Why I Do What I Don’t Want To Do

In review of John 8:32 it says, “You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

Bottom Line:

And you will learn and know the truth, and this truth will set you free

What this means to me:

If I remain faithful to Jesus teachings, I will know learn and know the truth, and this truth will set me free.

This morning I’m considering why it is I do what I don’t want to do? It seems hard to do that which I know is right.

I’m learning that my sinful nature causes me to often make the wrong choice. I can relate directly to the apostle Paul when he says, “I don’t understand myself, for I want to do what is right, but I don’t do it. Instead, I do what I hate …. So I am not the one doing wrong; it is sin living in me that does it. 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” (Romans 7:15, 17-18 NLT, second edition).

There seems to be this tension inside of me. I have my good nature that God gave me, but I also have my old sinful nature that is constantly pulling at me.

I believe the scripture I’m reading today helps provides a way out! Jesus promised in John 8:32, “You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (NIV).

What I’m learning is that the secret to personal change is not willpower. It’s not a pill. It’s not a resolution. It’s not some vow that I make. The secret to personal change is not something I do or say.

The secret to personal change is actually something I know. I know the truth. When I change the way I think, it changes the way I feel. And when I change the way I feel, it changes the way I act.

Behind every self-defeating act is a lie I believe. It may be a lie about myself, my past or future, God, or others.

Why do I do something that I know is bad for me? Because I think there’s some kind of payoff. That’s the lie! I can only change and fulfill God’s purpose for my life if I start with God’s truth. If I want to change the way I live, I’ll have to start with my mind. I’ll have to know and believe God’s truth.

When I know the truth, the truth will set you free. What I need to do is expose and uncover the lies that I have been accepting. Some of those lies I’ve picked up on the playground as a kid or from TV or culture. Some of them I picked up from me parents or even creatively thought them up myself. But they are lies, and when I reject them and instead find out what God has to say, I will experience freedom like I’ve never known.

In summary, when I follow Jesus, he will reveal the real truth and this truth will free me from my old ways of believing. Wow, I thank you God for sending your Son, Jesus, to show me and allow me to learn your truth. When I absorb this truth, I can combat the false beliefs that I have and begin live differently. Today, I need to consider the false payoffs I think I get with my selfish nature. In reality it never really pays off, it only gets me into trouble. I need to know and truly believe in God’s truth and not in the payoff from the lies I have been holding onto.