Monday, November 20, 2023

We continued our At the Movies series this past weekend with Spider-Man: Far From Home. The premise of this movie is redemption—not just for the villains but for Peter Parker, too.

The apostle Paul penned the following verses to illustrate that even as a mature Christian, he still struggled with his sinful nature.

Romans 7:15-19
¹⁵ I don’t really understand myself, for I want to do what is right, but I don’t do it. Instead, I do what I hate. ¹⁶ But if I know that what I am doing is wrong, this shows that I agree that the law is good. ¹⁷ So I am not the one doing wrong; it is sin living in me that does it.

¹⁸ And I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. I want to do what is right, but I can’t. ¹⁹ I want to do what is good, but I don’t. I don’t want to do what is wrong, but I do it anyway.

Have you ever known that you shouldn’t do something but did it anyway?

Rest assured, there is a little villain in all of us. We all have experienced and will continue to experience this internal battle of good and evil.

So why can’t we stop doing the things we know we shouldn’t do?

It’s because of the sinful nature we’re all born with. Fortunately, once we accept Christ as our Lord and Savior, we want to do the right thing, and Jesus sends his Holy Spirit to help guide us. Unfortunately, although we love God and his will and want to please him, we also love ourselves and the things of this world. As Christ followers, as long as we are here on earth, we will continue to have this internal tug-of-war between our sinful nature and our new being in Christ.

If you wrestle with this, it is helpful to surround yourself with people who understand your pain. In the movie, not only did the previous villains return, the other Spider-Men did, too. They kept Peter moving forward and away from exacting revenge. Our brothers and sisters in Christ serve the same cause.

And take heart, because Jesus came to free us from a life dominated by sin and death (Romans 7:24-25).

Questions:
Do you believe that everyone deserves a second chance? Do you ever feel like a villain? Have you ever done the right thing, but it backfired and hurt someone you love?

Next Steps:
Be mindful of the inner struggle between good and evil. Recognize the voice of the flesh and flee from sin.

Memorize a Bible verse like 1 Corinthians 10:13 ESV. By doing this, you will be more prepared to shut down your sinful nature.

Surround yourself with other Christ followers by serving on the DreamTeam or joining a Group. If you need help working through a hurt, habit, or hangup, check out Celebrate Recovery at our Oregon, West Toledo, or Whitehouse campuses.

Prayer:
Dear heavenly Father, thank you for sending your Son to die for me. Open my eyes so I may see the sin that lives within me without fear, and give me the resolve to stand firm in Christ against it. I ask for the courage to battle my sin, and the wisdom to do it right. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Series Theme Verse:

Romans 1:20
For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God.

This post was written by Jenn Macke, a regular contributor to the LivingItOut Devotional.