Romans 7:15-18

¹⁵ For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I.

¹⁶ If then I do that which I would not, I consent unto the law that it is good.

¹⁷ Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me.

¹⁸ For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not.

There is always a conflict between our desire to do good and the reality of our sinful indentity. None of us want to have anxiety, depression, loneliness, or toxicity. Everyone desires to be good, trustworthy, and happy. The sad reality however is that most cannot acknowledge themselves through the scripture. They do not realize or refuse to accept that they are flawed internally and by design.

We are born imperfect but Satan does the job of telling us to be perfect. Once we try to be "perfect", we fail miserably and then he replaces that heart with another heart to rebel against God. He gives us thoughts like, "well, we fail anyway so whatever." or "I'm always going to be like this so who cares if I do this or that". or "I'm broken forever". 

It's truly sad to see people get deceived this way.

God says that "If then I do that which I would not, I consent unto the law that it is good." This means that we should do the things we don't want to do. If we have lust, we should refrain from lust. If we don't want to read the bible, we should just open the book and read. This is what God tells us is good. Going against the normal fleshly desire and self-righteousness cultivates a very healthy spiritual life.

When we give into our flesh, the spirit starves but when we give into the spirit, the flesh starves.

In all of these things, we need the grace to accept and believe the words of Paul. God gave him a tremendous amount of Grace to be able to recogize himself accurately.

Paul identifies the source of his struggle: "Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me." Understanding that sin dwells within us helps us realize the depth of our need for God’s grace. We cannot defeat Satan by works. We must overcome by acknowledgement and grace. We are interconnected to Satan and predisposed to follow his evil ways naturally. That is why it's more important to deny our thoughts and feelings because it's the only avenue for Satan to work. He cannot for you but he can entice you to do things through your mind. Satan wants us to be right and pushes all the blame on everyone else. He makes you the center of attention and builds your ego this way. Satan never wants you to acknowledge your faults, rather he will do everything in his power to keep you "right" in your eyes. 

"For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not." Despite our best intentions and desires, our flesh is incapable of achieving the righteousness without God. We must acknowledge our helplessness. We must see that we are truly evil by faith otherwise we will continue to fall to our flesh.

God truly loves us and does not want us to be right. The more "right" you are, the more misery enters your life.

When we acknowledge our true sinful nature, it leads us to depend on God. We start to appreciate his mercy and grace.  We cannot overcome sin by our own efforts, but through Christ, we are given the strength to live victoriously. Amen!