sinners say i do (book quote 3)

From When Sinners Say "I Do," by Dave Harvey...

"For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do" (Galatians 5:17)... There it is. The sides in this war are not male versus female, husband versus wife, or controller versus enabler. It is a clash of desires - desires of the flesh against desires of the Spirit (p. 48, emphases mine).

The cause of our marriage battles, friends, is neither our marriage nor our spouse. It's the sin in our hearts - entirely, totally, exclusively, without exception (p. 51).

Sin is crafty. It is inherently deceitful... Sin presses us toward adopting a false perspective on our relationship with God... We depend on God for our very lives. He is our benevolent provider of all good things, our wise and loving Father who has our best interest at heart. But sin would have us see God as accountable to us for our wants. This makes God into some magical genie whose only job is to make right whatever is currently bugging us, or a moody, petty despot whose unwillingness or inability to meet our needs is the source of our problems... Although we have been blessed by God, sin would have us think of ourselves as victimized by God. That's how sin works now. That's how it worked "in the beginning" (p. 55, some emphases mine).

Friends, we must fight the battle with sin. If we don't it will overrun us. But here's a promise that makes all the difference: By the cross of Christ the battle has already been won!... We stand forgiven in God's court because of the atoning sacrifice of Christ - God no longer views us in relationship to our sin. And we are welcomed as righteous in God's house because of the imputed righteousness of Christ!... God sees you as more than a forgiven sinner. He sees you as a holy person. Even though the power of sin continues to operate within you, its reign has been broken and God no longer sees you in reference to it. Please understand this: No matter how intense your battle with sin may rage, you fight as a forgiven sinner. You fight on the side of God, and God always wins in the end (p. 57-58, some emphases mine)!