“The Lord has voted for me, the devil has voted against me. Whichever way I vote, so goes the election.” - Theodore Epp
“So I say, live by the Spirit and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under law”. Galatians 5:16-18.
Here is a contrast between two natures. We are all born with a sinful nature and it isn’t a huge deal until we become a Christian and decide to go God’s way. The Holy Spirit comes to live inside to glorify Jesus through our life. Now our old nature contrasts with our new nature and the fight is on. The world, the flesh and the devil conspire to trip us up and keep us defeated. This reality will be with us until we get to heaven. The big difference here is that the enemy is on the outside while the Holy Spirit is on the inside.
Life is a series of decisions – either to go God’s way or to go my own sinful way. We ask ourselves – ‘will I live in obedience to the Lord today or not?’ Interesting to me is that when we ask the Spirit to fill us and take control, we still have the option to wrest that control from Him and make bad decisions. We are not automatons – we are sentient beings with the power to choose. As Theodore Epp said: “The Lord has voted for me, the devil has voted against me. Whichever way I vote, so goes the election.”
This is why the Christian life is so ‘daily.’ Its not a one and done deal that we decide to follow Jesus. Instead, we walk daily with the Holy Spirit – submitting to God’s will and deciding to go His way. It requires an ongoing relationship with the Lord rather than a one-time statement of intent. It’s like a marriage – it’s not enough to declare your love at the wedding day – it must be shown and said regularly for the rest of your life together!
Romans 7:15-8:11 is such a great study in the contrast between life in the Spirit and life in the flesh. There is a sense of helplessness when we try to live a godly life in our own strength – we fall repeatedly and are discouraged. But when the Spirit lives inside and is given full cooperation, we have a new, victorious way of living. Our positive decisions result in a progressively sanctified – holy – life.
What decision lies before you today? The way you decide will take you further down one of two roads. May God give you grace and resolve to make the right choice!
Pastor Leon Throness
