Teaching Tuesday – Hope you enjoy/learn from this teaching on Resistance!
Resistance – the refusal to accept or comply with something; the attempt to prevent something by action or argument.
Over the last 4 years in my walk with Christ I have definitely learned a lot about resistance. Mainly that I have it, a lot of it. Resistance is something I have experienced within me when I desire to follow Christ but discover in me a force that does not want to comply.
I am thankful and comforted in these struggles with Paul’s writings in Romans.
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. – Romans 7:21-25
Don’t be ashamed or feel guilty when you have these resistant feelings. We have a tendency (pride) to want to have it all together. That ain’t gonna happen. We are human, we have sinful natures, as we grow into the image of Christ we will have feelings, emotions that don’t want to go forward. Those members of our body must submit to Christ. We have a helper, an advocate in the Holy Spirit and by the Spirit we can put to death the deeds of the flesh.
For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. – Romans 8:13
I hope this teaching helps you!
Additional scripture referenced in video:
11 So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.12 Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions. 13 Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness. 14 For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace. – Romans 6:11-14
Whoever is slow to anger has great understanding,
but he who has a hasty temper exalts folly. – Proverbs 14:29
Whoever is slow to anger is better than the mighty,
and he who rules his spirit than he who takes a city. – Proverbs 16:32
“All things are lawful for me,” but not all things are helpful. “All things are lawful for me,” but I will not be dominated by anything. – 1 Corinthians 6:12
I'm Just Irene 