Purify Your Mind Series (Part 3) by Joe KirbyNäide

The Transparent Apostle

"For what I am doing, I do not understand. For what I will to do, that I do not practice; but what I hate, that I do." (Romans 7:15)

Paul’s transparency in the verse above has comforted many believers over the centuries. First, we realize that even apostles mess up! All the knowledge, all the theology, all the experience does not stop us from failing our Savior and doing things we hate to do.

Second, it shows us that the true believer battles against sin. It’s easy for us to doubt our salvation and Christ’s love for us when we fall into sexual sin. But the fact that our sin disturbs us and we hate how powerless we are against temptation is a sign that we are in the Lord’s army. Most unbelievers don’t battle against pornography; they don’t feel guilty when their eyes wander. The lost man or woman isn’t concerned with pleasing the Lord because they do not have the Holy Spirit to convict them of sin. When Manchester loses a soccer game, I don’t grieve over the loss because I’m not a Manchester fan. Likewise, the non-Christian feels no sense of guilt when they sin, because they are not on “Team Jesus.”

I’ve heard that Jacksonville Zoo once had a two-headed lizard. The animal caused quite a stir, because often one head wanted to go one direction, and the other head wanted to go another. The poor lizard’s legs didn’t know which way to turn! That’s how it feels to be a Christian at times. One side of us wants to obey Jesus, but the other wants to indulge the flesh. May we get on our knees daily and ask God to deliver us from this double-mindedness and to walk by the Spirit.