***

If you fall to a weakness,

what’s the first thing that you do?

Condemn yourself, lament about it?

Wish that it weren’t true?

And then, perhaps, do you think,

I’ll try hard to overcome

my weakness in the coming days,

and victory will be won?

***

But later, do you find

your weakness surfaces once more?

And then the same scenario

takes place, just like before?

You look within, condemn yourself;

your introspection’s strong.

Your weakness has a grip on you;

for freedom you do long.

***

When you condemn yourself,

it means you’re being your own god;

and that, of course, is something

that the Lord will not applaud.

You’ll be the judge and jury

if you play god in your life,

when dealing with those weaknesses

that fill your heart with strife.

***

When Adam chose god-playing

over letting God be Lord,

he passed that role along to us,

for God’s way he'd ignored.

And so the "adam" in us,

(or the natural man’s his name),

condemns us for our weaknesses

that we have failed to tame.

***

All condemnation fell on Christ

when He hung on the cross.

For all our weaknesses—our sins—

it’s Christ who paid the cost.

The blood of Christ removed the curse

of broken rules and laws,

for failures and for weaknesses,

of which we are the cause.

***

And now, for all believers,

those in Christ who’ve been reborn,

there is no condemnation,

from the Lord there is no scorn.

We’ve been made new creations,

yes, we have been made brand new;

and "adam" the god-player

has been crucified—it’s true!

***

So now if I condemn myself

for weaknesses I see,

it’s "adam" in me doing that;

it’s really the old me.

He has no right, for he is dead;

I’m a creation new.

And reckoning that it is so,

by faith, is "work" I do.

***

I find when I condemn myself

for weaknesses in me,

(in other words, when I play god,

condemning what I see),

that I just never seem to change;

my weaknesses get strong.

And I’m held in the grip of them

for, oh, so very long.

***

No victory over weaknesses

for me until I cease

my condemnation (god-playing),

from which I need release.

The more I focus on myself,

my weaknesses to see,

the stronger that they seem to get.

It brings no victory.

***

But when I give up playing god,

and reckon "adam" dead,

then focus in on Christ-in-me,

the brand new me instead,

my "walk" is in the Spirit,

and it’s condemnation-free.

My weaknesses begin to lose

the grip they had on me.

***

No need to walk now in the flesh,

in "adam" day by day.

There’s no need to condemn myself;

that’s really not God’s way.

I am so very thankful

for the possibility

to walk after the Spirit,

and be condemnation-free.

---

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