…the law has dominion over a man as long as he lives? Rom. 7:1 For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find. Rom. 7:19-25 For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice. 20 Now if I do what I will not to do, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me. 21 I find then a law, that evil is present with me, the one who wills to do good. 22 For I delight in the law of God according to the inward man. 23 But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. 24 O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? 25 I thank God—through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, with the mind I myself serve the law of God, but with the flesh the law of sin.
After a very full day at the office, emotionally drained, and ready be to home to relax and refresh, someone asked me what my job was. I said, “I don’t think I can describe to you what I do. Basically, I hassle with the flesh and wrestle with the demons.”
I realized that we all “hassle and wrestle.” All the days of our lives we hassle with the law. Everyone. The things we know we should do, we don’t do, the things we know we shouldn’t do, that we do. God’s number one preacher had the same struggle! He recognized God’s law was good and perfect but admitted he could not conquer sinful desires.
The law of God has started a war against our mind and desires. Paul said it brings me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. My flesh is weak.
Jesus found the disciples sleeping when He had asked them to watch and pray with Him, “The spirit indeed is willing but the flesh is weak.” ( Mt. 26:40) Paul said the law has shown me what sin is, I would not know covetousness was sin unless the law said, “Thou shall not covet.”
The law becomes judge and jury and we find ourselves guilty according to the Law of God. You cannot ask for mercy until you have been found guilty! Think about it. If we then are found guilty mercy should be our cry. The law of God is like a spiritual x-ray showing us where we are guilty. Paul said, “I see another law in my members…” in my, mind, my will, my desires, my thoughts, my hands, my eyes, the flesh is weak. The inward man loves the law, but the flesh hates it.
THE LAW STARTED A WAR –
The law, which has dominion over me as long as I live. The law of God which is good hassles me daily. It brings me into captivity. My flesh, my mind, my thinking, my will which doesn’t want to surrender, my flesh rises up when I want it to stay down, my emotions ebb and flow. My desires that seem to come out of nowhere put me at enmity with the law of God.
God’s number 1 preacher is hassled by the law of God, he says the things I want to do I find myself not doing, the things I don’t want to do I find myself doing… ”For I delight in the law of God according to the inward man.”
Yes, I whole-heartedly agree that the law is good. My inward man sees that it is the law of God, it’s just that I can’t keep it! It hassles me daily.
THERE IS HASSLE IN THE CASTLE
A man comes home to his castle tired and wanting a nice greeting, a good meal and a peaceful rest. The law of God comes with him! First thing he hears is ‘you won’t believe how Your kids have acted all day. Your mother called and ruined my day with her complaining, The washing machine is broken, I’ve been so frazzled all day I haven’t had time to cook anything’…
HASSLE TIL YOU FRAZZLE
The hassle will leave you frazzled…it will exhaust you. Not just your home life but the castle that Paul refers to as your tabernacle, the fleshly body that you occupy. The mind that the great Apostle calls carnal. The carnal mind that we all have is intimidated by the law of God, the Holy Righteous law won’t be quiet, and our carnal mind is frazzled, exhausted from the war. Instead of taking every thought captive, often we are the captive. Paul seems to cry out in the struggle, “O wretched man that I am.”
WE HASSLE WITH THE DAZZLE
The appeal of sin. The dazzle. Millions of believers are attracted by sins’ dazzle! Yeah, I know it’s wrong, I know it displeases God but I’m yielding anyway. I know just one drink, might lead to another, one drug might … but I’m doing it anyway, I know I shouldn’t be with those people, I know I should go there, but my flesh wants to be satisfied. The law of God thru the conviction of His Holy Spirit is always showing us to ignore the dazzle of the hassle.
HASSLE WITH THE RAZZLE-DAZZLE
One of my favorite plays in football is the trick play, the deception is the razzle-dazzle! It’s always in sins playbook! The trickery in the hassle, sin doesn’t play fair. Trick plays are legal in football, also legal in sins play book!
HASSLE WITH THE FLESH
WRESTLE WITH THE DEMONS
As a deliverance minister, that is my job description. People literally come to our office from all over the world for freedom from the wrestling. We have over 300 people on our waiting list to be seen. We don’t wrestle with flesh and blood, but we do wrestle.
For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. (Eph. 6:12-13)
The armor of God is not something you put on and take off. Clearly the armor of God is what we ARE clothed in…it is the righteousness of Jesus Christ, and we are told to STAND in the truth. You can’t take it off, for He never leaves us nor forsakes us, as believers we are clothed. We can only fail to stand in the truth. You can’t take off your helmet of salvation, it is there eternally. The eternal Word of God is our sword, it’s not going anywhere. We can only fail to stand. Standing in Christ is fully sufficient at all times.
In deliverance, we never lose! All demon spirits bow at the Name of Jesus. They know Him and they fear and tremble before that mighty Name.
Just for Jesus,
Don