Dr. Randy is going through his High Stake Relationships Series this month, and one of the relationships he’s talking about is the blended family. At times, there are two forces pulling apart a blended family—yours and theirs. And it can seem like a war. There are also two combatants battling inside the life of every believer, and these two enemies will never blend. But I think we can learn something about this battle to help blended families have an Intentional Blend.
“So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves. The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, so you are not free to carry out your good intentions. But when you are directed by the Spirit, you are not under obligation to the law of Moses.” (Galatians 5:16-18 NLT)
As I said, that which is raging inside you is not a blend, it’s a battle. The Spirit of God and our sinful nature can never blend, never reconcile. One must conquer the other, and the result of this battle will determine how successful you are in your blended family. So, how can we ensure embracing the Spirit and denying our sinful nature? The Apostle Paul provides excellent insight into this conflict in Romans.
“I have discovered this principle of life—that when I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong. I love God’s law with all my heart. But there is another power within me that is at war with my mind. This power makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me. Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death? Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord. So you see how it is: In my mind I really want to obey God’s law, but because of my sinful nature I am a slave to sin.” (Romans 7:21-25 NLT)
A slave to sin. That doesn’t sound very hopeful. So what do we do? Well, we put our need into God’s context. So don’t stop reading in Romans 7—move on to Romans 8.
“So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. And because you belong to him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death.” (Romans 8:1-2 NLT)
There you have it. You’re not stuck in this battle. Because you belong to Him, you’ve been freed by the power of God to follow God’s call.
“As for you, my friends, you were called to be free. But do not let this freedom become an excuse for letting your physical desires control you. Instead, let love make you serve one another. What I say is this: let the Spirit direct your lives, and you will not satisfy the desires of the human nature.” (Galatians 5:14,16 GNT)
There it is: “Let the Spirit direct you.” If you want to have an intentional blend, be directed by the Spirit and let love make you serve one another—even your kids.
