| Photo by Gift Habeshaw on Unsplash
As long as we breathe, we are going to have a spiritual struggle with our own flesh, desires, lusts, and choices. Just because we have been Christians for a while, we are not exempt from this battle of temptation.
Paul, the mighty man of God, struggled with it, and he did not cover it, pretending that he did not struggle with the flesh. He knew that he was the problem.
Romans 7: 14-17, “So the trouble is not with the law, for it is spiritual and good. The trouble is with ME, for I am all too HUMAN, a slave to sin. I don’t really understand myself, for I want to do what is right, but I don’t do it. Instead, I do what I hate. But if I know that what I am doing is wrong, this shows that I agree that the law is good. So I am not the one doing wrong; it is sin living in me that does it.”
The temptation is not the sin, and Jesus tells us that He will make a way out of the temptation. But even Jesus Himself dealt with temptation. But it comes down to me! Am I going to follow my flesh or am I going to follow the Spirit of God?
We need to stop blaming life, circumstances, culture or family or people. We need to take responsibility for our own choices!
Today, fill me with Your Spirit so that I can be prepared and equipped to make the right choice to follow Jesus and not my own flesh!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Pastor Ronald Squibb has been the International Christian Center (ICC) Lead Senior Pastor at Staten Island, New York, since 2011. He draws on many experiences from his over 40 years as a pastor and from significant emotional experiences.
His new book, Following the Journey with Jesus, which he co-authored with Daniel McNaughton, was recently published and is receiving rave reviews. The daily devotion appears in this publication.
