Do you ever feel utterly amazed in the ways that you routinely fall short?  We all have our own personal battles. Most of these battles we’ve been fighting in some way or another for years.  And, just when you think you’ve kicked an internal habit or thought process that has plagued you in the past, there again it pops up!  Maybe not as intensely or frequently…but none-the-less, again!  You are not alone. 

Throughout my adult years, I’ve worked hard to live a healthy lifestyle – both nutritionally and physically.  It has been a culmination of daily choices in the food I eat and the exercise I engage in to keep my body strong.  Yet, I still seem to have areas that I struggle. I’ve been in physical therapy over the last few weeks with a back injury.  There is no particular incident that I’m aware of that caused the injury.  Instead, my physical therapist believes it is likely the result of weakened core muscles. A weakened core impacted my ability to do all of the summer activities I love without injuring my back. In other words, because I let my inner core strength slide, my back ended up injured. 

Just like our physical bodies need routine and balanced maintenance to stay healthy, so do our spiritual lives. Thinking about my spiritual habits as exercise was initially a foreign concept to me. But it shouldn’t be! We have spiritual muscles that must also be exercised in order to stay spiritually fit.  Continued spiritual health requires routine intentional care and places us in an offensive position rather than a defensive one.  This is a good place to be when put to a spiritual test. Just as my body was physically tested and fell short because of a lack of core work, so too can our spiritual health fail if we are not diligent in maintaining it. 

For I do not understand my own actions.  For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate.

Romans 7:15

As Christians, our big-picture goal should be making progress toward becoming more Christ-like as we age.  On that journey, we can expect to get tripped up on things that we may have considered mastered.  Throughout the years, there have been many things I mistakenly thought I had mastered only to have it rear its ugly head again. Patience, perfection, eating habits, and many more. 

And so, I find comfort in reading Romans 7:15, written by the great Apostle Paul. Paul is a man I’ve heard a great deal about in the last year.  He was deeply committed to following Christ after his conversion on the road to Damascus. In Romans 7:15, Paul describes his own struggle within his flesh. “For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate” (Romans 7:15, ESV). Paul is putting to words the daily battle between his desires and actions. Paul desires to make good and pleasing choices, yet his imperfect flesh does not always act in accordance. 

Like Paul, how many of you find yourself in a similar battle?  You desperately want to do what is right but struggle to consistently do so!  Romans describes this same sentiment from Paul. He is giving us a first-hand account of the same conflict we continue to face today between a sinful flesh and new nature in Christ. 

Can I let you in on a little secret? This daily spiritual battle is tremendous for Christians in our secular culture! Furthermore, your continued struggle between a sinful flesh and your new nature in Christ is not an indication of your faith walk. Believe me, I’ve walked that one out in my head a number of times, asking myself how I can be a Christian and still have these same battles. Not true. Even Paul, a mature Christian with a first-hand interaction with God, continued to struggle in this same way! 

Although you may feel discouraged in what feels like small reoccurring defeats, you can find comfort at the end of Romans 7 where Paul declares his continued hope. “Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 7:25, ESV)! Just like the prescription of core strengthening for my back pain, so too does Paul remind us of our hope in Christ as the answer for our sinful flesh.