Contending with Self

When Jesus came to this earth to live like us humans, He took on your challenge, but He left a perfect example of how we can live to be overcomers and experience victory over sin in our daily lives.

The Bible says:

"Your attitude (or habit of thinking) should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled himself and became obedient to death—even death on a cross!" (Philippians 2:5-8)

Romans 8:3 says God sent His own Son in the "likeness of sinful flesh."

Jesus, as God, did a remarkable thing! He took on our human nature, to show us how to live. He resisted the temptation to use His "God" power.

You see, Jesus left an absolutely perfect world where everything and everyone functioned in perfect unity. He was God. He was the Creator. (John 1:1-3; Hebrews 1:1-14) He could call whatever He desired into being. (Psalm 33:9) But He chose to humble Himself and become like us…a mystery the angels of heaven do not even understand. (Philippians 2:5-11)

Planet Earth is only the size of a pinhead in comparison to the vastness of the entire universe and you and I are only as a speck of dust. (Psalm 103:14) Yet, the One who created us loved us so much that He chose to come to this dark speck, live like us, experience our pain, and die a cruel death on a tortuous cross that you and I might have life and have it more abundantly. (John 10:10-11)

The Father God also loved us so much that He was willing to allow His beloved Son to make that choice, since we could not save ourselves. (John 3:16-17)

Jesus knows your challenge. Hebrews 2:18 tells us:

"...since He Himself was tempted in that which He has suffered, He is able to come to the aid of those who are tempted."

The sins we live in were dooming us to certain death. (Romans 6:23), but Jesus Christ came to our rescue. You may be saying, "Ok, He died so that I might have life, but "where is the hope" in beginning that new life? How do I learn to deal with those "self" issues?

Let's look at the "Hope" He offers. Click onto the next link.