2 Chronicles 8:11-10:19 / Romans 8:9-25 / Psalm 18:16-36 / Proverbs 19:26
Choices – we have choices. Sometimes we think we don’t. We believe we’re a product of our upbringing, or that we are subject to the responses we give because of what’s been done to us. You know the old saying, “the devil made me do it!”. Yea, that’s not true. LOL
Sure, we respond the way we do based on the experiences we’ve had and the thoughts in our minds. We respond based on past hurt, betrayal, and suffering, but when we look through those lenses, we are not able to see properly or clearly. And that’s where the trouble begins.
Sometimes we’re aware of the way we are responding and sometimes we are not. Sometimes another person can try to help by talking to us about the problem and we listen, and sometimes we are not able to hear that. No matter where we find ourselves in this scenario, there is freedom available. How do I know that?
Romans 8:9 But you are not controlled by your sinful nature. You are controlled by the Spirit if you have the Spirit of God living in you.
Romans 8:12 Therefore, dear brothers and sisters, you have no obligation to do what your sinful nature urges you to do.
I encourage you to also read all of verses 9-17 because it’s so helpful to someone struggling to make the right choices. If we are in Christ, we have power over sin. That means we have the power within us to choose what is right and leave behind what is evil. But, of course, we still blow it from time to time! That’s normal, human behavior.
The power doesn’t come “from within me” in the sense that I can’t muster up a right choice by the power of my decision. The only power that will allow me to choose righteousness is the power of Holy Spirit. I can’t be “good enough”. I can’t try to “be on my best behavior”. None of that works. I can’t hold myself to that standard, neither can I allow others to attempt to hold me to a standard of perfection.
And why do we do that to ourselves and others? Why do we attempt to hold ourselves to impossible standards of perfection? Is it so that we can feel better about ourselves? Or to somehow feel we have measured up and are now acceptable to God and others? That doesn’t work either.
Our only perfection is found through Jesus Christ. Our only hope of “being good” is because of God’s Spirit in us. Everything that we have was given to us by Him. There is nothing we’ve earned or gained apart from His Grace and goodness to us. Once we realize this, there is nothing but thanksgiving in our hearts toward the One who has gifted us with all things.
