The Cure

Romans 7:^24-25 “…Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death? Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord…” (emphasis added).

The story is told of an old Indian chief who was a believer, trying to explain the concept of the old nature and new nature to his son. He said, “Son, you have the old nature, and you have the new nature.” And the son said, “Daddy, with you which one wins?” “Whichever one I feed wins” the father responded. Then he gave this illustration; “We have two dogs”, he says, “you feed one and you starve the other. If you set up a fight between both dogs and you are to bet on one, how will you know the one that will win?” The son responded, “The one that I feed will win”. Similarly, the old nature and the new nature, the one you feed wins. If you keep feeding your old nature with pornography, junk, and with trash, it will overpower the new nature. But if you keep feeding the new nature with the Word of God, quality worship, fellowship, and things that make you strong, over time, it will overpower the old nature. That is how it works.

Even though you are a believer, and you have walked with God for a long time, you still have the old nature. You still have the tendency to be prideful, self-centred, to lie, exaggerate, or gossip. You still want to do things that appeal to the lower nature because the old nature is still there. If you keep entertaining these things, your old nature will get stronger. However, since you already have the new nature also, the new nature is hungry for the sincere milk of the Word of God. If you feed the new nature with the Word of God, sound doctrine, the life, and the Spirit of God that flows from worship, the new nature will become stronger.

While Romans 7 is the picture of a defeated Christian, Romans 8 is the picture of a victorious Christian. The difference is huge between Romans 7 and Romans 8, and we will cover the details over the next few days. We have seen the Cost and the Cause. Now we are going to delve into the Cure. And this is where things begin to get really exciting. The Cost is like bad news, but the good news is the victory is ours. I see you triumphing over every internal battle in Jesus Name. I see you overcoming every turmoil, confusion, guilt, shame, and despair in Jesus Mighty Name.

So, to gain victory over the battles within, I Must Deepen My Understanding of Christ. This is huge because the more I grow my roots in Christ and I deepen my understanding of Christ, the more I have power to overcome the internal battles of confusion, guilt, shame, and despair. The more I walk in the reality of the new creation and come to terms with the finished work of Jesus on the cross of Calvary, the more beautiful my life becomes.

Prayer: Father, take me deeper in my understanding of Christ, in Jesus Mighty Name. Amen!