The Struggle Is a Sign of Life

Reading: Romans 7:7–25

“What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death? Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!” —Romans 7:24–25

The apostle Paul gives voice to a battle many believers know all too well: “I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate.”(Romans 7:15) This isn’t the confession of a backslider or a hypocrite—it’s the honest lament of a saint deeply aware of both the beauty of God’s law and the brokenness of human nature. The law shows us what is good, but it lacks the power to save us. Only Jesus has the power to save.

This passage reminds us that Christian maturity does not mean the absence of struggle—it often means the presence of deeper struggle. As we draw closer to Christ, we become more aware of the sin that still clings to us. Yet instead of leading us to despair, this awareness pushes us toward grace.

Charles Spurgeon wrote, “The more holy a man becomes, the more he mourns over the unholiness which remains in him.” The struggle itself is not a sign of failure; it is a sign of life—a sign that the Holy Spirit is at work in us.

As believers we experience a continual struggle between the flesh and the Spirit, the battle itself does not signify defeat. The war may rage on, but sin no longer reigns. Though we feel the pull of old habits and temptations, they no longer hold ultimate authority over us. The Spirit of God gives us power to resist, strength to endure, and grace to rise again when we fall. We are not left to the tyranny of our impulses—we are held by the mercy of Christ, who has broken sin’s dominion.

So cry out like Paul, not with hopelessness, but with gratitude:    

“Thanks be to God—through Jesus Christ our Lord!”

Prayer:

Lord, I cry out for help. I am tired of failing. I long to do what is right, but I need Your strength. Fill me with Your Holy Spirit so I may live the life You call me to. Thank You that the battle is not mine alone—You are my deliverer. Amen.