Yesterday in the teen’s class we talked about how to walk in a minefield . . . answer: very carefully. More dangerous than being in a minefield, I suggested, was being in a minefield and not knowing it . . . or worse yet, being told you’re in a minefield but not believing it . . . stomp, stomp, stomp, boom!!! We spent a bit of time yesterday in the latter part of Romans 7 . . . the passage that’s on my reading plan this morning. Here, there’s a tension . . a tug-of-war . . . an on-going conflict . . . one, that if we’re not aware of it, or don’t believe it, leaves us stomping in a minefield rather than carefully following the One who can lead us through it.

So I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand. For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being, 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.   (Romans 7:21-23 ESV)

Not difficult to identify with this “law” or principle that Paul had discovered. I want to do good, but I do evil . . . I have the desire to do what is right, but seem incapable of it sometime . . . I know what I should stay away, what I should avoid doing, but find myself, somehow, doing it. What’s going on here?

May I introduce to you . . . in this corner . . . weighing in at your weight . . . sporting the black trunks . . . the flesh . . . the sinful nature . . . the old man . . . he who is earthly . . . he who is driven by the senses . . . he who still sports the fallen DNA of the first man, Adam. And this opponent’s game plan? Resist that which is born of the Spirit . . . trip up the new man . . . obscure the focus on things above . . . strive to lead new creations in Christ to live in old ways . . . craftily supplant the inner delight in the ways of God with the desires and deeds of this body of death.

As I savor the time spent reading the Word this morning . . . delighting in the law of God . . . I would do well, I think, to also prepare for today’s skirmishes or, perhaps, today’s all out assaults. I’d do well to be reminded of the conflict . . . to recognize the reality of the battle . . . to believe I’m entering again the minefield . . . and thus to walk very carefully. It’s probably to my benefit to remember that “the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do” (Gal. 5:17).

But I also need to remember that I need not enter the fray fearful . . . I need not step into the minefield uncertain of the outcome . . . because in this corner . . . in this man . . . weighing in with the power that raised Christ from the dead . . . bearing all the glory of Deity . . . is the Spirit who dwells in me . . . the Spirit who will lead me . . . the Spirit who conquers the way of death and empowers for the way of delight.

Mine is to “walk in the Spirit” . . . and when I do, I will not gratify the desires of the flesh (Gal. 5:16). As I enter the minefield, I need to seek to be “be led by the Spirit” (Gal. 5:18) and not give occasion for the old man to deceive me into thinking I can handle it on my own.

Who will deliver me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!   (Romans 7:24b-25a ESV)

So, let’s go walking in a minefield . . . by His grace . . . for His glory.