The Existential Dilemma

UV 3327/10000 The Existential Dilemma

For the good that I want to do, I do not do but I practice the very evil that I do not want.

Romans 7 v 19

The tug of war between our sinful selves and the Christ self that is in us is expressed accurately by St Paul. It is this draw of evil that is embedded in our human nature which is the cause of much misery and wretchedness in our lives. We need the power of God, the anointing or enablement of the Holy Spirit to overcome the dictates of the sinful self. By default sin rules in us and it is only as we exercise our will and bend it to obey the will of the Lord in accordance with His word, do we have victory.

Our intentions are good but the will to carry it out is weak. We can strengthen ourselves to obey the higher law of the spirit and not that of our baser selves by focusing our attention on the biblical models we have. Daniel and his friends subjected their bodies to a severe discipline, of denying themselves even what might seem legitimate in today’s world- food from the king’s table. Joseph kept himself from bitterness by holding onto the promise of the Lord received in dreams by him. He did not seek to take revenge against his brothers for the evil done to him.

If we reinforce the strength of our good intentions with prayer, the inspiration of the Word and seeking the help and guidance of the Holy Spirit, we can carry it forward into practice. Building our good intentions into our daily routine by cultivating habits is another way of practicing good and overcoming the incipient evil in us. Saturating our minds (thoughts, words, emotions, choices) with the Word which contains the higher thoughts of God and His higher ways, is an effective way to feed our inner spirit. This is the food that Jesus claimed as the food that the others did not know of, the food that the Father fed Him with constantly. When Jesus Himself faced the existential dilemma of submitting to the cross of Calvary or not, it is this spiritual food that strengthened Him to overcome the hesitation of His body to face such great suffering, securing for us the ultimate victory of absolute good over absolute evil.