I don’t realize what I’m doing. I don’t do what I want to do. Instead, I do what I hate.
I don’t do what I want to do, but I agree that God’s standards are good.
So I am no longer the one who is doing the things I hate,
but sin that lives in me is doing them.
Romans 7:15-17
Photo by Jake Melara on Unsplash
Lord,
I’ve been distracted
so much is going on
I want to do what You desire
but
I just can’t seem to make it so.
Each day I say,
“Tomorrow I will start.”
Yet
Monday never comes.
I’ve heard Your voice
thousands upon thousands
of times in my heart,
can’t seem to get even a spark
of a fire going
Oh Lord,
I’m in misery
can’t you help me
do what I know is right?
~Marcie Bridges
©13 May 2019
I feel a bit stuck. Wait. Check that. More than a bit.
I think all 4 tires are completely flat. No motivation. No momentum. Just. Stuck in the mud.
Or perhaps a hamster wheel is more fitting of a description?
The Apostle Paul knows exactly what I’m talking about:
I know that nothing good lives in me; that is, nothing good lives in my corrupt nature. Although I have the desire to do what is right, I don’t do it. I don’t do the good I want to do. Instead, I do the evil that I don’t want to do (Romans 7:18-19, GW*).
In Romans chapter 7, Paul is writing about our sin nature. He is trying to explain at the very core of us is evil. Even though we are saved, we don’t always live like we are. Instead, we live in the flesh. Or, in other words, we do what we want to do, not what is right. Round and round we go. Never stopping to take a breath and realize we have a problem.
Each day we have the option of living in the Spirit — which means we pray about every situation and every part of our day and we do what God asks us to do — or, we live in our flesh. Living in the flesh means we do whatever we want to do, regardless of whether or not it is the right thing to do. In fact, we don’t even think to pray about it.
Sometimes there are areas in our lives where we know we need correction. We have known it for years. We know what God wants us to do. But just can’t seem to do it. We have all the tools in our toolboxes to fix the flat tires, we just can’t seem to muster up the motivation to get into the garage, pull out the jack and find the wrench to get this flat tire off the car. If we could do that, we could take it to the Lord and say, “Here. It’s Yours. Fix it please.”
But so many times we plead, “Here, fix this,” without even pulling out the tools and getting the tire off first. (Any amen’s out there?)
What are the tools we need? 
- Realize there’s a flat tire: there’s sin in my life.
- Figure out which one is the flat tire: ask God to show me specifically what sin is in my heart.
- Get out the necessary tools to get the tire off the car: find out through Bible reading and prayer what God wants me to do, then take those directives and do it (obedience).
- Take it to the Mechanic to fix it so you can put the tire back on the car and get going again: give it over to the Lord so that He can replace my dirty thoughts and sinful habits with good ones and then I can walk in His light and see victory over this sin in my life.
Hey, know what? There IS good news! Romans 8 begins like this:
Photo by Fernando Brasil on Unsplash
“There is therefore now no condemnation who are in Christ Jesus…!”
So now that I’ve made myself feel absolutely wretched and guilty for not doing the right thing and conquering this sin, I can look to God’s word and see I don’t need to feel guilty. I just need to go to God, confess my sin, and He is faithful to forgive me. I can rest in His love. And know that yes, in my very next breath, I can walk in newness of life and in His Spirit.
It’s a war out there. Yes! Between flesh and Spirit, Spirit and flesh. The question is, am I going to walk in the flesh, or walk in righteousness? Romans 8:6, “For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually mind is life and peace.”
I think I’ll go get my jack and toolbox and see if I can’t get this flat tire off.
From My Heart to Yours,
Marcie
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