What's wrong with me? Why can't I stop!!

What's wrong with you? Nothing. You're human. You are going to sin. The Bible tells us in Romans 3:23" for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God."(NKJV) It's a constant, if not daily, battle to live a Christian life. The Bible says in Galatians 5:17 " For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish."(NKJV) The New Living Translation explains it in more detail, "The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, so you are not free to carry out your good intentions." Even a great man of God, the Apostle Paul, struggled with it. Paul writes in Romans 7:19 "For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing." (NIV). Of course, this does not mean it is okay to sin, just that it is nearly impossible not to,(notice I said nearly impossible, for it says in Matt. 10:27 " for with God all things are possible."), but God's ever abundant grace and mercy is upon us and He forgives us. Jesus paid our debt on the cross over 2000 years ago, and it is by His blood that we are forgiven.

So, how can you at least keep your sin nature under submission? Paul writes in Galatians 5:16 "I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh." (NKJV), or as the NLT puts it, "So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves." The key word in the First version is fulfill. It doesn't say you are not going to think about sin, but by walking in the Spirit you won't carry it out. By being in tune with the Holy Spirit you are guarded against taking action on your natural man's thoughts. You will not want to fulfill them, because you know it is wrong and against God's will for your life. The Holy Spirit is light and your sin nature is darkness, it is impossible for the two mix. Light always chases away darkness.

Walking in the Spirit, as said before, simply means letting the Holy Spirit guide your life, so it lines up with God's will. But with the distraction's that come with day to day life you might find it a bit challenging to maintain your walk continually. Therefore picture a miniature satellite dish inside your head that can only be tuned into the God Channel. Start off your day with prayer and bible reading, then throughout the day repeat a scripture that really ministers to you, or a play a praise song in your head, or simply talk to God. Doing these things moves the Holy Spirit that dwells within you and God communicates with us through His Holy Spirit (Hebrews 10:14-16). So now the Spirit ministers to your heart, making it simpler to yield to what is right and to deny temptation. As your relationship with Jesus grows deeper, you will become less and less wanting of the "old things". Will there still be battles? Yes. Will there still be struggles? Yes. But remember: 2 Corinthians 12:9 And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me