One of the challenges we face is that fulfilling the dominion mandate takes time. The kingdom of God is not built in a day. And you can run into some really pesky weeds. The disciples once asked the Lord why they could not drive out a particular demon. Jesus responded that this kind can come out by nothing but fasting and prayer (Mark 9:29).

Anyone who tells you that killing sin is easy just hasn’t lived long enough. Confession is one thing. Thank God that when you confess sin, you have done the chief thing. You are forgiven, full stop.

But what do you do when that lust rears its head again? Or your sinful anger returns? Or your daydreaming in envy yet again about why your home is not as big as your neighbor’s? You just confessed these sins last week and here they are popping in for another visit. Is something wrong with you? 

I will let you in on a little secret. If that is you, then welcome to the club. Welcome to the Christian life. No, you don’t get any special badges because you’re in a long battle with a particular character flaw. You’re a regular old Christian like the rest of us. You are sweating in the garden. You are facing another round of contractions, and the fact that this last round seems to be more violent than the last is not a sign that you’re losing. The war inside you between the spirit and the flesh is a sign that you are alive.

The endurance race we all face, the prolonged conflict, is a reminder that we need strength beyond what we can supply. We need bread from heaven, we need sweet wine that will never run dry. So come in faith and welcome to Jesus Christ.