But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen – 2 Peter 3:18
“For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do/Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me/I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me/For I delight in the law of God after the inward man/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/O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?” (Romans 7:19-24).
Apostle Paul’s confession is an excellent example of the challenges of changing your default settings—the inherited sinful nature—to conform to God’s will. This struggle isn’t conditioned on how long you’ve been a Christian or how well-versed you are. It’s included in the transformation process of refining and replacing, along with the opposition that often occurs. The solution is what apostle Paul discovered when he said: “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” (verse 25).
Just as apostle Paul learned that living for God requires retraining the mind, we too must be intentional about our thoughts. We must strive to handle situations in agreement with God’s Word, and not our old default settings.