I decide not to do it but I do it anyway! I can’t stop!
My relationships are suffering!
How can I change?
Christians attending church receive biblical instruction for daily living. We study and memorize Scripture, join prayer groups, attend Bible studies to learn how to live not according to the (flesh) - beliefs, values, and standards of the world, but according to the (Spirit) - God’s way and will for us.
However, we all know that very ingrained selfish patterns of thinking, relating, and acting, don’t die easily. The flesh, Satan, and the world are consistently working against us. The same apostle Paul experienced the power of sin sabotaging his spiritual life in spite of his best intentions. His deep frustration is expressed as follows –
I’ve tried everything and nothing helps. I am at the end of my rope. Is there no one who can do anything for me? Isn’t that the real question?
The answer, thank God, is that Jesus Christ can and does.
Romans 7:24-25. (The Message)
Many would say –if Paul couldn’t stop the wrong he didn’t want to do, how can I? Please, don’t miss Paul’s delight when he declares-
The answer, thank God, is that Christ can and does. (The Message)
Thanks be to God-through Jesus Christ our Lord! (NIV)
The power of Christ in us does the work! How do we learn to yield to Christ so that His power may work in us? Paul helps us see how this yielding can take place. He writes -
You’ve all been to the stadium and seen the athlete’s race. Everyone runs; one wins. Run to win. All good athletes train hard. They do it for a gold medal that tarnishes and fades. You are after one that’s gold eternally. I don’t know about you, but I am running hard for the finish line. I am giving everything I’ve got. No sloppy living for me! I am staying alert and in top condition. I am not going to get caught napping… 1 Corinthians 9:24-27. (The Message).
Running hard! Giving everything I’ve got! Paul, you are too fanatic!
Paul tells us the reason for serious concentration. He writes-
The world is unprincipled. It’s dog-eat-dog out there! The world doesn’t fight fair. But we don’t live or fight our battles that way – never have and never will. The tools of our trade are not for marketing or manipulation; they are for demolishing that entire massively corrupt culture. We use our powerful God-tools for smashing warped philosophies, tearing down barriers erected against the truth of God, fitting every loose thought and emotion and impulse into the structure of life shaped by Christ. Our tools are ready at hand for clearing the ground of every obstruction and building lives of obedience into maturity. 2 Corinthians 10:3-6 (The Message).
Human personality apart from Christ’s power and our response to "His very great and precious promises" (2Peter 1:4) is totally inadequate to confront deep struggles of the soul. Human methods and strategies won’t work. This is why psychology and secular counseling don’t do more than behavioral modification.
Only the love of Christ can heal and redeem the human soul. A redeemed person who "sets in his heart Christ as Lord" (1 Peter 3:15), yields to Christ so He can do what he can’t do it on his own.
How do you stop or attack any sin in your life? Choose Jesus. Respond to His passion for you? Is He worthy of your utmost attention and affection?
Let me quote one strategy that John Piper, author of "Desiring God", suggests for fighting lust or any sin –
"Enjoy a superior satisfaction. Cultivate the capacities for pleasure in Christ. One reason lust (any sin) reigns is so many is that Christ has so little appeal. We default to deceit because we have little delight in Christ… What steps have you taken to waken affection for Jesus?… You were created to treasure Christ with all your heart – more than you treasure sex or sugar. If you have little taste for Jesus, competing pleasures will triumph. Plead with God for the satisfaction you don’t have: "Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love that we may rejoice and be glad all our days" (Psalm 90:14). Then look, look, look at the most magnificent Person in the Universe until you see the way He is".
His grace is available. Choose the most magnificent Person in the Universe over deceitful desires. Yield to Him and watch Him work in you and through you.Watch your relationships heal.
(More on this subject in Letter Seven of my book "Letters From Your Father God")
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