The Secret Of Submission

I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate.

Romans 7:15 RSV

Paul himself spoke of his struggle. He spoke of desiring to please God, but in himself he found no strength to do so. The things he did not want to do he sometimes did; and the things he wanted to do he did not do.

Many of us ask these questions: “Why do I, as a Christian, do some of the things I do? Why do I, as a Christian, leave undone the things I ought to have done?”

Many name the name of Christ but do not dwell in Him. They have unclean hands, unclean lips, unclean tongues, unclean feet, unclean thoughts, unclean hearts—and yet claim to be Christians. They claim Christ, attend church, try to pray—and yet they know there are things in their souls that are not right. There is no joy in their hearts, no love for others. In fact, there is little evidence of the fruit of the Spirit in their lives. The fire in their souls has been quenched.

Yet as we look around, we do know some people who are living different lives. They bear the fruit of the Spirit. But some get only snatches of victory. Once in a while they will have a day that seems to be a victorious day over temptation, but then they slide right back into the same old rut of living, and hunger and long for the righteousness of daily growth.

Self-analysis can lead to depression. We need to keep our attention focused on Christ.

Our Father and our God, like Paul I find myself in a constant struggle. I don’t do what I’m supposed to do, and I do many things I shouldn’t. Rekindle the fire within me that purifies my heart and my motives, O Lord. Give me victory over sin through Christ Jesus, my Lord and Savior, in whose name I pray. Amen.

Billy Graham, Unto the Hills: A Daily Devotional (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 2010).