Why Victory May Be Postponed

Dear New Covenant Family,

Have you ever wondered why all your efforts to defeat a particular, recurring sin seem to be thwarted?

Lately I’ve picked up a book by an author I’ve seen quoted countless times, but until now I had never read his work. His name is Richard Lovelace, and back in the 1980s his writings on the dynamics of spiritual renewal were quite popular.

In his book "Renewal as a Way of Life", Lovelace provides a possible reason why victory may be postponed. He writes,

Victory over sin without communion with God would be a meaningless contradiction, since God’s highest will for our lives is communion with him. A legalistically faultless life lived without fellowship with God would be hollow. But aflawed life which strives to maintain communion with God is still pleasing to him and may be full of vital spirituality.

What’s more important to me? Moral achievement, or fellowship with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit?

What am I aiming for? A flawless spiritual life with impeccable Christian credentials, or a vital, daily faith in the Risen Savior?

Through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, we can enjoy the closest possible communion with the Father and the Son. For Jesus, this is the goal of obedience—is it yours?

If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our homewith him (John 14:23).

Learning with you to live by faith,

David Sunday

PREACHING THE GOSPEL TO YOURSELF EVERY DAY

At the outset of each day, we should hear God saying...

(1) You are accepted, because the guilt of your sin is covered by the righteousness of Christ;

(2) You are free from bondage to sin through the power of Jesus Christ in your life;

(3) You are not alone, but accompanied by the Counselor, the Spirit of the Messiah;

(4) You are in command, with the freedom to resist and expel the powers of darkness through the authority that isyours in Christ.

—From Richard Lovelace, Renewal as a Way of Life (Eugene, OR: 1985), pp. 136-137.