’s Scrip-Bit 22 July 2021 Galatians 5:16.

22 Jul 2021 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Galatians 5:16.     This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.

And now it’s Thursday…getting close to the end of July, and the end of summer too…what li’l true summer weather we’ve had so far. Some people claim that the days of this pandemic are moving too slowly, but I feel they are moving too fast! Look, we just celebrated Canada Day and the Fourth of July, and yet the month is almost finished. And everybody else seems so busy with stuff to do…except me. (smile) 

Oh, I have lots of things I would like to do, but, for whatever reason, I’m just not doing as much as I would like to do. I don’t know if I simply want to do too much, or that laziness and procrastination are holding sway over my life. Most likely though, it’s a combination of all three. That brings to mind Bruh Paul’s predicament that he wrote about to the Roman church. ‘For that which I do I allow not (don’t understand): for what I would (want to do), that I do not; but what I hate, that I do.’ (Rom. 7:15) 

Ah friends, I’m sure that many of us have that same problem, especially in these pandemic times, these unforeseen or unexpected times, when the world seems to be falling apart, going to hell in a hand basket. And I know that Bruh Paul blames it mostly on sin. ‘If then I do that which I would not, I consent unto the law (I agree) that it is good. Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me.’ (Rom. 7:16-17) And yes my brethren, sin does play a large part in our lives, but we can’t blame everything on it, or Satan, as so many of us like to do. 

Listen as Bruh Paul talks to the Galatians, re walking in the Spirit. ‘This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.’ (Gal. 5:16) The Lord gave us the Holy Spirit to lead and guide us in the way we should walk. Therefore, it is our responsibility to follow it. We can’t be making excuses and blaming other things and people for our poor choices, as we like to do. 

Hear the scholars’ explanation of that verse. ‘5:16. Walk in the Spirit (i.e., “live by the Spirit”): Christians are to live with the Spirit’s help. How does one “live by the Spirit”? (1) The Christian must believe that the Spirit is with him, having been sent by God into his heart (4:6). (2) In every spiritual confrontation the believer must yield to the Spirit, that is, submit his own desires to those of the Spirit. (3) One must depend on the Spirit for help, enabling him to live a God-pleasing life (vs. 5). (4) The believer should anticipate the effects of the Spirit’s help in his daily life. The believer who “lives by the Spirit” will not fulfill (accomplish, carry out) the lust (strong desires) of the flesh (sinful nature).’ 

I could not explain it any better my people. But for good measure, I am going to spoon feed us with those couple of verses mentioned in the explanation above, because I know most of us won’t bother to look them up, although we don’t know them. (smile) And the first one that deals with God sending His Spirit into the believer’s heart says: ‘And because we are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father.’ (Gal. 4:6) 

That’s because ‘Every child of God was divinely given the Holy Spirit the moment he was adopted by God. Abba is an Aramaic domestic term by which the father was called in the affectionate intimacy of the family. It corresponds to our “daddy” or “papa.” The Spirit gives us an awareness that God is our Father.’ 

And the next verse to which they refer is Gal. 5:5, which says: ‘For we through the Spirit (eagerly) wait for the hope of righteousness by faith.’ And ‘Through the Spirit means that by the Holy Spirit’s help, which is obtained by faith, believers wait for the hope of righteousness, that is live the Christian life awaiting the consummation of their salvation.’ 

And now that we understand it all, (smile) let’s move back to Bruh Paul’s writing on walking in the Spirit. ‘For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.’ (Gal, 5:17) 

And the scholars explain. ‘5:17. One’s sinful human nature (flesh) and the Holy Spirit lusteth against one another, that is, they have desires and yearnings that are contrary to one another. The Christian, then, is a battlefield, having desires to do good and evil. The outcome is that ye cannot do the things that ye would: the flesh seeks to thwart the Spirit, who, in turn, attempts to frustrate the flesh’s evil desires.’ 

Therefore, Bruh Paul continues: ‘But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law.’ (Gal. 5:18) And the scholars have this to say about that. (smile) ‘5:18. Verse 17 may leave the impression of a believer being caught in a hopeless tug-of-war between the flesh and the Spirit. This is not the case. The Christian is led of (by) the Spirit, when yielding to Him, to turn away from the flesh’s evil yearnings, thus putting sin out of his daily life. The verb “led” indicates voluntary submission; the believer decides by whom he will be led – either by his flesh or by the Spirit. The Spirit-led person is not under the law. The Christian does not need the restraints of the law because his moral life is governed by the Spirit.’ 

Mamacita! That tells us like it is my fellow saints in Christ! It’s time to stop blaming everything and everybody else for our problems and begin looking at the real heart of the problem – ourselves. For we have all the tools necessary to live a decent Christian life, we just have to put our hands to the plough and stick to the Lord’s plan for our lives. And we can’t doubt our God’s goodness, either, for not only has He given us the Holy Spirit to lead and guide us, but also all these wonderful tools that we call our Thursday Blessings to do His earthly work. So let’s go home reminding ourselves of them now nuh. 

As one strong voice. ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance! I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline! I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment! I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection! 

I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life! I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to, will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and every day! Amen!’ 

Now there’s no more we can ask for. It’s our bounden duty to now go out and share those blessings just as generously with others, as the Lord shared them with us. Much LOVE!

…time for Christians to stop playing the blame game…and take responsibility for their own actions…                                                                                               

Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8            

Today’s Scrip-Bit 9 May 2020 Romans 7:15.

09 May 2020 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Romans 7:15.    For that which I do I allow (understand) not: for what I would  (want to do), that do I not: but what I hate, that do I.
 
And would you believe it, snow has been forecasted for this weekend in certain areas, where spring should just be blooming along nicely? Let’s hope none falls in my area. But that just goes to show the temperamental kind of climate we have nowadays; snow in almost the middle of May, on Mother’s Day weekend to boot! But we’re already locked down so a li’l snow won’t make much of a difference. (smile) And what else is new eh? Life nowadays is just completely zig zag, contrary, up in the air, and confusion reigns! 

But there’s no confusion with our friend Anselm though, he’s still sent us a full slate of quotes as he aspires to inspire us for a better tomorrow. And like he was on a self-improvement kick this past week. Hn! And this first quote speaks directly to that situation. ‘Never neglect an opportunity for self-improvement.’ Now that’s a mighty truth and rather wise advice my people, especially in these oh so discombobulating times! Self -improvement ought to be an ongoing regime we all take very seriously, for if we don’t keep improving, we’ll die a slow and uninteresting death while we’re still alive. (smile) 

That brings us to this next quote: ‘Employ your time in improving yourself by other men’s writings so that you shall come easily by what others have laboured hard for.’ Now that’s also wise advice, and we should always endeavour to learn from others, but the way it’s put, it doesn’t sound too ethical, like you’re stealing what others worked so hard for. But it’s like I always told my children, the best way to learn is from other people’s mistakes. That will prevent you from making the same ones they made. 

However, we all have our own bag of mistakes to make, and learning from others won’t stop you from making your own personal bundle, but it will certainly cut down on the overall total of mistakes in your life. If you learn from others, you might just make fifty instead of a hundred and fifty! (smile) Then there’s this: ‘Work on yourself more than you do on your job.’ Well that one I really don’t know about nuh. It seems somewhat unethical as well as unchristian. (smile) Jesus tells us we ought to work very diligently at our jobs, but this tells us we must work harder on ourselves than we do on our jobs. 

Now we certainly must work hard at improving ourselves, but it seems that if we work harder on ourselves than we do on our jobs, we’re short-changing our employer, because we’re not giving of our best on the job. So what am I to say eh? Too much seemingly ethical stuff to deal with this morning. (smile) So let’s just say that we must work hard at improving ourselves and also give our best on our jobs! Matter fix! 

And now we come to this oh so important quote: ‘Be the type of person you want to meet.’ Yes friends, that’s the awesome truth in spades! If you want to have friends, then you must show yourself to be friendly! You can’t be constantly miserable and grouchy and expect others to befriend you. Likewise, if you want to be around interesting and learned folks, you have to also show some of those qualities. 

It’s true that you ought to try and associate with those of higher intellect and aspirations than yours, so that you can learn from them, but you also have to bring something to the table, you can’t just come and expect to grab everything and not contribute anything. Although that’s the way of the world nowadays; we’re all just grabby-grabby and greedy, selfish as the day is long! The first person pronoun ‘Me, myself and I’ seem to be the most important  words in our vocabulary these day. 

Then we come to this last quote. The kick-tail one: ‘There is no challenge more challenging than the challenge to improve yourself.’ And anyone who has seriously tried to improve themselves will certainly know and readily agree with that. We all try to improve ourselves, but for one reason or another, most of the time we fall short. We lose our passion, get lazy, other more important things intrude, we get busy and run out of time, we make excuses when we find out how hard it is to truly improve, whatever. But self-improvement never comes easily or goes along without difficulties and interruptions. 

And I think a good scriptural example of that is Bruh Paul’s dilemma in his epistle to the Romans. ‘For we know that the law is spiritual: but I am carnal (fleshly), sold under sin. For that which I do I allow (understand) not: for what I would  (want to do), that do I not: but what I hate, that do I.’ (Rom. 7:14-15) Don’t we all  occasionally find ourselves in that dilemma? Most certainly! Bruh Paul was trying to improve his spiritual life, but like us, he struggled with his two natures; the easy and extremely attractive law and lust of our flesh, and the much more difficult and less enticing path, that of walking in the Spirit of God. 

The scholars offer this explanation. ‘7:14. The law is spiritual: The law has the characteristics of the Spirit and is consistent with the character of God. I am carnal: What follows is autobiographical and designed to reveal the real struggle the apostle experienced in the flesh. His experience is also exemplary, for it shows the problems all believers experience in their battle with sin.’ 

Yes friends, Bruh Paul was a man like us with struggles like us. As he further argues: ‘If then I do that which I would not (don’t want to do), I consent (agree) unto the law that it is good. Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not. For the good that I would (want to do) I do not: but the evil which I would not  (don’t want to do), that I do.’ (Rom. 7:16-19) 

Oh my people, challenges will always come along when we try to improve ourselves, especially in the Christian faith. In fact, life itself is a challenge, and trying to live it successfully is possibly our biggest challenge. (smile) It lead Bruh Paul to frustratingly declare: ‘O wretched man that I am! Who shall deliver me from the body of this death?’ (Rom. 7:24) 

And the scholars explain thus: ‘7:24. O wretched man: The reference here is to Paul’s tragic condition of defeat and frustration with sin. The body of this death is not the physical body, but the inherited sin nature received from Adam. It is that in him which is continually inclined toward thoughts and deeds that yield only (spiritual) death.’  

But in the end, he certainly knew where to find solace from his struggles: ‘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.’ (Rom. 7:25) Yes my faithful brethren, in Christ, we find the answer to ALL of our struggles! Much LOVE!

…come unto me…all you who labour…and are heavy burdened…and I will give you rest…