How and why, can we as individuals, turn away from the face of God, time and again, even while He is in the middle of forgiving the sins we commit over and over? More importantly though, how can this 'cycle', if you will, be broken?, These are hard questions that I seem to ask myself more and more as time spirals towards the day of our Lord's return. (Romans 7:15 - 8:6) For that which I am doing, I do not understand; for I am not practicing what I would like to do, but I am doing the very thing I hate. But if I do the very thing I do not wish to do, I agree with the Law, confessing that it is good. So now, no longer am I the one doing it, but sin which indwells me. For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh; for the wishing is present in me, but the doing of the good is not. For the good that I wish, I do not do; but I practice the very evil that I do not wish. But if I am doing the very thing I do not wish, I am no longer the one doing it, but sin which dwells in me. I find then the principle that evil is present in me, the one who wishes to do good. For I joyfully concur with the law of God in the inner man, but I see a different law in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind, and making me a prisoner of the law of sin which is in my members. Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from the body of this death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, on the one hand I myself with my mind am serving the law of God, but on the other, with my flesh the law of sin. There is therefore 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, in order that the requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. For those who are according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace, (NASB) According to this passage of scripture, there are at least two laws operating in our lives: the law of sin and death (in my flesh), and the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus (in my mind). The battle ground is the mind, this much is understood. As a people and as individuals, what are our minds set upon; the things of the flesh or the things of the Spirit? We are in a battle, a battle for our very souls! Be of sober [spirit,] be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls about like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. (NASB) If our minds our set upon the things of the flesh, we open ourselves up to the blitz of the enemy. This blitz is relentless and unmerciful! The enemy doesn't want us to walk according to the Spirit. The enemy of our soul recoils when we stand in the righteousness Jesus died for. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. (NASB) How and why do we stay in this cycle? by allowing the law of sin and death to operate in our lives openly and unchained. Jesus said that it is not what goes into a man that defiles him, but what comes out of the heart of that man. The unrepentant heart is against God. You see, as I stated before, the battle ground is in our minds. Just as the enemy is relentless and unmerciful in his blitz towards us, we must not rely on our own strength and stand in our own might against the enemy; For it is not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit says the Lord of Hosts. That is a terminal act of foolishness! The renewal of our minds, as spoken of in Romans 12:2, is of daily prominence and is not allowed to suffer any loss of direction in habitual frequency and fervor. How can this 'cycle' be broken? THE CROSS! You see, when Jesus left this planet he went to heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father, interceding for you and me. That's right, the Son of the living God is interceding for us! Our lives must ever be lived in the shadow of the cross. The Blood that was shed at Calvary can wash away any and all sin in our life. Subsequently, we have a part to play in the forgiving of our sins. And that is to RECEIVE. Oh christian, taste and see that the Lord is good! Do not turn away from the chastisement of the Lord. Embrace you Father's loving touch and break the cycle of sin in your life. Heavenly Father, I come to You and ask You to forgive of all my sins. Holy Spirit come and fill me with Your presence. Give me the strength to take the stand against the devil and his schemes. Jesus, thank you for interceding for me and all my brothers and sisters across the world, who are going through the same trials and tests that I am experiencing. Awake, Oh my soul, and rejoice in what the Lord has done. Amen.