Why do you do what you do?

“Christians, I would love to know your rationale for doing things you know you shouldn't on a continual basis?”


I think the reason I do things I know I shouldn't, and believe me there sadly are plenty of things (less things lately perhaps, but more than I would like), is because I don't stop to pray. I follow my flesh a lot of the time, I put confidence in myself and don't turn to God and His word to get me through some things.

And I know from experience that when I do turn to Him when I'm tempted I'm FAR LESS likely to follow my flesh. He gives me the strength to get through it. So, I suppose it's pride. I want to be able to do things on my own, and that's just another thing of the flesh I'm dealing with.

The point is not that we don't need Christ, I think perhaps that it is simply that if you say you need Jesus & accept who He says He was then act on it. Christ said to be holy as our Father in heaven is holy. Does that mean we stop sinning? I don't know, I think it just means if we continually submit ourselves to Him, especially during our temptations we'll be sinning less.(This doesn’t mean we are perfect, because without Christ were is the strength to resist temptation going to come from?) Therefore, we as Christians really have no excuse.

Just because something feels good to our flesh or doesn't hurt anyone else doesn't make it right. Just because something "good" comes out of our act of sin doesn't make it any less of a sin. It is during those temptations that if we turn to Christ & willingly deny our humanly desires that we are doing as Christ commanded, and if we do not turn to Him & knowingly go against His will we're not demonstrating Christlike behavior.

For example, I like arguing. I do, it’s silly but I enjoy it. Perhaps that’s because it’s harder to lie in a heated moment, therefore people are generally more honest when they argue. At least that has been my experience, which is why I like fights. Does it make it right? No. I’m not supposed to go around arguing with people just because I know they’re lying to me. But my flesh loves it, I love the adrenaline rush. So, because I accept Christ for who He says He is I can’t keep doing that. And I know that.

But when I don’t get up in the morning and start my day off in His word I’m more likely to give into the temptations of that day. And depending on the day I may need to stop around lunch time for another refill of God’s will. If I have to stop every 5 minutes during a stressful situation and pray to keep from doing things that are outside of God’s will, well, I guess I’ll just be in prayer a lot. And that’s the thing, it’s pride. I don’t want to have to do that. I don’t want to stop mid sentence and take a breather, and I certainly don’t want to go back to the person I’m arguing with an apologize for arguing with them. That takes effort, it takes strength. And I am weak. But again and again, if I come to Him in those moments He gets me through them. So, why do I do what I do? Because I'm sinful, and pridful in nature. But those things are dead, the old Kristina is dead because I'm alive in Christ. The old tendancies may pop up now and again, but if I turn to Him I can move past them and they shall die again.