“So, dear brothers, you have no obligations whatever to your old sinful nature to do what it begs you to do.”
Romans 8:12 (TLB)
We all have compulsions, habits, lusts, drives, desires, or attractions that make us feel like we have no choice but to do them. You just can’t help yourself. You just can’t say “no.”
But if you’ve accepted Jesus Christ into your life, you have the power to say “no.”
Romans 8:9 says, “You are not controlled by your sinful nature. You are controlled by the Spirit if you have the Spirit of God living in you. (And remember that those who do not have the Spirit of Christ living in them do not belong to him at all)” (NLT).
Yes, you will still have those desires. But the Holy Spirit will give you the power to say “no” to them—you do not have to satisfy those desires. This is the difference the Spirit of God makes in you. This is how God sets you free from your compulsions.
The worst kind of slave is being a slave to your own natural desires. Some people say, “Well, if it’s natural, why should I limit it?” A lot of things seem natural. It’s natural to be self-centered, but acting on that desire might not be good for your kids, your spouse, or your ministry…
Natural doesn’t mean it’s always good. We might have a natural desire to cheat people out of money, but that doesn’t mean we should do it.
As followers of Christ, we have the Holy Spirit to help power our decisions and help us say “no” to the natural and say “yes” to the spiritually mature choices.
