That Movie of Yourself
That Movie of Yourself
Words of Faith 9-8-2021
Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy © 2021
Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com
Faith Fellowship Church - Melbourne, FL
www.faithfellowshipweb.com
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Romans 7
[14] We know that the law is spiritual; but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin. [15] I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. [16] And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. [17] As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. [18] I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. [19] For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do‑‑this I keep on doing. [20] Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.
[21] So I find this law at work: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me. [22] For in my inner being I delight in God's law; [23] but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members. [24] What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? [25] Thanks be to God‑‑through Jesus Christ our Lord!
So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God's law, but in the sinful nature a slave to the law of sin.
Have you ever had that feeling that your life is like a movie and you are watching?
You thought you understood the plot of the movie. You had pretty well figured out how things were going to go and how you wanted it to end, but then suddenly, the main character starts doing things that you had not expected!
In the movie, the star character begins to show character flaws you had not anticipated, and you really had not wanted to see. The star loses his temper in a way you were certain was not part of his character. Or she suddenly makes choices that seem bizarre as you watch from afar!
You may even watch this central character do things that you were absolutely certain they would never do under any circumstances. Suddenly the movie is more like a nightmare, something you would try to shut off, if you could.
The movie might be called "My So-called War with Sin."
It would be titled "So-called" because most wars, by definition, consist of a formidable resistance to an enemy and a hope of victory. But in this war, it seems the enemy knows all of your weaknesses. Battle after battle is lost. Every new battle begins with the best of intentions and a valiant re-commitment, only to watch as the main character caves in again to the very same ploys!
The movie reveals a few things.
The movie reveals "that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature." As long as the main character proclaims a personal "goodness," they will lose these battles even if God lives in that character! As long as we claim the personal power to transform ourselves, the movie will go on in more and more bizarre plot twists.
This realization is exceedingly difficult for most people. We all want to think of ourselves as "good." We may delight in the Law in our inner being, but this does not change the fact that another law is at work in the members of our bodies waging war against the mind.
Only when we realize our helplessness can God begin to change the plot in this miserable movie to an award winner! The cry of Paul echoes through the centuries: "What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death?"
As long as we are intent on rescuing or healing ourselves, rescue will never come! But when we cry out to Him in confession of our utter helplessness, the answer comes: "Thanks be to God‑‑through Jesus Christ our Lord!"
Everything changes when we stop writing, producing, and directing our own "movie" as proof of a "goodness" that does not exist. Everything changes when we stop trying to fight our own war and surrender to Jesus wholly.
Lord Jesus, I make a miserable director and producer of my life. Even as a Christian, many times, I have seized control and failed. Please, take over the production, direction, and writing of my life. Fight the battles that I cannot win. Thanks be to God. Amen.
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© Jeffrey D. Hoy 2021
Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy - Faith Fellowship Church (EFCA)
2820 Business Center Blvd.
Melbourne, Florida 32940 (321)-259-7200
Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com
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The Words of Faith devotion is published five days a week by E-mail, excluding Federal holidays. Please feel free to forward this devotion to a friend who might be blessed by this devotion. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture is quoted from the New International Version (R) of The Holy Bible. Copyright (c) 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved. Words of Faith (c) 1997, 2021 Jeffrey D. Hoy. All rights reserved. Permission is granted to forward this copyrighted material or use portions of it with appropriate notation of the source for non-profit purposes.
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