War From The Road to Grace Devotional
For what I am doing, I do not understand; for I am not practicing what I would like to do, but I am doing the very thing I hate.
Romans 7:15
Once we decide to stop sinning, war breaks out. First, our flesh, which has gorged on sexual immorality for years, screams in rage; the cravings for a lust hit intensify to the point where we feel like an alcoholic going through withdrawals. Our emotions, once buried under layers of lust, spring loose and go haywire with fits of anger and depression. Stirred into the mix are sexual images from the past which buzz our mind constantly; swatting at them only seems to make it worse.
Then there’s the spiritual battle. The enemy, who’s been used to playing us like a marionette, kicks it into overdrive. “Pssst… look at her; she’s beautiful… wouldn’t a little porn be good right now? Just a little fantasy won’t hurt.” Circumstances suddenly turn for the worst, there’s stress in the marriage, friction at work. The enemy does everything he can to push us to the point of giving in again to the “old medication.”
Compounding the problem is the tragic reality that we’re fighting something we like, even though we hate what it does to us (that wretched shame hangover lasts far longer than the act). Giving in is so much easier than resisting; life is miserable. “Is it really worth it?” we wonder.
What is the answer? In Romans 7, Paul exclaims: “Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from the body of this death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!”
The good news is that the God we serve is infinitely bigger than the weakness of our flesh—or the enemy. By His grace and mercy, we will stand firm as we engage the right actions: soaking our minds in God’s word, praying often (praying through the Psalms can be of great help), going to support groups, getting as far away from temptation as possible, making phone calls, and/or visiting a counselor.
If failure occurs, we take it to the cross. We refuse to let shame drag us down further into a pit of despair. “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (First John 1:9). We take God at His word, and keep pressing forward, one battle at a time.
‘Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ says the Lord of hosts
Zechariah 4:6
Excerpt from The Road to Grace Devotional
©2012 by Mike Genung. All Rights Reserved. This excerpt may be copied and forwarded only if this permission paragraph is retained intact and a link to this website is included.