what the law could not do, God did

"Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death. For what the Law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God did: sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh, so that the requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit." Romans 8:1-4

You can't fight the desires of the flesh with the flesh. It is too weak.

The Lord knows I have tried too many times to fight off sin with my flesh. The problem is that sin is like a fire, and my flesh is like a baseball bat, and you can't really destroy fire with a baseball bat; you need a fire extinguisher.

"For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ..." 2 Corinthians 10:3-5

What sin are you dealing with? Or to be more specific, what do you desire in your heart more than you desire God? Is it money? Status? A better job? Better body? Your own fame and recognition? A spouse? A relationship? Attention from men?

Are you trying to fight it with a baseball bat?

God showed me this week that there is no such thing as neutrality when it comes to following Jesus. In other words, I can't expect to be free from sin and free from obeying Jesus. My flesh will always gravitate towards sin if I am "neutral."

But if I am led by the Spirit, if I am taking my thoughts captive and making them obedient to Christ, dreaming His dreams and seeking His Kingdom, then I will be free from sin. That's fighting flesh with the Spirit's power - with the fire extinguisher - not with the baseball bat.

And ultimately, it takes a new heart for this to happen. It's natural to try to be good and not sin, but it's supernatural to have new affections and desires for God. It's natural not to want to go to hell, but it's supernatural to love Jesus more than the things of this world.

Good news:

For sin shall not be master over you, for you are not under law but under grace. What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? May it never be! Do you not know that when you present yourselves to someone as slaves for obedience, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin resulting in death, or of obedience resulting in righteousness? But thanks be to God that though you were slaves of sin, you became obedient from the heart to that form of teaching to which you were committed, and having been freed from sin, you became slaves of righteousness. - Romans 6:14-18

If you trust in Jesus, you are free from sin; your status has already been changed!