I Didn't Want To Do That
“For I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my flesh. For the desire to do what is good is with me, but there is no ability to do it. For I do not do the good that I want to do, but I practice the evil that I do not want to do.” - Romans 7:18-19
Before a golfer steps up to hit their shot, they must first examine the hole and figure out where they would like to hit it. Do they want to hit it in front of the hole? Maybe it’s better to hit it behind the hole because the slope of the green would work in their favor, and the ball might roll back to the hole. Either way, they have their desired outcome before they swing the club.
They know what they want to do, even what they should do, but most golfers will tell you that the frustrating thing about golf is that even though you know what you should do, you rarely do that. Whether it’s a mental struggle, mechanic, or environmental, something impacts their ability, and the shot rarely turns out exactly as it should.
It can be frustrating to know what you should do but be unable to do it. Paul discusses this frustration of living a pure life. If you read God’s Word and draw close to Him, you will know the right and wrong things to do. On top of that, the Holy Spirit guides you in the way you should go. So then, why is it sometimes so hard to execute the correct action?
It’s because of sin. On earth, we will always struggle against sin; it’s a fallen world, and sin is all around us and inside of us. We have desires that lie outside of the will of God and those desires are constantly fighting with the desire to be close to God. Even Paul struggled with the sinful desire that plagued him. He states in Romans 7, “The desire to do what is good is with me, but there is no ability to do it.”
Even Paul, one of the most devoted followers of Christ, struggled with sin. Paul’s struggles shine a light on how difficult it is to live in this fallen world and how much we truly need Christ each moment to help us stay away from the sinful desires we all have.
Be aware of the sin in your life and seek the Lord to help fight against it.
- What are the sinful desires you find within yourself?
- Are you frustrated by your inability to defeat sin alone?
- How can the Word of God help you fight sin?
“Lord God, we acknowledge that we are a sinful people living in a sinful world caused by our own actions. We also acknowledge that we have Your Holy Spirit living within us, and with Your Word, we can defeat the sin surrounding us. Give us wisdom to seek You over the desires of our flesh. Amen.”
