Focusing on the Problem Only Makes it Harder

The addict asks, “Is this as good as it gets?” as the needle enters his vein.
The wife says, “I’m just not attracted to him anymore,” as she picks up Fifty Shades of Grey.
The father asks, “Will I ever have time for my family?” while working late yet again this week.
The mother screams, “Why won’t my kids listen to me?!?” while browsing Pinterest.
The husband thinks to himself, “She’s changed so much,” as he clicks his favorite porn site.
The daughter asks, “Will they ever understand me?” while she cuts her arm.
The son asks, “Will they notice I'm gone?” as he takes the last pill.

Why do we do the things we don’t want to do?
Why do we refuse to do the things we know we should?
Why?

I ask these questions, but I do it simply for effect. Thanks to Paul’s openness, thanks to Paul’s willingness to be real, I already have the answer (and so can you). Grab your Bible and open to Romans chapter 7. Start reading at verse 14. Read it. Stop once you’ve read through verse 20.

Paul didn’t ask these questions; he confessed his struggles. He knew he wasn’t doing what he should and continued doing what he shouldn’t. BUT, doesn’t stop there. He doesn’t simply confess his struggles, he identifies the ROOT OF THE PROBLEM…obviously Paul had successfully completed a Step Study.

Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.
Romans 7:20 NIV84

We’ve ALL got this problem called SIN. Don’t be afraid to say it. It’s offensive because it’s true and sometimes the truth hurts. Well, I don’t like that word…Jesus had to die because of it, something tells me he doesn’t like it either, but that doesn’t mean we should hide from it.

Hurts. Habits. Hang-ups. All three of these are wrapped up in SIN. Either WE were the one acting in sin or the recipient of ANOTHER’S sin. It’s all SIN. I’m not the problem. You’re not the problem. The problem is the filthiness of our minds and the selfishness of our hearts. The SOLUTION is Jesus. He came to HEAL the wounded. He’s the REMEDY for the sick. His blood set us FREE.

You don’t have to keep doing these things. I don’t have to keep doing these things. There’s a GREATER plan, a BETTER plan. There’s HOPE and FREEDOM. We’re not the mistakes we’ve made, we’re not the things we’ve done, we’re not the labels we’ve been given…in Christ we’re a NEW CREATION!

So, we can either focus on the PROBLEM or focus on the SOLUTION.