24 I’ve tried everything and nothing helps. I’m at the end of my rope. Is there no one who can do anything for me? Isn’t that the real question? 25 The answer, thank God, is that Jesus Christ can and does. He acted to set things right in this life of contradictions where I want to serve God with all my heart and mind, but am pulled by the influence of sin to do something totally different. The Solution Is Life on God’s Terms. Romans 7:24-25 MSG

Doing what you know is right.  Having the best intentions, but messing up anyway. Totally surprised?  I was as soon as it happened.  It wasn't something that was harmful to anyone else, but it was to my spirit man. Thing is He knew I was going to stumble before it even happened. (Or at least that the choice to do so was there.)

In our Bible Study "Living Beyond Ourselves"  we learned some new Greek words. The first one is Pathos, the force or impulse of mood, emotion, feeling or  affection.  The second is Epithymia meaning the unleashing and directing of it toward certain objects. The third one is Horme.  It means an impulse or urge. It connotes the idea of suddenness.  This thing that I did was the third.  It was an impulse and I acted upon it.  Do you ever do that?  No one knew about it.  It wasn't harmful to anyone. I knew immediately that it was something I shouldn't have done.

Thing is I had prayed up, praised the Lord, spent time with Him that morning and everything!  What happened?  That was my question to the Lord.  Why did I slip up?  He did supply the answer.  I hadn't put on the armor of God.  We are fighting a battle and it isn't against flesh and blood.  It is against principalities and powers of darkness.  There are times it is just our flesh.  In this instance there was a spiritual entity that should have been bound.  The next time that I was in that situation that spirit was bound and things went differently.

God is faithful to shine His light on the darkness and show us what is wrong in situations that we find ourselves.  I was truly baffled by my action.  No one else was aware of anything, but I was.  While I was studying for the Bible Study, the sweet Holy Spirit showed me exactly what was going on.  One of the ministries of the Holy Spirit is as Counselor and He definitely counseled me how to avoid this in the future.  There will always be pitfalls to avoid.   We will fall and sin.  If we can learn, confess, forgive ourselves, receive forgiveness from God and go forward that is what the Christian walk is all about.

(1) With the arrival of Jesus, the Messiah, that fateful dilemma is resolved. Those who enter into Christ’s being-here-for-us no longer have to live under a continuous, low-lying black cloud.(2) A new power is in operation. The Spirit of life in Christ, like a strong wind, has magnificently cleared the air, freeing you from a fated lifetime of brutal tyranny at the hands of sin and death. (Romans 8:1-2 MSG)  These verses finish up what my verses are saying in the last of chapter 7 of Romans.  Praise God!

May God shine His light upon the dark areas of our hearts so that we can walk in the light of His Word.  Victoriously walking in love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control against such things there is no law.