Background Story: The Apostle Paul wrote the book of Romans as a letter to the church in Rome. Throughout the book of Romans, we read of our need for a Savior, salvation found in Jesus, and how to live as Christ followers. In today’s passage, we see an honest confession of Paul as he seeks to live a life that honors God.

Read Romans 7:12-25

I don’t really understand myself, for I want to do what is right, but I don’t do it. Instead, I do what I hate. ¹⁶ But if I know that what I am doing is wrong, this shows that I agree that the law is good. ¹⁷ So I am not the one doing wrong; it is sin living in me that does it.

¹⁸ And I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. I want to do what is right, but I can’t. ¹⁹ I want to do what is good, but I don’t. I don’t want to do what is wrong, but I do it anyway. ²⁰ But if I do what I don’t want to do, I am not really the one doing wrong; it is sin living in me that does it.

²¹ I have discovered this principle of life—that when I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong. ²² I love God’s law with all my heart. ²³ But there is another power within me that is at war with my mind. This power makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me. ²⁴ Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death? ²⁵ Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord. 

Big Idea: We can set up barriers in our life to help us not get stuck in the same sin pattern.

Paul confessed, “I want to do what is right, but I can’t. I want to do what is good, but I don’t. I don’t want to do what is wrong, but I do it anyway.” I’m not sure about you but I can totally identify with Paul and my own propensity to return to the same sin. I start out each day with the desire to do God’s will, only to end the day feeling defeated.

It reminds me of our roomba vacuum cleaner. It’s a great cleaning tool except for one major flaw- it always gets stuck in the same corner of our house. It’s running great, cleaning like it’s suppose to, but then it reaches this one corner and can’t find its way out. Eventually it just runs out of batteries.

There is a simple solution for the roomba that also applies to our sin struggles. When I place a pillow or barrier in front of that corner, the vacuum doesn’t get stuck. What barriers can we place in our life to keep us from getting stuck in the same sin pattern?

1- Daily Time with God: Sin makes us want to hide from God. True freedom and growth happens when we make the firm commitment that no matter what occurred yesterday, I’m going to seek God today. Satan wants us to feel condemnation. But the Spirit brings conviction of sin, which results in confession and intimacy with the Father.

2- Accountability: We successfully navigate this Christian walk in fellowship with other believers. We have to stop hiding our sin and bring it to light. By telling another believer and asking for accountability, sin loses it’s power and we have a fellow warrior by our side fighting with us.

3- Limit Your Exposure: If you are battling with a sin, you need to limit access. For me, food addiction has always been a struggle. When I feel temptation in this area, it’s not a great idea for me to turn on a cooking show. In the same way, if pornography is a struggle for you, use technology in public places and watch tv/movies with your family. Limit where and when you allow access.

4- Cut It Off: Sometimes victory over sin might require drastic measures. It might mean walking away from a group of friends, selling your video game system, quitting an online group, or deleting social media. Your victory over this sin might require a complete amputation.

5- Carry God’s Word and Pray: The word is truth and freedom! Read His word and find verses related to your sin struggle. Write them down, taking them everywhere with you. When you feel temptation, pull out that scripture, read it, and ask the Holy Spirit for help. Sometimes the most powerful prayers aren’t those with lots of words, but the heart of the believer crying out, “help.”

Takeaway Verse:

Song for Today:

Looking For More?

Dig Deeper: John 16:7-15, 2 Corinthians 3:17-18, James 5:16, Ecclesiastes 4:9-12, Matthew 5:29-30, 2 Timothy 2:20-22, Colossians 3:7-12, Psalm 119:9-11, Hebrews 4:12-16, 1 John 1:5-10, Philippians 4:6-9, Genesis 39:6-12, Judges 16:4-21

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