How do you rid yourself of temptation?

[aiki]

God knows that we are very weak creatures. I for one are totally weak. I keep falling all the time!!! Knowing i have done wrong, confessing but then falling again and again!!

I know that God loves me. He wants me to beat temptations / sin. Without God i am nothing.

Yes, i keep falling. Yes, i want to stop sinning! I am sure God knows this and wants me to fight harder. I am trying!

Actually, no where in Scripture is a Christian commanded to "try harder." You have said you are a "very weak creature" so trying harder isn't going to work, is it? But does God expect that you'll just fall to temptation over and over again? Is that what He meant when He said, "By you holy as I am holy"? That's not what Scripture tells me. Instead, I read,

Romans 6:6-7
6 knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin.
7 For he who has died has been freed from sin.

If you're a born-again disciple of Christ, the apostle Paul is talking about you in this passage. You are dead to sin; your "old man" has been crucified with Christ and you no longer have to be a slave to sin. So, why aren't you living like it? Why are you in this cycle of sin-confession-sin-confession? Paul also writes,

Romans 6:11-14
11 Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
12 Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts.
13 And do not present your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God.
14 For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace.

Have you been "reckoning" (which means to count on) yourself dead to sin and alive unto God? This is your spiritual position in Christ right now; all you have to do is start believing it is true and allowing the fact of your death to sin to shape your condition or daily experience. This is a big part of maturing as a Christian. It is bringing your spiritual position in Christ into your daily condition.

So, how, exactly, do you do this? How do you "reckon yourself dead to sin"? Well, remember that Scripture says believers must "walk by faith, not by sight." What does this mean? It means as far as God's promises to, and declarations about, you are concerned, you can't depend upon your feelings or even your experience to validate them. The first time you by faith step out and trust that you are dead to sin as the Bible says, you won't feel like you are. You may even be able to point to recent sin as proof that you aren't dead to sin. But God says you are dead to sin. So, what will you believe? Will you go with your feelings and experience? Or will you go with what God has said? Until you choose to "walk by faith, not by sight" and trust God's word over your feelings and experience, you will remain caught in your weak and failing struggle with temptation and sin. You see, it isn't until we step out in faith and "reckon" our death to sin to be so, that we begin to experience the truth of our death to sin in how we live. Very, very few Christians live this way. Fifty years ago what I have explained to you was common knowledge among Christians but the identification truths of Romans 6 have slowly but surely faded from view and today there are millions of Christians trying hard to be godly and failing miserably.

Selah.

 

[Goatee]

One has to try harder not to sin. One has to try harder to be faithful to God.

Jesus did say that the road would be narrow. We have to pick up our cross and follow Jesus. If it was easy like you say then everyone would be the same!

Nothing can be done without God. We need Gods grace.

We are fallen creatures and need to work hard at trying to be sin free. Look at the Saints! A lot were tormented by sin etc. Its not easy to stay on the right path.

 

[aiki]

One has to try harder not to sin. One has to try harder to be faithful to God.

I understand that this is what you believe, but the Bible teaches something quite different. Paul the apostle wrote,

Philippians 2:12
12 Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling;

It sounds here like Paul is agreeing with you, doesn't it? "Work out your own salvation" he writes. Sounds like we really do need to try harder! But, then, Paul wrote this:

Philippians 2:13
13 for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.

Did you get that? God works in us both the ability and the desire to do His will. We work out only what He has first worked into us! Only God can make you godly. Only He can make you more like Jesus. All you and I can do is make more of ourselves. This is why God's answer to our weak, sinful nature wasn't to improve it but put it to death on the cross of Christ. This is what Paul is talking about in the verses I gave you in my last post. We are so incapable of being as God wants us to be that He had to put to death the "Old Man" as he calls it, that person we were before we were saved, and in its place give us new spiritual life in Christ.

2 Corinthians 5:17
17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.

In this newness of life we have access to the transforming power of the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Christ.

Romans 8:8-11
8 So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God.
9 But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His.
10 And if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.
11 But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.

As we surrender to the will and way of God's Spirit (Ro. 6:13; 12:1; Ja. 4:7; 1Pe. 5:6), he works in us the character of Christ, and as he does, we respond by living out the changes he is making. But the Source of all our right living is not us, but God in the Person of His Spirit. This is why read in the Bible:

2 Corinthians 3:18
18 But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.

Galatians 5:22-23 (NKJV)
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
23 gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.

Jude 1:24-25
24 Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, And to present you faultless Before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy,
25 To God our Savior, Who alone is wise, Be glory and majesty, Dominion and power, Both now and forever. Amen.

1 Thessalonians 5:23-24
23 Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
24 He who calls you is faithful, who also will do it.

Philippians 1:6
6 being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ;

Are you seeing the truth yet? It is God who changes you; it is not you who does the changing. And that's why as you try harder and harder you will only fail more and more. You can't do what only God can do. Your job is to surrender and to abide (Jn. 15:5), to receive (Col. 2:6, 7) and live out. The rest only God can do.

Selah.

 

[AllanV]

One has to try harder not to sin. One has to try harder to be faithful to God.

Jesus did say that the road would be narrow. We have to pick up our cross and follow Jesus. If it was easy like you say then everyone would be the same!

Nothing can be done without God. We need Gods grace.

We are fallen creatures and need to work hard at trying to be sin free. Look at the Saints! A lot were tormented by sin etc. Its not easy to stay on the right path.

Trying harder could be just separating out those habits and associations that dissipates the Spirit.
Initial baptism in the spirit gets a persons attention and it is the correct Spirit when it reveals that Jesus came in the flesh. The mind is taken beyond and deeper than where it usually is. This experience gets your attention and you could be left wondering what exactly is the mind that belief can be changed so immediately.

There is an implanted seed then that has been placed inside that should grow and eventually displace the old mind with its attitudes and attachments. There is usually a struggle between the old and the new. There is a realization that the old mind is being kept strong by associations and habits and what has been placed in the environment that is lived in. Overeating can be a problem.

It is not actually an intellectual exercise so much but a spiritual power that is more present if its lead is taken. The old mind is only covered and it can resurface but it is according to a strength of faith.
Faith comes by being receptive, hearing the word by the Spirit and belief will build in the heart and words must be spoken that confirm this. The effect of speaking out in full belief from the mind of the implanted seed is life changing.
It is good to dedicate some time daily and even longer periods. Only interact with other believers who realize the need for the same change and want to take the same path.

 

[AllanV]

Stuart Quote"The born again christian has the law God requires them to keep written on their mind and placed on their heart at the point of conversion, meaning in their heart they want to live as God desires them to." end quote

You have written this incorrectly. You are looking from the outside and not from the perspective of God. It is impossible for God's law to be kept written on own heart. Your own heart is corrupt.
God requires that the body is presented a living sacrifice, emptied out and He will place a transformed and renewed mind and a new heart with the law already written on it on the inside. This is what the sacrifice of Jesus was for.
It is not from the outside in.
1 Thessalonians 5:23-24
23 Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
24 He who calls you is faithful, who also will do it.

 

[stuart lawrence]

Stuart Quote"The born again christian has the law God requires them to keep written on their mind and placed on their heart at the point of conversion, meaning in their heart they want to live as God desires them to." end quote

You have written this incorrectly. You are looking from the outside and not from the perspective of God. It is impossible for God's law to be kept written on own heart. Your own heart is corrupt.
God requires that the body is presented a living sacrifice, emptied out and He will place a transformed and renewed mind and a new heart with the law already written on it on the inside. This is what the sacrifice of Jesus was for.
It is not from the outside in.
1 Thessalonians 5:23-24
23 Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
24 He who calls you is faithful, who also will do it.

This is the covenant I will make with them after that time says the Lord
I will write my laws in their minds
And place them on their hearts
Then he adds
Their sins and lawless deeds I will remember no more
Heb10:16&17
Repeated from Jeremiah 31
The heart is indeed deceitful and it can be once you are a christian as I was previously, but if you follow it you will be hit with a conscience.
No christian can sin in ignorance, or without conscience, for the law is written on the mind and placed on their heart
This is the safety valve of grace if you like. It cuts out the licence to sin. If a person can sin without conscience they have not been born again and therefore are not saved

 

[AllanV]

This is the covenant I will make with them after that time says the Lord
I will write my laws in their minds
And place them on their hearts
Then he adds
Their sins and lawless deeds I will remember no more
Heb10:16&17
Repeated from Jeremiah 31
The heart is indeed deceitful and it can be once you are a christian as I was previously, but if you follow it you will be hit with a conscience.
No christian can sin in ignorance, or without conscience, for the law is written on the mind and placed on their heart
This is the safety valve of grace if you like. It cuts out the licence to sin. If a person can sin without conscience they have not been born again and therefore are not saved

Where does the Sabbath come into this.

 

[stuart lawrence]

Where does the Sabbath come into this.

Very good question.
I responded to an altar call when I was ten. The first change in me I noticed was that I was aware of/ convicted of my sin, for the law reveals the sin.
However, I was not convicted I was a sinner if I did not observe a specific day as a Sabbath day. Therefore, either that particular law was not placed within me or I could not be saved.
If I lied, coveted, etc I had a conscience, but a set Sabbath was not on my mind or in my heart. It wasn't in Paul's either( rom 14:5)
If I misunderstood your question I apologise

 

[AllanV]

Romans 6:11-14
11 Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
12 Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts.
13 And do not present your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God.
14 For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace.

How does a person present themselves to God?

Romans 12:1 (KJV)
12 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.

This makes it sound as though the body must be presented Holy and acceptable but only Jesus was and He was raised from the dead. The only way a person can be acceptable is by the nature of Jesus the divine nature.

 

[AllanV]

Very good question.
I responded to an altar call when I was ten. The first change in me I noticed was that I was aware of/ convicted of my sin, for the law reveals the sin.
However, I was not convicted I was a sinner if I did not observe a specific day as a Sabbath day. Therefore, either that particular law was not placed within me or I could not be saved.
If I lied, coveted, etc I had a conscience, but a set Sabbath was not on my mind or in my heart. It wasn't in Paul's either( rom 14:5)
If I misunderstood your question I apologise

When fasting it was noticed that the Spirit was stronger the day before the Sabbath and on the Sabbath
There was not much at all. It was better to have a quiet day. The energy builds during the week. There is a definite increase at certain times of the year also.
The Eternal God creates everything seen and the earth has cycles.

 

[stuart lawrence]

When fasting it was noticed that the Spirit was stronger the day before the Sabbath and on the Sabbath
There was not much at all. It was better to have a quiet day. The energy builds during the week. There is a definite increase at certain times of the year also.
The Eternal God creates everything seen and the earth has cycles.

In romans Ch14 Paul speaks of what he calls disputable matters. In other words you can take whichever view you like. It is not compulsary to believe one way or the other. He mentions in that chapter the levitical unclean foods and a set Sabbath day.
Forgive me, but I have in the past too often discussed set Sabbath days, so don't feel inclined to do so now. I will leave you with Paul's view:
One man considers one day more sacred/ holy than another. Another man considers every day alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind
Rom14:5

 

[Goatee]

Whatever, it is still hard for us humans. It is not an easy road. God lets us suffer as we have free will and he wants us to make the right choices.

 

[stuart lawrence]

Whatever, it is still hard for us humans. It is not an easy road. God lets us suffer as we have free will and he wants us to make the right choices.

I became crushed and weary when I kept trying my hardest and failing not to sin. I tried so hard to be perfectly pure and sinless. However, the harder I tried the worse the sin got, all manner of concupiscence was aroused in me.
Looking back I can say I felt alive until the law was placed within me, for there was no condemnation then, but when it did come sin ( consciousness) sprang to life and I died( felt condemned) spiritually. The commandment I believed would give me life if I obeyed it, instead brought death( condemnation) for I could not keep it. Sin had used what was good and holy to bring death to me. The law was perfect, holy and good, the problem was my sin.
Someone else had the same experience as me, but when that happened to him he was not yet a christian( rom7:7-13) kjv

 

[Goatee]

I became crushed and weary when I kept trying my hardest and failing not to sin. I tried so hard to be perfectly pure and sinless. However, the harder I tried the worse the sin got, all manner of concupiscence was aroused in me.
Looking back I can say I felt alive until the law was placed within me, for there was no condemnation then, but when it did come sin ( consciousness) sprang to life and I died( felt condemned) spiritually. The commandment I believed would give me life if I obeyed it, instead brought death( condemnation) for I could not keep it. Sin had used what was good and holy to bring death to me. The law was perfect, holy and good, the problem was my sin.
Someone else had the same experience as me, but when that happened to him he was not yet a christian( rom7:7-13) kjv

How did you beat temptations/sin?

 

[stuart lawrence]

How did you beat temptations/sin?

I am not sin free, no one can attain sinless perfection. But the sin weakened when i started living under grace, not law.
I grew up believing I must defeat the sin in my life or my salvation was at risk of being lost. I was in a high stakes battle, the highest of all, cease sin or risk the fires of hell. It is not possible to play for the highest of all stakes, with therefore the greatest of rusks attached to it without huge excitement being stirred up in the individual. That is human nature. Imagine you mortgaged your house, and put all the money on a horse in a race. If the horse loses you lose your home, if it wins you are rich. Think of the excitement stirred in you while you watch that race.
Now think of the ten commandments, specifically the one that made Paul feel condemned:
Thou shalt not covet
As you probably know, involved in that commandment is not lusting, or desiring anything that does not belong to you/ is not yours to have. Imagine someone believing they must obey the ten commandments to be saved. An impure thought comes to them, heaven or hell is as stake, their eternal security rests on them obeying the ten commandments, they must not lust. This is a far higher stake to play for, and therefore carries much more risk than losing your home on a horse race. Great excitement will be stirred in you as you fear breaking the commandment and risk being condemned to hell. So every time an impure thought/lust overcomes you, huge excitement is stirred in you at the same time
. What is the result? You get swamped by lust and fear condemnation. Paul wrote:
For sin shall no longer be your master, for you are not under law but under grace rom6:14
He should know, as a pharisee he said he was the chief of sinners

 

[Goatee]

I am not sin free, no one can attain sinless perfection. But the sin weakened when i started living under grace, not law.
I grew up believing I must defeat the sin in my life or my salvation was at risk of being lost. I was in a high stakes battle, the highest of all, cease sin or risk the fires of hell. It is not possible to play for the highest of all stakes, with therefore the greatest of rusks attached to it without huge excitement being stirred up in the individual. That is human nature. Imagine you mortgaged your house, and put all the money on a horse in a race. If the horse loses you lose your home, if it wins you are rich. Think of the excitement stirred in you while you watch that race.
Now think of the ten commandments, specifically the one that made Paul feel condemned:
Thou shalt not covet
As you probably know, involved in that commandment is not lusting, or desiring anything that does not belong to you/ is not yours to have. Imagine someone believing they must obey the ten commandments to be saved. An impure thought comes to them, heaven or hell is as stake, their eternal security rests on them obeying the ten commandments, they must not lust. This is a far higher stake to play for, and therefore carries much more risk than losing your home on a horse race. Great excitement will be stirred in you as you fear breaking the commandment. And what will that excitement focus on? What decides the outcome of this highest of all stakes battle.
Therefore whenever you think of the commandment, thou shalt not covet, huge excitement will be stirred in you at the thought of coveting/ lusting. What is the result? You get swamped by lust and fear condemnation. Paul wrote:
For sin shall no longer be your master, for you are not under law but under grace rom6:14
He should know, as a pharisee he said he was the chief of sinners

But, it is normal to fear sinning. To fear being lost if a commandment is broken. The commandments are there to make us think, to obey God. Should we not fear God?

 

[stuart lawrence]

But, it is normal to fear sinning. To fear being lost if a commandment is broken. The commandments are there to make us think, to obey God. Should we not fear God?

Under the new covenant the law God desires you to keep got transferred from an external law written on tablets of stone to an internal law written on tablets of human hearts( 2cor3:3) meaning that in your heart you want to obey God and live as he desires you to. Because that is so the bible says your sins and lawless deeds will be remembered no more because Jesus died for your sins. Does the christian trust in obeying the ten commandments to attain heaven( being under the law) or fo they trust in the fact Jesus died for them to get to heaven?( grace)
If you trust your righteousness to attain heaven is Jesus being your saviour you will still hate the sin because the law is on your heart, and it will remain there. You will in your heart always want to obey God, so you can have no licence to sin. But though you hate the sin and desperately want to be free of it you know it cannot condemn you because Jesus died for your imperfections.
You are then not involved in a high stakes battle concerning lust etc. Once that happens:
Sin shall no longer be your master for you are not under law bit under grace.
God loves you, he sent his son to die for your inability to be perfect under the law. You are secure with God because of Jesus sacrifice. You have crossed over from death to life. When i knew that tears streamed down my cheeks and I praised God, a huge burden was lifted from me.
Within a few days, a sin which had gripped me for six years stopped, because I was finally living under grace not law

 

[stuart lawrence]

How did you beat temptations/sin?

From the age of 13 I was consumed by lust, all manner of concupiscence was aroused in me at the same time as I desperately strove to live a pure and sinless life for God. I became consumed by masturbation. It left me feeling dirty, rotten and full of guilt. I feared hell because on the inside I was becoming more and more corrupted as time went on. The only thing that mattered was girls/ lust.
At the age of 15 I gave up with God, I was too dirty and rotten to be a christian.
Fortunately a few years later someone asked me to read a book. I was stunned by what I read. For I had never before read Paul's letters. The only right standing I could have before God was trusting Jesus was my saviour, he died for my sins. I could have no right standing of observing the law. I dared to believe for the first time in my life I could actually be a christian, because my right standing with God did not hinge on my personal goodness but what his son did for me at Calvary.
But what of the sin, what of the masturbation I was a slave to? I was desperate to be free of it for the law was on my heart, I had been born again. I got down on my knees and asked God to deal with the masturbation and trusted he would.
For the next three days the masturbation continued, but for the first time I did not let it make me feel condemned. I looked to Jesus and trusted he was my right standing before God, not my own personal goodness. A voice in my head told me I was a hypocrite, I could not be a christian and do what I was doing, but though it was so hard to do i ignored that voice and trusted I was secure with God because Jesus died for my sins.
On the fourth day, the masturbation I had been a slave to for six years stopped.

For sin shall no longer be your master for you are not under law but under grace rom6:14

 

[aiki]

Whatever, it is still hard for us humans. It is not an easy road. God lets us suffer as we have free will and he wants us to make the right choices.

So, I'm guessing from your "whatever" that the things I wrote don't make any sense to you. Am I right? Does it all sound like hyper-spiritual, overly-complicated gobbledy-gook? That's how it sounded to me when I first was told the things I've shared with you in this thread. What I've discovered, though, is that as I've come to understand the "dead to sin" and the "walk by faith, not by sight" stuff, the struggle with sin has given way to victory over it - just like the Bible promises. You don't have to be mired in sin like you are. That's why the apostle Paul wrote to the Roman Christians,

Romans 6:1-2
1 What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound?
2 Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it?

Paul was saying that continuing in sin was totally unnecessary for those who had, by placing their trust in Christ as their Saviour and Lord, been made dead to sin. That's you, right? So, Paul says to you, too, "How shall you who have been made dead to sin live any longer in it?"

Is the life of a believer an "easy road? Yes - and no. The Christian life is really quite impossible without God. He calls us to a standard of living we can't ever meet on our own. We absolutely must depend on Him at every moment for the strength we need to be who He has called us to be. But that's they key, the principle that makes the Christian life not only do-able but easy: Depending entirely upon the Holy Spirit's power. As you "abide in the vine," as every Christian is commanded to do, the life of the Spirit flows into you and does for you what you can't ever do for yourself. This is why Jesus said,

Matthew 11:28-30
28 Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
29 Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
30 For My yoke is easy and My burden is light."

Lived the way the Bible says the Christian life is supposed to be lived, it is not the arduous tormented struggle that you seem to think it is. Jesus said walking with him was restful, that his yoke was easy and light. But this is true only if you walk his way, the way I've been explaining to you in this thread.

So, let me get really practical with you: When I am tempted with, say, sexual lust, what do I do?

1.) Acknowledge my utter weakness: "Heavenly Father, I am unable to endure this temptation on my own. I am too weak to be who you want me to be by myself."
2.) Surrender my will to God: "Lord, I yield to your will in this moment of temptation. Make me the man you want me to be."
3.) Tell myself the truth: "I am dead to sin. However strong this temptation may feel, I don't have to yield to it. I am dead to sin." Quote Romans 6 to myself.
4.) Stand on the truth. Refuse to doubt what God has said about my being dead to sin.
5.) Walk away from the temptation.

I hestitate to lay down these steps because believers get to thinking, "If I follow these steps, then the result I want will follow," and they turn walking with God into a ritual or a procedure. God is not a procedure, so be careful not to make walking with Him into one.

Selah.

 

[Goatee]

So, I'm guessing from your "whatever" that the things I wrote don't make any sense to you. Am I right? Does it all sound like hyper-spiritual, overly-complicated gobbledy-gook? That's how it sounded to me when I first was told the things I've shared with you in this thread. What I've discovered, though, is that as I've come to understand the "dead to sin" and the "walk by faith, not by sight" stuff, the struggle with sin has given way to victory over it - just like the Bible promises. You don't have to be mired in sin like you are. That's why the apostle Paul wrote to the Roman Christians,

Romans 6:1-2
1 What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound?
2 Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it?

Paul was saying that continuing in sin was totally unnecessary for those who had, by placing their trust in Christ as their Saviour and Lord, been made dead to sin. That's you, right? So, Paul says to you, too, "How shall you who have been made dead to sin live any longer in it?"

Is the life of a believer an "easy road? Yes - and no. The Christian life is really quite impossible without God. He calls us to a standard of living we can't ever meet on our own. We absolutely must depend on Him at every moment for the strength we need to be who He has called us to be. But that's they key, the principle that makes the Christian life not only do-able but easy: Depending entirely upon the Holy Spirit's power. As you "abide in the vine," as every Christian is commanded to do, the life of the Spirit flows into you and does for you what you can't ever do for yourself. This is why Jesus said,

Matthew 11:28-30
28 Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
29 Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
30 For My yoke is easy and My burden is light."

Lived the way the Bible says the Christian life is supposed to be lived, it is not the arduous tormented struggle that you seem to think it is. Jesus said walking with him was restful, that his yoke was easy and light. But this is true only if you walk his way, the way I've been explaining to you in this thread.

So, let me get really practical with you: When I am tempted with, say, sexual lust, what do I do?

1.) Acknowledge my utter weakness: "Heavenly Father, I am unable to endure this temptation on my own. I am too weak to be who you want me to be by myself."
2.) Surrender my will to God: "Lord, I yield to your will in this moment of temptation. Make me the man you want me to be."
3.) Tell myself the truth: "I am dead to sin. However strong this temptation may feel, I don't have to yield to it. I am dead to sin." Quote Romans 6 to myself.
4.) Stand on the truth. Refuse to doubt what God has said about my being dead to sin.
5.) Walk away from the temptation.

I hestitate to lay down these steps because believers get to thinking, "If I follow these steps, then the result I want will follow," and they turn walking with God into a ritual or a procedure. God is not a procedure, so be careful not to make walking with Him into one.

Selah.

You make it seem easy when in fact it is not. Jesus said the right way was narrow and hard. Following Jesus is going to be hard and will have crosses put in the way. I accept them.

If it was easy then it would be no issue for us sinners and people who are tempted day in, day out!