Beyond Sunday with Pastor Nic

When the Struggle Feels Stronger Than Your Faith: Finding Hope in the Battle Within

• Nicholas Williams

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Speaker 1:

Hey everyone, welcome back to Beyond Sunday. I'm so grateful you're here, whether you're driving to work, taking a walk or sitting down with a cup of coffee although I don't drink coffee, I want you to know this time matters, and I believe today's conversation could change the way you see your walk with God. Today we're diving into something raw, something real, something I personally struggled with for years as a young believer and, if I'm honest, I probably still struggle with it a little bit. Why do I keep messing up even though I want to do what's right? Why does it feel like there's a war raging inside me, pulling me in opposite directions? And maybe the question that keeps you up at night does my struggle mean I'm failing God? I want to tell you right now you're not alone in this. In fact, this is a struggle I've had my entire life.

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I preached on this similar topic this past weekend and have had more conversations about that message than probably any message I've preached in the last 10 years. In fact, the Apostle Paul, who wrote much of the New Testament, who dedicated his life to Jesus, openly shared that he faced the same exact battle. So in today's episode, we're going to unpack what this struggle really means what it doesn't mean and how you can find hope and strength in the middle of the fight. We'll look at what Paul wrote in Romans 7, and I'll share some stories from my own journey of wrestling with sin and shame. We'll end with some practical steps you can take to stay anchored in grace even when you feel like you're losing the battle. So, wherever you are right now, settle in. This is going to be a conversation you don't want to miss.

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Let's start with a question have you ever felt like two completely different people at the same time? Like there's a version of you that genuinely wants to love God, that genuinely wants to do good and make choices that honor him, and then there's another version of you that seems determined to sabotage it all? Maybe it happens like this you leave church on Sunday with your heart overflowing. You've sung your heart out, you felt the presence of God and you're determined that this week, this week's going to be different than any other week. But then Monday morning comes, someone says something rude at work or home and you snap. Or maybe you find yourself scrolling where you shouldn't, or gossiping or numbing your stress in ways you promised you wouldn't do again. It's like there's a switch that flips and suddenly you're left thinking who even am I? The truth is, you're experiencing what Paul describes in Romans 7. He says I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do. This I keep on doing.

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Paul is brutally honest here. He admits to the war we all know deep down exists, a war between our new identity in Christ and the lingering desires of our flesh. And this struggle, far from being a sign that you're lost, is actually evidence of life, because only hearts that have been made new care enough to fight. Before you're in Christ. There isn't a battle going on inside of you. You just do whatever sin tells you to do. To really get what Paul's saying, you and I need to take a step back. To really get what Paul's saying you and I need to take a step back.

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In Romans 6, he tells us some incredible news that in Christ, you and I are no longer slaves to sin, that we're free, dead to sin and alive to God. That's the believer's new position justified, declared righteous before God because of Jesus. Justified, declared, righteous before God because of Jesus. But in Romans 7, he takes a sharp turn to show the condition. We still live in a daily fight against sin in our mortal bodies. This isn't a contradiction. It's a complete picture of the Christian life. Our position before God is secure, but our condition involves a messy, sometimes painful process called sanctification, simply meaning becoming more like Jesus day by day. Listen to Paul's words in verse 15. He says I do not understand what I do, for what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. Have you ever felt like that, that even when your intentions are good, your follow-through falls apart? That's not just a random weakness, it's spiritual warfare. You and I need to call it for what it is. And Paul isn't saying this to excuse sin. He's shining a light on the reality we all face. So we can stop pretending and start depending on grace.

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I remember vividly the first time I thought I'd finally arrived spiritually. I was a young Christian fresh off a powerful worship night and I told myself that's it. I'm going to read my Bible every morning this week without fail. Monday went great. Tuesday I hit the snooze twice but still managed to open my Bible. Wednesday I woke up late and told myself I'd read at lunch. Lunch came and went and by bedtime I was exhausted. I went to sleep that night feeling like I'd let God down. I felt like a spiritual failure, and when you allow that mentality to seep into your life, then you give up. It's kind of like if you've ever been on a diet and you were doing great and then one day they had those cookies out at work and you just ate one and then you felt like, well, I've failed, so why even go back to the diet? That's how you and I take this spiritual failure into our spiritual life.

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What started as excitement quickly turns into spiritual guilt and I thought if I can't even keep a simple commitment to read scripture, how can God love me? And that shame it kept me from running to him the next day. Instead I hid, avoiding prayer and pretending everything was fine. But truthfully, pretending only made it worse. It wasn't until I read Romans 7 and saw Paul's confession that I realized this battle that I was having. It wasn't proof that I was disqualified. It was proof that I was alive in Christ, because dead hearts don't wrestle with sin. I wish I could say that I learned this lesson that early morning, wrestling with God in my quiet times. But it wasn't later, into probably my 30s that I truly understood what this meant. In fact, preaching again this weekend on this passage kind of reinforced the moments that, even since my 30s, that I've allowed this guilt and shame to seep back in this personal struggle, taught me that the Christian life isn't about pretending perfection. It's about pursuing Jesus in our imperfection.

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Let's look again at Paul's words, verse 21. So I find this law at work Although I want to do good, evil is right there with me. He doesn't sugarcoat it. He says there's a spiritual law, a principle that even when we want to do what's right, sin is kind of lurking nearby. And then he uses a powerful phrase in verses 22 and 23. He says for in my inner being I delight in God's law, meaning inside I'm excited about Christ. Then he says but I see another law at work in me, waging war.

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I want you to notice that word waging war. Maybe it's something that you need to write down and put in front of you in your car, especially if you have some anger driving habits put in front of your mirror, that you're reminded daily that there's a war waging around you. Paul isn't describing a small misunderstanding or a passing temptation. He calls it war because that's exactly what it feels like a constant, exhausting struggle between our new heart that loves God and our flesh that resists him. But here's the truth that you and I need to hear your struggle is not a sign that you're losing your salvation. It's a sign that you're alive and fighting from the victory Jesus has already won. Now, if you've ever felt like giving up because the battle is so intense, don't. You're not alone. Every believer who loves Jesus fights this fight. So what can we actually do when we're caught in this war? How do we avoid drowning in shame or discouragement? Here are some simple steps that I've learned that make a difference. Number one acknowledge the war. Denying the struggle doesn't make it go away. It only gives it power in the dark. Be honest with God and with trusted friends about what you're facing. I said it this weekend I am a big proponent of Celebrate Recovery.

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We have a CR program that meets here on Sunday nights at our church. There's about 200 people in active recovery that come, and one of the reasons I love it so much is the people of CR aren't ashamed of their past and maybe they are, but they're transparent with it. They let you know where they come from. They let you know the sins they've committed. They let you know the struggles that they're having right now. There is such raw, real authenticity in the conversations with the people of CR that it's palpably different than what's experienced on Sunday mornings. Now don't get me wrong. I love my church on Sunday mornings. It's the heartbeat of. What gets me up every day is being able to share the gospel and lead this church. But sometimes on Sunday mornings we like to be known as people that have it all together, and so we hide our imperfections.

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Acknowledge the war. Don't pretend there's not a struggle going on. Don't allow it to have power in the dark of your life. Talk about it with God. Be honest with God. Talk about it with trusted friends. Number two run to Jesus, not away. When you and I fall, when we fall into temptation, when we give in to sins, resist the instinct to hide. Shame begins to whisper in your life that God doesn't want you anymore, that God doesn't love you, that God's ashamed of you and that's the enemy talking into your life. But grace says that he welcomes you back every single time. Run to Jesus, not away.

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Number three daily surrender. Each morning, pray a simple prayer Jesus, I can't do this without you. Lead me today and keep me close. Starting your day in surrender sets the tone for grace to guide you.

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I shared a story in some of the services this weekend but not all of them about my Sunday school teacher growing up, a guy that I have a lot of respect for, a guy that has been a huge influence on my life, and him and I talked about a lot. What did it look like to wake up daily and surrender to Christ? Now, him and I had some different theological reasons that we believe that, but we landed on the same page that you and I have to daily surrender. We have to get up and acknowledge God in our life and so each morning start with that simple prayer Jesus, I can't do this without you. Lead me today, keep me close.

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Number four lean on community. Find a friend, a small group, a mentor who will pray with you, who will remind you of who you are in Christ, who will call you back to the truth when you start believing lies. This is one of the reasons in my last two books I've started putting in a section at the end of the book that declares who I am in Christ, because I think too many people don't understand who they are in Jesus, and so you and I need to remember that. Lean on your community. Number five remember your identity. When you mess up, don't let that moment define you. Say out loud I am a child of God, I am forgiven, I am loved. Because your worst day doesn't change who you are in Jesus, let me say that again your worst day, the day that you've messed up the most, the day that you think you can't come back from, doesn't change who you are in Jesus. Now.

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Romans 7 builds to a powerful climax with Paul's desperate cry Verse 24,. He says what a wretched man I am. Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death? This is the raw honesty God wants from us. Paul doesn't ask how will I fix myself? He asks who is it that will rescue me? And the answer comes immediately verse 25. He says thanks be to God who delivers me through Jesus Christ, our Lord.

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Paul shows us that freedom doesn't come from willpower or even good intentions. It comes from a rescuer, and his name is Jesus. Imagine someone drowning in a river. They don't need a swimming lesson, they need someone who can pull them out. That's exactly what Jesus does. He steps into our mess, into our weakness, and rescues us when we can't rescue ourselves. So if you've been trying to climb out of sin by sheer determination, let me encourage you today. Stop, stop striving and start surrendering. Let Jesus be the rescuer you need. So where does this leave us? In a world that tells you to just try harder or fix yourself? Romans 7 points us to the only real hope that we have Jesus.

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If today you're feeling the gap between who you are and who you want to be, let that gap push you towards the cross, not away from it. Let your weakness remind you of your need for grace, not your unworthiness of it. Remember the struggle doesn't mean you're lost. The war inside is proof of the new life in you and grace. Grace is stronger than every failure you've ever had and ever will have. Now. If you've never trusted Jesus, today is the day to lay down your shame and receive his grace. And if you already belong to him, stand firm in the truth that the one who began a good work in you will finish it. Thank you for listening to Beyond Sunday today. If this episode encouraged you, share it with someone who needs hope today. And remember you are not alone. You are loved and Jesus hasn't left you. And remember you are not alone. You are loved and Jesus hasn't left you. He is with you in the fight.