We know that the law is spiritual; but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin. I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it. So I find this law at work: Although I want to do good, evil is right there with me. For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; but I see another law at work in me, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me. What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death? Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God’s law, but in my sinful nature a slave to the law of sin.
—Romans 7:14-25

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A War Within
By Jennifer Kane

I long to do the good I know is right,
Yet find my hands betray my heart’s intent.
Though law and truth illuminate the light,
My flesh recoils and follows what is bent.

I strive for grace, yet stumble all the same,
Desire does not fulfill the act I seek.
This inner war both fierce and hard to name,
Makes strong resolve grow feeble, frail, and weak.

But in my soul, God’s law delights my mind—
A beacon shining through this darkened cage.
Though chains remain, redemption I shall find,
For Christ has stepped into this inward rage.

Though sin may whisper still and taunt my frame,
His mercy speaks the louder, stronger name.

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Scripture: Romans 7:14-25

There comes a moment in every true believer’s life when the Law of God no longer feels like a ladder to climb, but a mirror that reveals.

It shows not how close we are to God—but how far.
Not how good we are—but how desperately we need grace.

Paul, in Romans 7, does not speak as an unbeliever unaware of sin. He speaks as a man with opened eyes—a man who has tried to be holy in his own strength and failed. He confesses, “The law is spiritual, but I am carnal, sold under sin.” The Law of God is perfect, righteous, and good—but it cannot save a man who is “characterized by the flesh.”

Have you been there?

You want to do right, but somehow still fall short.
You know God’s Word and even delight in it, but your own power can’t match its demands.
You resolve to change, only to find yourself back at square one.

This is not weakness—it is the start of wisdom.

The Law is not a tool of self-improvement. It is a spotlight. It reveals our bondage. It unmasks our self-righteousness. It drives us not inward to try harder—but upward, to cry out.

Paul’s cry, “O wretched man that I am!”, is the cry of every soul broken by the truth: we cannot save ourselves. His follow-up question, “Who will deliver me?”, is the shift from self-dependence to Christ-dependence.

And in that sacred moment, the answer comes clearly: “I thank God—through Jesus Christ our Lord!”

Where the Law reveals, Jesus redeems.
Where the Law condemns, Jesus cleanses.
Where we are powerless, Jesus is mighty to save.

Have you ever tried to obey God in your own strength? What was the result?
How does Romans 7 help you better understand the purpose of God’s Law?
What does it look like in your life to shift from trying harder to trusting deeper?

Take a few minutes in prayer and confession. Thank God for His holy Law, and then thank Him even more for Jesus, who fulfilled the Law on your behalf. Where you have been relying on willpower, surrender instead to His power. Ask Him to help you walk in the Spirit, not in the strength of your flesh.

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Father God, Your Law is holy and good, and it has shown me who I really am. I confess that I am wretched apart from You, and my efforts to be righteous on my own always fall short. Thank You for opening my eyes—not just to my sin, but to my Savior. Thank You for Jesus, who delivers me from the body of death and gives me new life. I choose today to stop striving and start abiding. Lead me in Your strength, not mine. Amen.

May 30 2025