Doing What We Say We Want

Today I am going to start with scripture: Romans 7:15 (The Message)

What I don't understand about myself is that I decide on a way, but then I act another, doing things I absolutely despise. So if I can't be trusted to figure out what is best for myself and then do it, it becomes obvious that God's command is necessary. But if I know the law but still can't keep it, and if the power of sin within me keeps sabotaging my best intentions, I obviously need help! I realize that I don't have what it takes. I can will it, but I can't do it. I decide to do good, but I don't really do it; I decide not to do bad, but then I do it anyway. My decisions, such as they are, don't result in actions. Something has gone wrong deep within me and gets the better of me every time. It happens so regularly that it's predictable. The moment I decide to do good, sin is there to trip me up. I truly delight in God's commands, but it's pretty obvious that not all of me joins in that delight. Parts of me joins in that delight. Parts of me covertly rebel, and just when I least expect it, they take charge. I've tried everything and nothing helps. I'm at the end of my rope. Is there no one who can do anything for me? Isn't that the real questions? The answer, thank God is that Jesus Christ can and does. He acted to set things right in this life of contradictions where I want to serve God with all my heart and mind, but am pulled by the influence of sin to do somthing totally different.

The solution is Life on God's Terms.

Wow! How powerful are these scriptures. Lately, it seems everyone I talk to is struggling with this same conflict. We want many things but we convince ourselves we can't achieve it. We have a list of reasons why we don't do what it takes to get what we say we want. Our talk and our walk just does not match. Think about the goals you want but really aren't doing anything to achieve them. Maybe it's loosing weight, maybe it's getting back in church, maybe it's developing a quiet time, maybe it's finding new friends, or maybe it's to become a better spouse. Now ask yourself what excuses are you using to not achieve your goals. I once heard the testimony of a man who had walked away from homosexuality. He made a profound statement. He said, "God does not take away our desires for our sin. We must get to the point that we want God more than we want our sin". To achieve our goals, God is not going to take away our excuses. We must want to please God more than we want to listen to our excuses.