Embracing the Struggle: Grace in Our Conflict

Devotional

Day 1: The Conflict Within: Evidence of Spiritual Life

Every believer knows the daily struggle between the desire to honor God and the reality of falling short. This internal war, described so vividly by Paul in Romans 7, is not a sign of spiritual failure but rather a mark of spiritual life. The very presence of this conflict is evidence that God’s grace is at work within you, stirring your heart to want what is good even as you wrestle with the remnants of sin. Like a child learning to walk, your stumbles are proof that you are alive and growing, not dead or defeated. God delights in your struggle, for it means you are His and He is shaping you through it. [15:40]

Romans 7:14-25 (ESV)
14 For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am of the flesh, sold under sin. 15 For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. 16 Now if I do what I do not want, I agree with the law, that it is good. 17 So now it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. 18 For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. 19 For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing. 20 Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. 21 So I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand. 22 For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being, 23 but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. 24 Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? 25 Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin.

Reflection: When you feel the weight of your failures, can you thank God that your struggle is proof of His work in you, rather than a sign of defeat?

Day 2: No Condemnation: Assurance in Christ

After describing the ongoing conflict with sin, Scripture immediately assures us that there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. God is fully aware of your struggle and has placed you in this fight—not as a punishment, but as part of His loving plan to grow you. The presence of conflict does not invalidate your salvation; rather, it validates that you belong to Christ. You can rest in the truth that your standing before God is secure, not because of your performance, but because of Christ’s finished work. [19:38]

Romans 8:1 (ESV)
There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

Reflection: In moments of shame or self-doubt, how can you remind yourself today that your acceptance before God is based on Christ’s work, not your own?

Day 3: The Faith Journey: Walking Like the Saints

The Christian life is a journey of faith, just like the saints of Hebrews 11 who trusted God’s promises even though they did not see them fulfilled in their lifetimes. You are called to walk by faith, trusting that God is working in you even when the fullness of His promises seems just out of reach. This journey is marked by longing, groaning, and hope as you wait for the day when you will be fully transformed. The conflict you experience is a form of suffering that God uses to shape you, just as He did with those who have gone before you. [34:21]

Hebrews 11:13 (ESV)
These all died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth.

Reflection: What is one promise of God you are still waiting to see fulfilled, and how can you choose to trust Him with it today?

Day 4: The Spirit Forms the Heart of a Child

God’s Spirit is at work within you, forming in you the heart of a beloved child. He leads you not into fear or slavery, but into the assurance that you are adopted, loved, and secure. The Spirit cultivates in you a growing affection for the Father, a desire for His Word, and a longing to call out to Him in prayer. Even when you stray, the Spirit draws you back, reminding you of your identity as God’s child and fostering a love that motivates true obedience. [41:09]

Romans 8:14-16 (ESV)
14 For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. 15 For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” 16 The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God.

Reflection: How have you sensed the Spirit drawing your heart toward God recently, and what is one way you can respond to His love today?

Day 5: Pursue the Obedience of Faith

The right response to the gospel is not a checklist of tasks, but a life of joyful surrender and pursuit of Christ. God calls you to present yourself to Him, to put off the old self, and to keep in step with the Spirit. As you pursue Jesus, your discipleship becomes a delight, not a duty, because it is rooted in love for the Father and trust in His promises. The conflict you face is not your enemy; it is the very means by which God draws you closer and shapes you into the likeness of Christ. [45:54]

Romans 6:13 (ESV)
Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness.

Reflection: What is one area of your life where you can intentionally present yourself to God today, trusting Him to work through your weakness?

Sermon Summary

Each day, many of us wake up with a sincere desire to honor God, to walk in holiness, and to live in a way that pleases Him. Yet, by the end of the day, we often find ourselves wrestling with regret over words spoken, thoughts entertained, or actions taken that fall short of our calling in Christ. This internal conflict—the struggle between our desire to do good and the reality of our ongoing sinfulness—is not a sign of spiritual failure, but rather a mark of spiritual life. Paul’s words in Romans 7 remind us that the presence of this battle is evidence of grace at work within us. The Christian life is not a contradiction because of this conflict; it is, in fact, the expected and normal experience for those who are alive in Christ.

Our union with Christ, as described in Romans 6, means we have died to sin and now walk in newness of life. Yet, the remnants of our fallen nature persist, and sin, though no longer our master, continues to wage guerrilla warfare against us. Paul’s honest confession—his inability to do the good he desires and his frustration with the evil he continues to do—mirrors our own experience. The more we grow in grace, the more sensitive we become to the depth of our sinfulness, and the more we long for the fullness of the new life promised in Christ.

This conflict exposes a profound truth: while we have the desire to do what is right, we lack the ability to carry it out perfectly. Our reach exceeds our grasp. But the very fact that we are in the fight, that we care about our failures, is proof of spiritual life. Just as a child learning to walk stumbles, so too do we as we learn to walk in the Spirit. God delights in our growth, not in our perfection.

We live with two simultaneous realities: we delight in God’s law, yet we feel the drag of sin. God is fully aware of this struggle and has placed us in it for our good. There is no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus. The conflict is not a reason for despair, but a call to faith, hope, and perseverance. Wrong responses—legalism, license, or despair—only lead us away from the grace of God. Instead, we are called to embrace our faith journey, to see the Spirit forming in us the heart of a son or daughter, and to pursue the obedience of faith. The conflict is not our enemy; it is the context in which God is sanctifying us, drawing us ever closer to Himself.

Key Takeaways

1. The Presence of Conflict Is Evidence of Spiritual Life The daily struggle between our desire to honor God and our ongoing sinfulness is not a contradiction of faith, but a confirmation of it. Only those who are spiritually alive feel the weight of this battle; a spiritually dead person feels no such conflict. The war within is a sign that grace is at work, not that it is absent. [07:58]
2. Our Reach Exceeds Our Grasp—And That’s by Design Even our best efforts to obey God are stained by imperfection, and our longing to do good often outpaces our ability. This tension is not meant to drive us to despair, but to keep us dependent on Christ and longing for the day when our redemption will be complete. God delights in our growth, not in our flawless performance. [15:40]
3. Two Realities: Sinner and Saint We are simultaneously 100% sinners and 100% saints—fully justified in Christ, yet still carrying the remnants of our fallen nature. This dual reality is the normal Christian experience, and God is not surprised or disappointed by it. The presence of conflict validates our belonging to Christ and assures us that the Spirit is at work within us. [19:38]
4. Avoid the Traps of Legalism, License, and Despair Measuring ourselves by our performance (legalism) or giving up the fight against sin (license) both miss the heart of the gospel. Despair over our failures is also a wrong response, as it forgets that justification is based on Christ’s righteousness, not ours. The gospel is not a demand to perform, but a promise to be believed—one that leads us to hope, not hopelessness. [27:15]
5. Embrace the Faith Journey and the Spirit’s Work We are on a lifelong journey of faith, like the saints of Hebrews 11, who lived by faith and did not receive the fullness of what was promised in this life. The Spirit is forming in us the heart of a son or daughter, cultivating love for the Father and a desire to follow Him. Our calling is to pursue the obedience of faith, surrendering daily to God’s work in us, trusting that He will finish what He began. [36:47]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[01:10] - The Daily Christian Conflict
[03:05] - Conflict: Not a Contradiction
[05:20] - Our Union with Christ and Ongoing Struggle
[07:58] - The Distinction That Produces Conflict
[10:30] - Paul’s Experience of the Battle
[13:45] - The Condition the Conflict Exposes
[15:40] - Learning to Walk: Stumbles and Growth
[17:31] - Two Realities: Sinner and Saint
[19:38] - No Condemnation in Christ
[21:00] - Wrong Responses: Legalism and License
[24:27] - The Trap of Despair
[27:15] - The Gospel: Promise, Not Performance
[31:28] - Embracing the Faith Journey
[36:47] - The Spirit Forms the Heart of a Son
[41:09] - The Spirit’s Work in Our Affections
[45:54] - Pursuing the Obedience of Faith
[49:22] - Invitation to Repentance and Faith
[51:11] - Closing Prayer and Benediction

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading

Romans 7:14–25 (ESV) — > 14 For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am of the flesh, sold under sin.
> 15 For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate.
> 16 Now if I do what I do not want, I agree with the law, that it is good.
> 17 So now it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me.
> 18 For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out.
> 19 For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing.
> 20 Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me.
> 21 So I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand.
> 22 For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being,
> 23 but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members.
> 24 Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?
> 25 Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin.

Observation Questions

According to Romans 7:15 and 7:19, what does Paul say about his own actions and desires? What tension does he describe?
In verse 18, Paul says he has the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. What does this reveal about his view of himself?
The sermon mentions that the presence of this internal conflict is not a sign of spiritual failure, but of spiritual life. How does Paul’s struggle in these verses support that idea? [07:58]
In verse 25, how does Paul respond to his struggle with sin? What is his source of hope?

Interpretation Questions

Why does Paul, even as a mature believer, still experience such a strong struggle with sin? What does this suggest about the normal Christian life? [15:40]
The sermon says, “Only those who are spiritually alive feel the weight of this battle; a spiritually dead person feels no such conflict.” Why is the presence of this conflict actually encouraging for a believer? [07:58]
The pastor described two wrong responses to this conflict: legalism (measuring ourselves by performance) and license (giving up the fight). Why do both of these responses miss the heart of the gospel? [24:27]
The sermon says, “We are simultaneously 100% sinners and 100% saints—fully justified in Christ, yet still carrying the remnants of our fallen nature.” How does this dual reality affect the way we view ourselves and our spiritual growth? [19:38]

Application Questions

The sermon compared our spiritual growth to a child learning to walk—stumbling is part of the process, and God delights in our growth, not our perfection. When you stumble in your walk with God, how do you usually respond? Do you tend to feel shame, frustration, or do you see it as part of growing? [15:40]
Think about a recent time when you felt the “war within”—wanting to do what is right but struggling to follow through. How did you handle that moment? What could you do differently next time to depend on God’s grace? [07:58]
The sermon warns against legalism and despair. Are there ways you measure your relationship with God by your performance rather than by Christ’s finished work? How can you remind yourself of the gospel when you feel like you’re failing? [24:27]
The pastor said, “God delights in our growth, not in our flawless performance.” What would it look like for you to focus more on growth and less on perfection in your daily life? [15:40]
The Spirit is forming in us the heart of a son or daughter, cultivating love for the Father. What are some practical ways you can nurture your love for God this week? (For example: time in the Word, prayer, worship, or acts of obedience.) [41:09]
The sermon mentioned that the conflict is not our enemy, but the context in which God is sanctifying us. How might your attitude toward your struggles change if you saw them as opportunities for God to draw you closer to Himself? [36:47]
The pastor encouraged us to “pursue the obedience of faith, surrendering daily to God’s work in us.” What is one area of your life where you need to surrender more fully to God’s work? What step could you take this week to do that? [45:54]

Sermon Clips

Conflict is a part of the Christian life, not a contradiction of it. The internal war that Paul is describing in Romans chapter seven is both real and is not a sign of spiritual failure. It's actually the mark of spiritual life in the apostle. The conflict is not the absence of grace, but is actually evidence of grace at work in his life. And it's actually the normal and expected way of the Christian. [00:04:30] (35 seconds) #GraceInConflict

As Christians, we're learning to walk. And that is the New Testament metaphor for our lives to walk. So we're learning to walk. And a child often stumbles when they're learning to walk, right? But the stumbles prove that the legs are working and that the child is learning to use them. You don't scold a child for falling when they're learning to walk. You celebrate that he's learning to walk, right? I mean, we know that as parents. And in the same way, God sees the struggle as part of your growing in grace. We're learning to walk. And God is gloriously delighted to watch that develop. [00:16:06] (46 seconds) #LearningToWalkInFaith

We can be confident that this present conflict doesn't tell us that our redemption is spurious. In fact, it validates that we belong to Christ. The presence of the conflict is to actually be seen as an encouragement to us that the spirit of God is at work in us. Without the spirit of God at work, there would be no conflict. [00:20:41] (28 seconds) #ConflictValidatesFaith

The gospel is not a demand to perform to gain approval. It is a promise to be believed. And that is so different. It is a message of grace. We want to glory in the grace of God. [00:27:58] (18 seconds) #GraceNotPerformance

The gospel is not a to-do list for us it's a life to be lived in faith and what I mean to imply by all that is that our discipleship just simply becomes a joy to us as we walk with Christ we love our father we love the Lord Jesus Christ and we're grateful for what the spirit is working in us and so we desire to keep in step with him. [00:46:43] (27 seconds) #SurrenderInFaith

As we learn Christ, we trust him more and more and we trust ourselves less and less and that becomes surrender. And I think that the truest look of the Christian life is the life of surrender. Therefore, inundate your mind and your heart with the truth of scripture daily and pursue Jesus with all of your might, just as God has called us to. God has promised to finish what he began in you. Don't be distracted. Don't get into despair over the life, over the conflict that exists in your life. Conflict is part of the Christian life. It's not a contradiction of it. The conflict is actually your friend. God is using it to drive you to him. [00:48:15] (65 seconds) #ConflictIsFriend

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