"Why Do I Keep Doing That?"

"Why do I keep doing that?" That was pretty much the question of Paul when he said, "I have a desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For what I do is not the good I want to do, no; the evil I do not want to do--this I keep on doing." (Romans 7:18b-19)

Paul answered the question. He saw that his predicament was the same as true believers today. He wanted to do what was right. He intended to do what was right. But it seemed impossible to do it. He found himself doing the wrong he didn't want to do. He felt hopeless... and was hopeless, except for one thing. He had a Savior.

Paul's dilemma was the same as ours. For the child of God, as long as we are here on this earth, there will always be an inner struggle. It is a spiritual warfare between the old, dying self and the "new" spiritual person redeemed and brought to life by the work of Jesus Christ. The good news is that when God looks at a believer, He only sees the "new" person... saved by grace (the undeserved gift of life from God). This is where we ask the question, "Why do I keep doing that." God knows that our sins are coming from the "old person." He knows we still have inner struggles while on this earth.

The battle goes like this. Satan fires his accusations at us, saying things like: "You can't be saved. Look at what you do. You can't help doing those things. Just give up." But the Spirit of God comes to help us. He is constantly doing what we cannot do. He maintains our spiritual life. Then He reminds us, "... You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." (John 8:32, NIV). That truth is found in God's Word. It is with "truth" that we overcome.

God is waiting on you to give Him permission to help you in those earthly struggles. Facing daily struggles is a joint effort. The answer is found in our dependence on God's Word. He will bring it to life if we allow Him to do so. He says, "Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings." (1 Peter 5:8-9) We become self-controlled through God's work within us, as we absorb His Word. We "stand firm in the faith" remembering that our "faith" comes from His Word as well. (Romans 10:17) We successfully resist our enemy through God's work within us, as we absorb His Word. Satan "runs in terror" as a result of God's presence within us. God's Word is vital to our victory in life.

After expressing his dilemma, Paul said, "What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God—through Jesus Christ our Lord!" (Romans 7:24-25) Jesus IS the Word. (John 1:14) Stand strong and be victorious with the weapon God has provided for you. "Take...the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God." (Ephesians 6:17, NIV)

We don't have to "beat ourselves up" over our sins. And we should never just accept our sin because "we can't help it." We can have victory through Christ. His grace and His presence allow it.