“What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death?”

Romans 7:24

None of Jesus’ Apostles had such a clear revelation of the redemptive work of the Cross of Calvary as the Apostle Paul did. His conversion was supernatural; for three days he was locked in a room experiencing genuine repentance. He gave himself completely to Jesus, and after his personal encounter with Him, he fully committed himself to preaching the Gospel. Even though he understood everything the Lord did at the Cross of Calvary, he faced one of the greatest enemies that any believer can have. He faced his own fleshly nature, which tried to make him stumble in his faith. He felt powerless against the passions of the flesh. He would decide in his heart to do the right thing and instead he would do exactly the opposite.

Paul was only able to attain victory when he understood that Jesus had already conquered his fleshly nature at the Cross of Calvary. This delivered him from a great oppressive burden that had been over his life. He understood there had been a part of his own nature that refused to obey the Word of God; – even when he had wanted to carry out God’s commandments, his sinful nature had clashed against his spiritual nature. At that time his sinful nature was stronger and made him feel utterly miserable. This conflict remained in him until he understood that redemption is totally centered on the grace of Jesus. So, he said, “Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 7:25a). Then he adds in Romans 8:1, “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”

SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT
Some years ago, I was talking to Pastor Urbano Rojas and I asked him, “How did you come into the ministry?” He answered, “Through my mother. She was a tremendous intercessor, but I lived very far from God’s house. I would always come home drunk and my behaviour brought great sadness to her heart. She would cry and beg me to turn my life around and to accept Jesus Christ. I wouldn’t pay attention to her. Instead, I would make fun of her. One night, while she was pouring herself out before the Lord, in the midst of tears, she begged for Him to have mercy on me. But then she felt in her heart that she was praying incorrectly and she should instead release me and place me fully in God’s hands. She took courage and said, ‘Beloved Jesus, if my son is to serve you, please change him in this moment; and if he is not, I would rather you take him now.’ She got up from praying, and to her surprise, she felt strengthened in God. When I got home I was still under the effects of alcohol. I went up to my room. A few minutes later my mother came up to tell me, ‘Son, you can do whatever you want with your life. Today I turned you over into the hands of the Lord and I promised Him I would not shed any more tears for you. I asked Him that if you were to serve Him, to change you; if not, I would rather He take you.’ As I listened to her, all the effects of alcohol left my body. I bowed down to the floor on my knees and, with tears running down my face, I gave my heart to Jesus. Shortly after that, He called me to serve Him full time in ministry.”

TODAY’S DECLARATION
“God’s redeeming grace delivered me from oppressive guilt.”

Today’s post is an excerpt from Pastor Cesar Castellanos’ book, Declarations of Power for 365 Days of the Year: Volume Three.

TODAY’S BIBLE READING

• Old Testament: 2 Chronicles 28-29; Psalms 148
• New Testament: Luke 12:22-34; 2 Thessalonians 3:1-5