WHY WE DO THINGS WE KNOW WE SHOULDN’T
WRITTEN BY JACO VAN AS
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I am a Christian that tries everything possible to live my life the way He wants me to but yet I do things I shouldn’t. Why is it so difficult to stop? What an interesting questions my friends and one which is in some way easy to answer and in others the most difficult question ever. People all over the world deals with challenges in their lives on a daily basis, some have a personal relationship with God and others don’t, but one thing they all have in common is the fact that they sometimes do things they don’t really want . Some people will blame satan, others the circumstances they live in or maybe they will blame the people in their lives and say that they “drove” them to do things they shouldn’t.
Personal Relationship with Jesus Christ
All of the above is true and could have an effect on your decision to do things you shouldn’t but it all starts with your relationship with Jesus Christ. What kind of relationship do you have with Jesus? Would it be a personal relationship or just the fact that you know Him or know about Him? Do you call yourself a Christian? If you do not live with Jesus in your heart then you will indeed be doing things you know you shouldn’t or even do it without knowing that it is wrong. In today’s life it’s so easy to say that I am Christian but being a Christian means nothing if you do not have a personal relationship with Jesus.
Having a personal relationship with Jesus means that we know Him, follow Him, and believe in His prophecy and that you walk the walk and talk the talk, that you actually try to follow in His
footsteps. You see my dear friend, when we not in a personal relationship with Jesus then we will indeed do things we know we shouldn’t, or sometimes even do things we don’t even know is wrong. It is not enough to just know Him or know about Him as this simply opens the door for failure.
Sinning can sometimes be nice
Sinning can sometimes be nice, no matter if it sounds wrong to say it. If it wasn’t nice, why do we sin? Satan also knows this and he uses it as a tool to control us in our daily lives, which is if we allow him to. But I have a personal relationship with Jesus so how does satan then influence my decision making process so badly that I continue to do things we know I shouldn’t? My friends, it all comes down to one word, called temptation. Temptation is probably satan’s biggest weapon he use to “catch” us and take us off course!
Let’s have a good look at the meaning of the word temptation:
– something that seduces or has the quality to seduce
– the desire to have or do something that you know you should avoid
– enticement: the act of influencing by exciting hope or desire
– an act that looks appealing to an individual. It is usually used to describe acts with negative connotations and as such, tends to lead a person to regret such actions
Do I need to say more? Most of the “temptations” satan puts onto our paths would lead to things we shouldn’t be doing! My friends, satan is going to temp you with things he knows you might like
or things he knows is wrong but also easy to fall for, since he hates the fact that you in love with Jesus. Remember, it’s what he does, it’s how he is! Sometimes we also put OURSELVES into temptation. We go places we know satan is going to use to temp us, we meet with people we know we going to end up doing wrong things with, we buy stuff we know that if we do, it’s going to lead to sinning and we listen to music, watch movies and play games we know satan use to come into our homes. My friends, if we know before we do things that it’s going to temp us into doing wrong, simply DON’T DO IT and then you won’t be tempted! God gave us the freedom to choose so whether you going to make the right choice is going to be up to you! If have a personal relationship with Jesus and you can get it right to not put yourself into temptation, then satan won’t have a leg to stand on!
We are human
We are human and we are going to make mistakes and Jesus knows this to! We cannot go through life and not make mistakes and sometimes making mistakes helps us to grow and understand our purpose in life. The important thing is that we learn from our mistakes, ask forgiveness and make sure that we do not put ourselves into situations we know is going to lead to wrongdoing. If we did wrong, accept it, ask forgiveness, ask the Lord to provide you with guidance from the Holy Spirit and the protection of the blood of Jesus. Yes my friends, it is so important that you understand the power of the Holy Spirit and the protection Jesus gives us though His blood.
The armour of God
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people. Ephesians 6:10-18
Summary
Why do we do things we know we shouldn’t?
– we do not have a personal relationship with Jesus
– we put ourselves into situations making it easy for satan to temp us to do wrong
– we do not protect ourselves with the armour of God
How can we correct this?
– Accept Jesus as your saviour today, let Him come and change your life for good
– Do not do things that you know will make it easy for satan to temp you
– Put on the full armour of God and pray in the Spirit, pray for the blood of Jesus as protection over your life and the guidance from the Holy Spirit so that you can see the temptation even before its there