Why can't I break the bad habits (sins) that seem to weigh me down?
From the writings of the Rev. Billy Graham
Q: I'm discouraged because I've been saved a while but haven't made any improvement, still struggling with things my friends said were keeping me from surrendering to Jesus Christ. Why can't I break the bad habits (sins) that seem to weigh me down? -- N.C.
A: After we receive Christ as Savior we may be confused sometimes because many of the old temptations have not disappeared. We still sin. Sometimes we lose our tempers. Pride and jealousy may still crop up from time to time. This is not only confusing it is discouraging and sometimes leads to spiritual depression. We may even have some particular "besetting sin" that plagues us that we do not seem to be able to conquer.
But the moment we receive Christ, we receive the Holy Spirit and are given a new nature that contends with our old nature. By the old birth we are children of the flesh; by the new birth we are children of God. This is why Jesus told Nicodemus that he "must be born again" (John 3:3).
Whenever the old nature asserts itself, we may begin to doubt whether or not we are really saved. Satan wants us to doubt our salvation to make us ineffective, but we must remind ourselves that the Holy Spirit gives us assurance that we have been born again. How do we remind ourselves? By reading and studying the Word of God. The more we commune with God by reading His word and spending time in prayer, the less we want of our old ways. The new nature begins to take over by the power of God's Word that speaks into our hearts and puts our minds on Him and sets our feet on the right path. We must let the Bible become central to life, for we cannot grow spiritually strong without it.
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(This column is based on the words and writings of the late Rev. Billy Graham.)
(c)2020 BILLY GRAHAM DISTRIBUTED BY TRIBUNE MEDIA SERVICES, INC.
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