Help!
As I sat in my lounge this morning, spending some time with my Heavenly Father before anyone else got up, I found my time of prayer interrupted with a sense of frustration; why do I ask God to forgive me for the same things over and over again?!
Repentance is not about saying sorry but about changing direction. And I do; each time I turn my back on it, but then [in no time at all] I find it in front of me again!
This isn't a little 'why...?' this is a massive [scream at the top of your voice with tears in your eyes] 'WHY?!'
"What I don't understand about myself is that I decide one 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 I need something more! For 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 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 question?
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 something totally different." Rom 7:15-25 (Msg)
Lord, pull me in the right direction [towards You] and I will try to make my feet willing to follow.
Amen.
Repentance is not about saying sorry but about changing direction. And I do; each time I turn my back on it, but then [in no time at all] I find it in front of me again!This isn't a little 'why...?' this is a massive [scream at the top of your voice with tears in your eyes] 'WHY?!'
"What I don't understand about myself is that I decide one 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 I need something more! For 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 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 question?
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 something totally different." Rom 7:15-25 (Msg)
Lord, pull me in the right direction [towards You] and I will try to make my feet willing to follow.
Amen.
posted by Andrew at 8:27 am
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