Good day dear listeners and welcome again to overcoming temptations, My name is Oyisi Okatahi. Today our topic is titled “I cannot help myself”.
Our bible reading is taken from Romans 7 and will select some from verses 15.
I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death? Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!
Here we see Apostle Paul’s frustration and many people and Christians suffer this frustration. We know what is good and right, in fact we can even preach about it, however our flesh and body is weak, we discover that we find ourselves doing the wrong things. When I was preaching to someone about avoiding fornication, she told me that she totally agrees and understands and has given her life to Christ, but the problem is that even when she decides to stop she cannot help herself, she keeps going back. She has prayed, cried and regret her actions but each time she keeps falling into sin. Well I told her it is a situation that many people including myself go through. We know what is right but it is very hard to do the right thing.
See what the anointed and great apostle Paul said, he said What a wretched or useless man, I am. And that is the truth the Bible says in Psalms 130:3 If you, LORD, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who shall stand? Nobody. The human body is programmed to sin, that is why you do not need to teach a child what is wrong, naturally a child will do the wrong thing, however you need to teach them what is right.
So are we in a hopeless situation, no we are not, Paul concluded by saying, verse 25 Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord! So it is only through God and Christ His son that we have hope. So I told this lady that if you depend on God fully and not your own strength, then you can overcome any temptation including fornication and adultery. God already knows that we cannot overcome sin by our own power no matter how determined we are. So he expects us to depend on him 100%. I meet some people who boast that they cannot fall into temptation; I tell them that if it is by Gods power then yes, but if it is by their own power then they are deceiving themselves. Peter the disciple of Jesus Christ was very confident of himself and said he will not deny Christ, however when faced with the risk of arrest and death, he found himself denying Christ 3 times. So the solution is to depend on God, ask him for help in prayers, worship him, do the little you can do, show mercy to others so that God can have mercy upon you. The bible in Mathew 5:7 says that blessed are the merciful for they shall obtain mercy. If you can trust God he will not fail you. Also even if you fall into temptation, don’t be discouraged, you shall overcome. Don’t allow the Devil make you think that there is no hope. The bible says in Proverbs 24:16- for though the righteous fall seven times, he shall they rise again. So you shall arise again and stand strong in Jesus name.
Psalm 121:2 says my help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth. May God be your helper in Jesus name. Wish you a blessed day.
