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It's Hard Out Here For A P.i.m.p (Person In My Position)
Contributed by Paul L Brantley on Sep 12, 2013 (message contributor)
Summary: It interesting that no matter how you love God and how much you remember what he done for you, you still find yourself struggling. Struggling with issues of life, struggling with this thing called our flesh. Yes we love God, but we still struggle.
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It's Hard Out Here For A P.I.M.P.
Romans 7:14-24
For we know that the law is spiritual: but I am carnal, sold under sin. 15 For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I. 16 If then I do that which I would not, I consent unto the law that it is good. 17 Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. 18 For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not. 19 For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do. 20 Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me.
21 I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me. 22 For I delight in the law of God after the inward man: 23 But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. 24 O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?
Reads like this from the message translation Eugene Peterson
I can anticipate the response that is coming: "I know that all God's commands are spiritual, but I'm not. Isn't this also your experience?" Yes. I'm full of myself-after all, I've spent a long time in sin's prison. What I don't understand about myself is that I decide one way, but then I act another, doing things I absolutely despise. So if I can't be trusted to figure out what is best for myself and then do it, it becomes obvious that God's command is necessary. But I need something more! For if I know the law but still can't keep it, and if the power of sin within me keeps sabotaging my best intentions, I obviously need help! I realize that I don't have what it takes. I can will it, but I can't do it. I decide to do good, but I don't really do it; I decide not to do bad, but then I do it anyway. My decisions, such as they are, don't result in actions. Something has gone wrong deep within me and gets the better of me every time. It happens so regularly that it's predictable. The moment I decide to do good, sin is there to trip me up. I truly delight in God's commands, but it's pretty obvious that not all of me joins in that delight. Parts of me covertly rebel, and just when I least expect it, they take charge. 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?
Thank you Eugene Peterson, is there anybody out here who love the Lord, come on put your hands together I mean you really, really love Him. Isn't it interesting that no matter how you love God and how much you remember what he done for you, you still find yourself struggling. Struggling with issues of life, struggling with this thing called our flesh. Yes we love God, but we still struggle.
The Apostle Paul understood it all too well, we read in the 7th chapter of the book of Romans that Paul himself had struggles. You know Paul the one who persecuted, that was there when Steven saw stoned, you know Paul the who had the miracles conversion on the road to Damascus. Well it this same Paul who has written most of the new testament, and he says it this way, when I would do good evil is always present with me, that way he said it back then but he could said it another way using a phrase we all can relate to, I think he might of said it like this: It hard out here for a P.I.M.P
My subject to night is; It's hard out here for a P.I.M.P
I'm not talk about the move Terrence Howard stared in call Hustle and Flow even tho that where the word come from, but P.I.M.P stands for something else, I know I lost about some of you as soon as I said P.I.M.P but stay with me I want to use this word as acromion’s P-person I- In M-My P-Position
Paul writes this letter while he is in Corinth it was in the book of Romans, where he discussed such things as righteousness, condemnation and sin. These topics are discussed in the first six chapters of the book of Romans and it is here in chapter seven, where he begins to discuss the topic of sanctification. Paul communicated to the church in Roman that he himself understood that sanctification was a process; he understood that it was a process then and it’s a process now. He understood all too well the struggles of daily life and what one live endured in trying to live holy in a sinful world.