The Battle Within | Romans 7:18-19

Devotional

“For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing.”

We’ve mentioned the book of Romans three times over the life of our blog already. Honestly, that’s far fewer times than we could have. This is our 35th blog post, and I could have spent the last 34 posts discussing Romans alone.

This excerpt from chapter 7 is an excellent summary of the battle Christians have in their heads regularly. More times than not, we know what the correct decision is. In these moments, we also have the desire to do what is right.

But we are only human. We can know what is right, and want to do what is right, but still make the wrong decision.

I’m guilty of this myself in so many ways, from my decisions with my diet to my faithfulness to Christ. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve missed my daily Bible reading, purposefully, to watch a TV show instead. Although, I don’t think this is the worst decision I could make, it is an example of making a poor decision even knowing the correct one.

Think about all the times you’ve been eating and eaten to the point of being stuffed, when you knew you were full several bites earlier. These little choices we make are just that, little. But all choices we make are important, no matter how small they seem to be.

Paul is describing something deeper than everyday habits. He's describing the ongoing conflict between our desire to obey God and the sinful nature that still fights against us. While he is speaking about God's law, that same battle often reveals itself in the ordinary decisions we make every day.

Paul delights in the law of God and this is a level in which we should strive to be. His desire isn't merely to avoid sin. He genuinely delights in God's law because his heart has been changed.

Left to ourselves, we will continue to struggle. But God has not left us to ourselves. He gives us the grace to keep fighting, even when the battle feels never-ending.

The Christian life isn’t merely resisting evil. It’s learning to delight in what God delights in.

Workout

As you’ve likely noticed over the last few weeks, we have been steadily ramping up the strength work. Although there is seemingly a lack of direction, we have actually been increasing the intensity of our circuits while lowering the amount we have been doing. This week, we are removing the circuits entirely.

In this one, 4-week cycle, we will hit everything from intense conditioning to heavy strength training of compound lifts. The shift is intentional and has been designed to not only challenge the body, but test our discipline.

There will be mornings when you know you should train but don’t feel like it. Your body wants comfort while your mind knows discipline is the better choice. That’s a small picture of the battle Paul describes. Every day we’re faced with decisions between what our flesh desires and what we know is good.

Choose obedience one decision at a time. That's how discipline is built in the gym, and that's how faithfulness is cultivated in the Christian life.

Day One (Upper):

1. Bench Press: 10, 8, 8, 6

2. Weight Pull-ups: 3x8

3. DB Shoulder Press: 10, 8, 6

4. One-arm DB Row: 12, 10, 8

5. DB Lateral Raise: 15, 12, 12, 10

   Finish with 2 Drop Sets

Day Two (Lower):

1. Squat: 8, 6, 6, 6

2. Barbell RDL: 10, 8, 8, 6

3. Single-leg Hip Thrust: 3x12

4. DB Reverse Lunge: 12, 10, 8

5. DB Calf Raise: 15, 12, 12, 10

Day Three (Upper):

1. Incline Bench Press: 10, 8, 8, 6

2. Barbell OHP: 10, 8, 6

3. Lat. Pulldowns - 12, 10, 10, 8

4. Chest Supported DB Row: 12, 10, 8

5. Face Pull: 4x15

Day Four (Lower):

1. Deficit Deadlift: 8, 6, 6

2. Pause Squat - 10, 8, 6

3. Single-leg RDL - 12, 10, 8

4. Goblet Squat - 8, 6, 6, 6

5. Lying Leg Raise - 4x15