C.S. Lewis once wrote, "A silly idea is current that good people do not know what temptation means. This is an obvious lie. Only those who try to resist temptation know how strong it is."

That's been very true in my life! I never realized how strong my sinful nature was until I started trying to fight it. I'm now in my fifties and I've been a Christian for most of my life, yet I still fight it every day. Sins I thought I would be long done with by now are still very alive in my heart. Sometimes I'm downright horrible at fighting them! But I keep trying.

One day, after a period of failure where I gave in to some temptations I shouldn't have, this image popped into my head. Drawing it out has helped me to visualize what I am supposed to be doing with my sinful desires, every day. I've had to accept that it's never going to get easy. It's hard and painful and bloody.  But I need to keep doing the work.

Not so I can earn my way to heaven. God's forgiveness is a free gift. We are born again and made new by the kindness and love of God, not by how much good we do. We don't earn our ticket to heaven (Ephesians 2:8-9). Rather, God saves us and makes us new, and THEN God helps us to live that out by no longer living in our old ways. The Bible teaches a concept called "sanctification", which is a fancy word for "becoming more like Jesus." He puts the Holy Spirit in our hearts to help us fight our sinful nature, resist temptation, and grow in righteousness and holiness.

But sometimes we fail. We still sin. Thankfully the Bible says that if we confess our sins, God is faithful to forgive and cleanse us (1 John 1:9). Then we get back up, dust ourselves off, and join the battle again. It's a lifelong process that continues until we die.

It's not easy. But the more we do it, the stronger we become and the more God is able to use us in His service. To bless others. For His glory. 

Lord Jesus, help me to keep fighting my sin, so that I can better serve you and bless others.