Why we can stop making decisions we regret
Think back to a decision you made that you now regret. We’ve all done things that weigh us down and make us wonder, “Why do I seem to do what I know is wrong?”
The apostle Paul knew what this felt like…
“I want to do what is good, but I don’t. I don’t want to do what is wrong, but I do it anyway.”
Romans 7:19 NLT
The apostle Paul described this as a struggle between our old and our new natures.
Our old nature is marked by a desire to do whatever seems pleasing to us in the moment, regardless of the consequences. And while this might feel freeing at times, it ultimately leads to conflict, chaos, and destruction.
Before Jesus’ resurrection, the Hebrew people kept this old nature in check by closely following the laws God gave to Moses. These laws were meant to help people draw near to God. But they didn’t fix human nature—they revealed humanity’s brokenness.
The law separated from God by revealing how far people naturally were from God. But all of this changed when Jesus arrived.
His life, death, and resurrection fulfilled the requirements God laid out in His law. His sacrifice gave us access to a new nature created after God’s character, not based on our brokenness.
This nature is available to us through Jesus, because of Jesus. And when we receive this new nature, this is what happens…
When God sees us, He sees Jesus in us. This allows us to pursue God with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength without fear of losing His favor or love.
Jesus gives us the strength to wrestle with our old natures and win. We can now overcome our tendency to make choices we regret by asking the Holy Spirit to help us make decisions that honor and reflect Jesus.
Because of Jesus, we are no longer condemned. Even though we will still struggle between what’s right and wrong, we are no longer enslaved to sin, or sentenced to an eternity separated from God.
Today, allow Jesus to show you what He has saved you from, and then take a few minutes to thank Him for all that He has done for you.
“And I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals, and I heard, as it were the noise of thunder, one of the four beasts saying, Come and see. And I saw, and behold a white horse: and he that sat on him had a bow; and a crown was given unto him: and he went forth conquering, and to conquer. And when he had opened the second seal, I heard the second beast say, Come and see. And there went out another horse that was red: and power was given to him that sat thereon to take peace from the earth, and that they should kill one another: and there was given unto him a great sword. And when he had opened the third seal, I heard the third beast say, Come and see. And I beheld, and lo a black horse; and he that sat on him had a pair of balances in his hand. And I heard a voice in the midst of the four beasts say, A measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny; and see thou hurt not the oil and the wine. And when he had opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the ...
Calvary Chapel of Philadelphia 8 AM Streaming Service
Pastor Joe Focht or Guest
Genesis 38
Healed by His Wounds
Brokenness. We see it all around us. We experience it ourselves—in our relationships, in our dreams, in our bodies. And yet, something happened over two thousand years ago that still has the power to heal that brokenness.
1 Peter 2:24 says, "He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed."
Jesus Christ, the sinless Son of God, took the weight of our sins upon Himself. He carried them to the cross, giving up His life not because of His own wrongdoing, but because of ours. This is the essence of the Gospel. Through His sacrifice, He offered us a path out of darkness and into His light—a life transformed by His grace.
Because of Christ’s sacrifice, we’ve been given a profound healing of our spirits; new life taking the place of sins and darkness that separate us from God. Through His wounds, we are offered forgiveness and a new relationship with God, healed and ...