I apologize for missing a few days here, as I have just been enjoying a week with the birth of my 10th grandchild. Now, back to the wonderful promises of God.

How often, we think that to walk victoriously in this life, we MUST keep our eyes on Jesus. Yet, the sad truth of most of our walks is this. We do not keep our eyes on Jesus, do we? So we fall. But what if the burden fell on Him to keep us, rather than visa versa? :)

Many have assumed Romans 7 was Paul's experience. It was not, but it was indeed Saul's experience. It was as it says in the first verses of Romans 7, the experience of a man under the law, not under the power of grace thru faith in a God who can keep us from falling.

There is a wonderful chapter in the old testament... Ezekiel 37..where God Himself clarifies to us what He expected the new covenant to do in our lives...straight from His mouth so that no misinterpretation would be possible.

In it, God says this...that because the weak link in the old covenant was that we "continued not in His covenant to do it", he would make a new covenant to correct this fatal flaw...us.

He would "cause us" to walk in obedience to Him! How few have seen this, or experienced a salvation like this, but regardless of the fact that there may be millions who say it is not possible, our God cannot lie.

God finishes off this amazing discourse with this amazing statement, a statement we will get to know well in the next few years.....

"I shall yet be inquired of by the house of Israel to do it for them."

Sadly, over the centuries since the book of Acts, our Christianity has de-evolved into a religion of self effort...i.e. the law, and Romans 7 is the result. But God is about to lead all who hunger and thirst after righteousness...in their lives... into a walk of abiding in the vine where "all things are possible to him that believeth."

Consider for a moment the term "self control". Is it not central to our thoughts of walking pleasing to God? How much it is needed...desperately...in the lives of saints! Yet, how few there are who possess it, and even to those who do, it is a "white knuckle" type of deliverance at best, certainly not thew easy yoke God promised it to be for us.

Ahhh...then go to the list of the fruits of the spirit, the results of abiding in Christ. Love, joy, peace...that beautiful full list of promised benefits that God has given to those who would simply learn to abide in His Son. Look at the last one..... self control.

Does your Bible say like mine that "it is God that causes us to will and to do of His good pleasure?" And if we find we are not walking there, in that blessed easy yoke of faith in our God to keep us from falling, then let us, as God suggested we do, inquire of Him to "do it for us"!

Hope this at least starts some gears turning, LOL.

God bless.

bruce