For in my inner being I delight in God's law; but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin that works within my members. What a wretched man that I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God - through Jesus Christ our Lord!
Romans 7:22-25
This inward struggle with sin was as real for Paul as it is for us. From Paul, we learn what to do about it. Whenever Paul felt lost, he would return to the beginning of his spiritual life, remembering that he had already been freed by Jesus Christ. When you feel confused and overwhelmed by sin's appeal, follow Paul's example: thank God that He has given you freedom through Jesus Christ. Let the reality of Christ's power lift you up to real victory over sin. The temptations of many kinds that we all face are real and powerful. We are all tempted by something; sometimes, on a daily basis. But temptation by itself is not sin. There is nothing wrong with being tempted. Even Jesus was tempted during His time in the desert. It is what we do in response to that temptation which may lead us to make the wrong decisions. God, in His wisdom, has given us the ability to make decisions; decisions to choose between right and wrong. Just because we can do something, doesn't mean that we should do something.
Keep lookin' up,
J.H.
so, very true.
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