Check out the boys ready for the 4th July parade this past weekend.  They had a blast and the Johnsons always love loading the family up on the golf cart and going to the parade!  Good stuff. 

Remember last week we talked a couple of times about the question: Why do we do the things we dont want to do, and vice versa?  Basically we all want to do the “right things” concerning each and every area of our lives, and most of the time we “know” what those things are, but we still choose to not do them many times.  So again, WHY?  Why in the world would we do something that is literally INSANE?!  And I am not pointing fingers here, because I have been just as guilty as anyone else of this insanity. 

Romans 7 gives a clear picture of this dilema when Paul was writing about this very thing.  He basically said the same thing that “he did not do the things he wanted or “willed” to do, and the things he did not want or “will” to do he did.  Then he goes on to refer to himself as a “wretched man”!  And he said basically “who in the world can or will deliver me from this body (flesh) of death?!!”  Now many times people stop right there when they are quoting this scripture and using it as an example to show that we all are like Paul, and we deal with stuff.  (That stuff by the way is just “WRONG THINKING”. ) It is important, most important to read Romans 7: 25 where Paul gives the Clear answer to his question of who will deliver him from this seemingly no win situation: “I thank God through Jesus Christ.”  He lets you know precisely write there that God delivered him already through Jesus and the “finished” work he did! 

I believe many times, if not most times, people believe that this battle is just one that they will face without much hope of victory in each individual battle.  And that is not the Truth at all and it is not the purpose of that scripture.  The Father, your Father, is letting you know that you are not alone in that battle of “fleshly” desires.  And there is a battle between the “old man”, the flesh, and the “new man”.  One thing that many dont understand though is if the Bible is true then the “old man”, the old desires of the flesh are literally no longer YOU!!  They once were just a part of your makeup, but once you have JESUS come into your life, you are literally made 100% NEW.  And the old man is gone forever (2 Corin 5:17).  So in this battle you are not fighting “your own desires” but the desires of the “old man” or old self.  And since the old man has been literally killed, then it has nothing to do with you.  Now this is extremely important to see and understand if you are going to win this battle. 

Now you may say “yeh but if the “old man” is no longer me then why do I still have some of those “old desires” that I used to have before I got SAVED?  Great question.  It is simply because the enemy is always trying to trick you into believing a  lie!!  He is the father of lies.  And if he can convince you that those old desires are just part of you and you cant do anything about it except “try real hard” to do better then you will live your life based on that lie.  So yes you will still battle some of those “fleshly” desires.  Those things many times dont just “go away”.  Your weapon though is the Word, The TRUTH of God.  You must know, and continue to grow in your “knowing” that you are a NEW CREATION and those old desires are not you.  And even though you may still be tempted with them, you do not have to “accept” them.  ANd this comes through knowing HIS Will for you that is in HIS Word, and then literally RENEWING YOUR MIND to that Truth.  As you begin to “See” it and “take it” as yours, then you start to live out the Truth of who you literally are IN CHRIST.  Those desires may still come, but you get to the place where you can NOT be fooled into believing that they are part of you therefore they have no power over you!!  And that is the key. 

Of course there is more to this and I will go over this in a later post this week.  Man this is good.  I hope you are getting as much out of this as I am.  God is teaching me a lot in this.  And as you know and I know, we are not “there” yet, but we are on the way.  ANd together we can make great strides.  HE HAS A GREAT LIFE FOR US, and as we start to BELIEVE RIGHT, we will ACT RIGHT.  As we ACT RIGHT, we will produce better health and life for ourselves.  And of course the more we can help others to walk in HIS BEST, HIS LOVE, then the better!!

YOUR HEALTH, YOUR LIFE, YOUR CHOICE  Godbless u kj