God is on your case

Romans 7:24-25 AMPC

O unhappy and pitiable and wretched man that I am! Who will release and deliver me from [the shackles of] this body of death? [25] O thank God! He will through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then indeed I, of myself with the mind and heart, serve the Law of God, but with the flesh the law of sin.

Romans 7 actually is a very encouraging chapter for everyone, like me, who keeps failing in one area or another.

It tells of an inner war waging inside - the battle between our old and new natures.

As followers of Jesus we can seem a bit like Jekyl and Hyde - one minute Christ like, the next a mouthpiece for Satan.

Peter is a prime example of this.

He was the first to perceive and proclaim clearly that Jesus is the Messiah:

Matthew 16:15-16 AMPC

He said to them, But who do you say that I am? [16] Simon Peter replied, You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.

Then he became a mouthpiece for Satan trying to stop Jesus going to the Cross:

Matthew 16:21-23 AMPC

From that time forth Jesus began to show His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders and the high priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised from death. [22] Then Peter took Him aside to speak to Him privately and began to reprove and charge Him sharply, saying, God forbid, Lord! This must never happen to You! [23] But Jesus turned away from Peter and said to him, Get behind Me, Satan! You are in My way; for you are minding what partakes not of the nature and quality of God, but of men.

Throughout our lives we will both thrill and disappoint, but God is always on our case.

Like the waves of the sea smoothing out footprints in the sand, so the Holy Spirit is working, through the Cross of Jesus, to erase our faults and failings.

Even when we erect a huge sandcastle of failure, the Lord's almighty resurrection tidal wave rushes in and washes it away like it never existed.

Be encouraged to get up and keep going - God, in Christ, by the power of the Holy Spirit is on your case!

HALLELUJAH!