"WE DO IT ANYWAY"

Romans 7:21-25
21 So I find this law at work: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me. 22 For in my inner being I delight in God's law; 23 but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members. 24 What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? 25 Thanks be to God--through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God's law, but in the sinful nature a slave to the law of sin.

I was attending a Sunday worship service at the International Church in Minsk, Belarus. The congregation leases space in the cultural center, which is right across the street from the Linguistic Institute. Because the service is in English, some of the students attend so they can hear English spoken. We were led in a praise session by some American and Russian young people.

Yulya, one of the praise singers, led us in prayer. She praised God, honoring Him and extolling His name for all He has done for us, including our salvation. She had become a believer after attending a church to hear English.

The next part of her prayer went something like this: "We admit to You, God, that sometimes we sin. We know it is wrong. The Holy Spirit warns us. Yet we do it anyway. Please forgive us. Help us to overcome our weaknesses, and to call on You when we need help. Amen."

This relatively new believer had the courage to confess publicly that--like every believer--she sins. She expressed the same kind of frustration Paul felt in Romans 7 when he said, "The evil I do not want to do--this I keep on doing" (v.19). But almost immediately he said, "Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God--through Jesus Christ our Lord." (vv.24-25).

That's the trouble. We know better. The Holy Spirit throws a big red STOP sign in front of us. But, as Yulya prayed, we "do it anyway."

The important thing is that we acknowledge it, confess it, and experience God's forgiveness (1 John 1:9). Then we can keep moving ahead in our Christian lives--gaining victory over longtime sins. When we stop that process, when we become discouraged and just sort of give up, we're playing right into the devil's hands.

If we'll honestly admit that we keep breaking God's laws, perhaps committing the same sin over and over again, we'll be on the track to spiritual growth and victory. Let's say to God, as Yulya did, "I did it anyway. Please forgive me." --Dave Egner

DESTINATION POINTS

* When I sin, do I deny it? Blame someone else? Secretly think it was God's fault? Or confess it immediately?
* Does God get tired of this sin/confess, sin/confess cycle? Do I get tired of it? What will I do about it?
* What sins do I keep on repeating, even though I know better? Who could be an accountability partner to help me finally overcome it?

LINKS:
The Forgiveness of God
http://www.discoveryseries.org/q0602

bottom line: Spiritual growth starts with repentance.

soul journey