“Dad, I’ve always felt I was destined to do something great,” my son once told me.  Pretty cool, huh? It spoke volumes about our God-given ability to dream. Dreaming can be rooted in the pride within us all, but I think it goes deeper than that—much deeper.

       Why does fantasy come so easily to us? Is it just for fun, or merely an escape from reality? Possibly. But just maybe we’re reaching into the very depths of our being, into the realm of the Spirit—tasting a little of God’s ultimate purpose for us.          

       Have you sensed being cut out for something great—that you truly are more than what you appear to be? Of course you have! If nothing else, it took place as a child. It happened before the rigors of life smothered it—before you decided that it was more reasonable to settle for the mediocre. That sense of purpose can be reenergized.

From: Free from the Power of Sin: the Keys to Growing in God in Spite of Yourself

Paul’s goal was to explain the meaning of Christ’s coming—to make absolutely clear who Jesus is and what He came to do. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is God’s promise to us. Hope is first born in our heart through God’s promise. Hope is a catalyst. It’s the great motivator. Hope that God will do as He promised ignites the faith that pleases Him. But faith is much more than a superficial belief in God.

   We inherit God’s promise through what the Bible calls the obedience of faith—thriving faith which ultimately is proven genuine by our behavior. The Gospel holds marvelous privileges for us. But the sheer magnitude of God’s promise raises questions as to how Jesus works it all out in our lives. It’s mysterious! Yet getting to know Jesus makes spiritual growth a piece of cake.

From: Free from the Power of Sin: the Keys to Growing in God in Spite of Yourself

The freedom we have in Christ can be a bit confusing. The Bible says, “The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law.” But don’t you find that a little surprising? We tend to think about freedom from sin only as being liberated from the problem of sinning. So how could being freed from law have anything to do with sin losing its power over us? Well, in fact it has everything to do with it! But if you’re like most Christians, your grasp of this truth is probably a little fuzzy.

Don’t feel alone; you’re in good company! I’ve often asked believers: “How many of you feel like you are truly free from the power of sin?” I haven’t had anyone jump up yet shouting, “that’s me!” Though we may accept by faith the fact that we are free from sin’s power, we commonly don’t experience it as a reality in our daily lives. That’s just the way it is. No worries; there’s a solution to this bewildering problem.

From Free from the Power of Sin: The Keys to Growing in God in Spite of Yourself

I love Paul’s writings. So practical! So honest! In Romans 7 he exposes what we like to keep as a closely guarded secret. It’s this: “I’m not the model believer I appear to be. There are problems with my heart I don’t even want to admit, or that I blatantly hide in an attempt to appear more righteous than I actually am.” Our inborn pride strongly resists any admission of failure. After all, people might discover what we’re really like!

             Paul knew that if we are ever to successfully walk in God’s purpose we must first come to a sound understanding of the gospel of Jesus Christ. And since the gospel impacts every facet of a person’s life, a good grasp of who we are in Christ requires that we be aware of at least three very important things: First of all, God’s purpose and plan for our life. Secondly, our own nature as human beings. And finally, the implications of being redeemed in Christ, but still impacted by a worldly environment dominated by sin.

From Free from the Power of Sin: the Keys to Growing in God in Spite of Yourself

What Christian doesn’t yearn to be free from the nagging presence of sin? To one degree or another, our humanity traps us in a repetitive cycle of failure—the grinding reality of a redeemed life pitted against our self-serving flesh in a sin-riddled world. Thankfully, God has made provision for our sin! But what did He provide, really?

Many argue that in Christ we possess the power to become holy in our walk with God by choosing obedience over sin. Well, shooting for holiness in this way is a noble pursuit, but the strategy is flawed. Why? Because the purpose of Christ’s redeeming sacrifice is to impart God’s own righteousness to us, in spite of our sinful nature.

Because we now belong to Him, we don’t need to earn God’s favor. We already have it! God showers His grace on us, and in so doing His righteousness becomes our own. By His grace alone we are given the unbridled capacity for intimacy with God, in spite of the weakness of our flesh.

From Free from the Power of Sin: the Keys to Growing in God in Spite of Yourself