Daily Encouragement for the Family of God by Kenton Cheek
7 December 2024
Reading From Romans 4-7
“15 I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. 16 And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. 17 As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. 18 For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature.[l] For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. 19 For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. 20 Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.
21 So I find this law at work: Although 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 me, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me. 24 What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death?25 Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!
So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God’s law, but in my sinful nature[m] a slave to the law of sin.” —Romans 7:15-25
I am deeply grateful for the Apostle Paul’s honesty here. It makes him more accessible as our brother in Christ. This great giant of the faith struggled just as we do. Every born again believer is a new creation. He is making all things new and beautiful.
We have a new identity in Christ. You are now a son or a daughter of the Most High God. You are a prophet or prophetess anointed to boldly declare His Word. You are a priest or priestess ordained to minister His love and message of reconciliation to others. You are a king or queen functioning within the spiritual authority of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. As such, we are to rightly divide His Word, be faithful to shine His Truth in love, and inquire of Him to act justly, love mercy and walk humbly.
Our “inner being” is made right with God and the Spirit takes up residence within us. He transforms us from the inside out through a lifelong process called sanctification. This process begins at the event of salvation and moves forward as we grow spiritually. The holiness of God begins to radiate out from our inner being and into the different areas of our hearts, minds and lives. As this occurs, we go from glory to glory and become more like Jesus. Sin is not who you are anymore. You are a new creation in Christ Jesus! The old has gone and the new has come.
All along our journey, we have choices to make. We can either listen to the guidance of the Holy Spirit speaking from within our inner being and obey God’s Word or we can do what comes naturally for us according to the selfish desires of our sinful nature and indulge those desires. Your inner being is the real you now. The question is who will win? The Spirit or our flesh? By God’s grace and power at work within us, the Spirit will win more and more and our sanctification will be made complete at our resurrection on the Last Day.
So much of our relationship with God within our present reality is in this “already, but not fully come” or “right now but also in the future” status.
At the moment we are born again, we are seated with Christ in the heavens and yet our bodies are trapped within the constraints of time and space. We are saved and sealed by the Holy Spirit unto the Day of Redemption when our salvation will be made complete and we experience His deliverance and freedom to the fullest degree of glory in the celestial kingdom. Our citizenship is in Heaven, but our temporary residency is here and the struggle is real.
Keep the faith. You’re work in progress. Say yes to God and no to your sinful nature. Have patience and kindness with yourself. God’s undeserved favor is sufficient. He loves you. Even the Apostle Paul struggled as we do. Endure to the end. Some battles may be lost along the way, but the Spirit will ultimately win the war.
“God, keep us from discouragement and despair. Thank You for Your grace and mercy. We are grateful to have You as our Great High Priest as You sympathize with our weaknesses. Forgive us our sins and shortcomings. Deliver us from evil. I pray that more and more we would say yes to You and no to our sinful nature. Thank You for the victory You have already provided. Help us to walk in that victory. Help us to walk in the newness of life.”
Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. —Philippians 1:6
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! —II Corinthians 5:17
Forever Home in the Eternal Family of God 
Leave a comment