Do you sometimes do the things you don’t want to do? Do you not do what you know you should do? Have you lost the battle within when fighting against the sin that haunts you? Do you know you are not alone? Have you turned to the One who can remove it from you?
We all do things we know we shouldn’t some time or another. We may even be battling a particular sin that we continue repeating, even when we are striving desperately against it. We may feel as though it is a lost cause. But there is One who can help.
We may try to do what we know we should. We may lose that battle as well. Even with the best of intentions, we sometimes fall short. Yet, we are not alone. Even the great Apostle Paul struggled in this battle. He fell short at times. He writes to the church in Rome about it. He confesses that he struggles, fails, and yet knows that God continues to bless him.
However, we should not mistake his account for condoning continued sinning. No, Paul does not condone sin, rather he merely states the realistic state of our current situation. There is a war going on for our souls. There is a battle for our minds. There is skirmish after skirmish going on for our faith in Jesus. Satan knows he cannot simply tell us to stop believing in God and expect us to do so. Therefore, he creates these little skirmishes and minor battles to whittle away at our faith.
Paul lets us know, even when our fleshly bodies fail, we are to continue to hold on to the grace of God in our spirit. He informs us that sin has no hold over us. If sin has no hold over us, neither does Satan. We may need to remind ourselves of these facts regularly — hourly, daily, or weekly. Do not allow Satan to whittle away at your faith. Even in failure, continue to believe in Jesus and trust in His word.
I pray we all continue to strive against sin. I pray we ask Jesus to fight the battle with us and for us. I pray each one of us will continue to hold on to our faith, even if we fail from time-to-time. Confess your sin to Jesus. Ask Jesus to help you. Hold on to your faith. Trust Jesus. Trust God’s Word.
Romans 7:15 I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate.
Marty Pressey 