Teen Perspective // reactive or overcomer?

I'm thankful for Ethan Ramsey's willingness to share with us today. As a senior in high school, he offers insight to those of us who are walking with Jesus! May you be encouraged!

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As Christians, we have to live with an internal war being fought every day between our old self (the flesh) and the new creation Christ has made us into (the spirit). At times it becomes very discouraging to know I have lost the battle and reverted back to my flesh. One thing that gives me courage is to know that even the apostle Paul struggled with this internal conflict, as he says in Romans 7:15-25.Like Paul, it seems to me that at times I do the exact opposite of the things I want to do. It's easy for me to fall into the carnal mindset and get caught up in my immediate circumstances rather than to be Kingdom oriented. This carnal side of me, my flesh, is not a likable person. I am very reactive to my circumstances rather than an overcomer of them.It's easy for me to get caught up in my school work, with the papers there are to write, and the pressure of college applications and scholarships. Thankfully, I am able to recognize when I fall into this carnal mindset, because when I allow my flesh to win the battle, I quickly feel defeated. To get out of it, I have to pray, asking God to refocus me, and as Paul says in 2 Corinthians 4:18, "We do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal." By keeping our eyes on Jesus, we can live in the spirit as we run the race that is set before us.