victory over sin...

it is simply amazing... how as Christians we make the enemy and sin such a big deal, it is not the enemy that I have to worry about it is me!!! I have a sinful nature that was sold into sin, but I have an array of weapons that is far more powerful than anything the tempters could throw at me. i am transformed to the likeness of Christ Jesus. my favorite words to command the devil with are these, "no", and "go"... at the sound of my voice, water's still... righteous, peace and joy, in the holy spirit.

Why is holiness so hard?

So I've started to study the Book of Romans... Good Book! I must say however that it's not quite what I thought it would be, not a bit. The first question I ask when I learn something new is "how can I do that." It has always served me well. Romans is different... The purpose of the book is to tell every person that they are welcomed into the beloved. Christ died for each and every man, woman and child... No exceptions. But in order to do that, he had to qualify that everyone is equal the good people, and the bad people. "all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God." "There is none righteous, No not one." All indeed are have had their debt paid, but all indeed are guilty of death. It takes humility to admit that, "no, my plans have utterly failed me". Especially when this word is so keen on promoting another person who worked hard and made something of themselves.
My attempt at living Romans has had mixed results... I've taken the book to my prayer room, thought about it as I am ready to sleep listened to it on my ipod-I've immersed myself in this book, but the more I read it the deeper darkness I feel within myself... and the more I struggle with sin in my own life, I feel as if I am Paul saying His words, "OH what a wretched man I am," and "I do that which I hate." Even writing this post, I feel like a hypocrite. But I guess this is what faith really is, believing in Christ for my righteousness. Not that we deserve it, but that He is merciful. God's Word has such a way of pulling back all of the crutches and false supports and dealing with the heart of our issues. WE NEED Grace, and we won't make it without receiving mercy. True repentance does not mean living the rest of your life with a guilt trip you cannot outrun, hoping all your good deeds will make up for your shame. True repentance means coming to terms with you are as a human, and meeting God almighty with the understanding that He is un-repentantly in love with you. The hardest part of repentance is coming to terms with the fact that no matter how we see ourselves, our view is not the one that matters... Seeing yourself from Gods view is the only way to truly live the Gospel.