The Honest Struggle: Wanting to Do Right but Falling Short

I’m not sure there is another bible verse that I relate to more? So much of life is simple. Yet, I come into the picture and I overcomplicate it with selfishness, laziness, or indulgence.

Paul writes in Romans all about this. The wise and great Paul even struggles with this and I am so thankful that he wrote all about it. 

In Romans chapter 7, Paul describes the struggle. In other parts of Romans, Paul, thankfully, gives us insight in how we can fight our sinful nature that continually trips us up.

So, today, I want to focus on what Paul says we can do to counter this pull in our hearts. When I read Romans, all my attention goes to chapter 7:15-20, because it hits home soooooo hard. However, Paul gives us the encouragement and ways to combat this sinful pull of our heart and mind too. 

First, don’t fight sin with your own willpower. Fight it with the Holy Spirit.

“If you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live.” Romans 8:12–13

You don’t overcome sin by trying harder. You overcome sin by letting the Holy Spirit lead and strengthen you. The Spirit produces new desires in you that your flesh can’t produce.

Second, set your mind on the Spirit, not the flesh (your own desires).

“Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live according to the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires.” Romans 8:5-6

What you think about shapes what you do. Renewing your mind changes your behavior. Scripture, prayer, worship, and truth realign your desires.

Third, always remember that you died to sin, but now belong to Christ.

“Our old self was crucified with him… so that we should no longer be slaves to sin.” Romans 6:6-7

This is huge. You will still struggle, but you’re not a slave to sin anymore. You now have the power to choose obedience — not perfectly, but progressively.

Fourth, cry out to Jesus- the one who rescues you.

“Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God — through Jesus Christ our Lord!” Romans 8: 24-25

You don’t save yourself from sin. You turn to Jesus again and again. He rescues. He cleanses. He strengthens.

Lastly, walk it out daily, one step at a time.

Paul says the way to do what is right — instead of what our sinful nature wants — is to live by the Spirit, renew our mind with God’s truth, remember we are no longer slaves to sin, and rely on Jesus to rescue and strengthen us daily.

If you feel like God is always speaking to you about something specific, something that God wants you to fix, to quit, to start… It’s time to give that to God. Stop trying (and continually failing) to will your way to success. 

Does God want you to quit drinking or smoking? Does God want you to get healthy with your diet and exercise? Do you need to stop using foul language? We ALL have sinful natures and we ALL have things in our life that we want and wish we could change. 

Let’s use Paul’s wise words to do hard things. We have the HOLY SPIRIT within us. We can do hard things. We just need to know our limits and let the Holy Spirit take us beyond that limit. 

Love y’all!