The Defeated Christian

My thoughts: Being a Christian, we hear a lot of catch phrases designed to describe our walk with Christ in a quick and easy way, such as "I am living for Jesus!" "Jesus lives in me!" or "I am walking in Victory!" But what does it truly mean to "walk in victory, or live a victorious life"? To walk in Victory is to live a life of habitual victory over sin as we wait for the Rapture. With that victory comes joy, power, and a peace that surpasses all understanding. I pray for that peace every day.

You've seen it or even experienced it: The Christian who tries and tries but even after 5, 10, 20 years of being saved, still hasn't been able to overcome that one sin in their lives. Instead it gets hidden away or it's pretended that it's not even there. They feel like they are not a good enough Christian because that one sin hasn't been conquered. So, they try harder, volunteer more, prays longer...yet, that doesn't seem to help either.

Why do we fail at all our attempts to be a "good Christian" and instead carry a heavy burden of guilt and failure around on our shoulders weighing us down? But...you say the Bible commands us to be perfect (Matt 5:48); to be Holy (I Pet 1:15); and Pure (Heb 12:14 and I John 2:1). And boy, don't we try? And when it feels like your walk with Christ has become mechanical, your prayers don't seem to reach God, you can't remember what you just read in your Bible, we continue to believe the lies of the devil who keeps prodding us on, "come on, you can do better, try again!" Satan enjoys watching Christians work themselves ragged trying to become the "Perfect Christian". He will do everything in his power to confuse us, mislead us, cloud our minds, and bring difficulties our way in an attempt to keep us from the truths of the Bible.

"I want to do what's right, but I can't help it! The sin is stronger than me!" Does that sound familiar? In Romans 7, Paul gives the perfect description of the defeated Christian. "13 Did that which is good, then, bring death to me? By no means! It was sin, producing death in me through what is good, in order that sin might be shown to be sin, and through the commandment might become sinful beyond measure. 14 For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am of the flesh, sold under sin. 15 For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. 16 Now if I do what I do not want, I agree with the law, that it is good. 17 So now it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. 18 For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. 19 For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing. 20 Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me.

21 So I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand. 22 For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being, 23 but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. 24 Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? 25 Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin."

1- There is NO condemnation under sin: ? huh? What does that mean? To condemn: to pronounce judgment.
2- We are not sentenced to an Eternal Death because of our sins.
3- Jesus already died for our sins...our past sins, our present sins, AND our future sins.

That realization helped me to understand that Christ had already had that covered and there wasn't one single blessed thing I could do to add to or take away from that Gift.

Stop trying to live perfectly. It is HUMANLY impossible. You cannot live a Christian life. Only Christ can. Trust Christ to live His life through you.

1- Strive to die daily to sin. The Holy Spirit is our source of Power. Once we are in the spirit we no longer have any obligation to the flesh. Flee from sin, do not seek it out.
2- The more you seek God and study His Word and get to know Him, the more you will trust Him. The more you trust Him, the more you will have Victory through Christ.
3- Heb 10:23 God is faithful in keeping His Promises.

The question we should ask ourselves is NOT whether we can live a Victorious life, the answer to that is NO, but whether Jesus can make me holy, keep my holy, AND give me victory...and the answer to that is a resounding YES!

Do you trust Jesus enough to let Him live through you?