Even though we know sinning is only going to hurt us, for some reason, we want to sin anyways.
We know we shouldn’t, and we know why we shouldn’t, yet in moments of temptation, we still want to.
“What I do, I do not understand. For I do not do what I want, but I do what I hate.” Romans 7:15
When we’re on the precipice of sin, tempted to take the plunge, there’s a battle we face. Think of that classic image of a devil on one shoulder and an angel on the other. There’s some truth to that.
But, in reality, it’s not as fair. The devil and angel don’t take turns giving their spiel like in the cartoons.
In real scenarios of temptation, the devil’s yelling through a megaphone, smothering and drowning out all other thoughts of righteousness. On our own, we’re weak. The devil knows this, and so he tries to isolate us.
We’re bombarded with every justification and excuse imaginable as to why it’s okay to sin. And, faintly in the background, we hear the angel’s whisper.
The angel’s voice in our head is simply saying this: “Call out for help.”
Call on Christ, the angels, and the saints. Pray. Ask for grace and strength. Talk to someone about your struggle, and ask them to pray for you. Do something so that you’re not fighting alone.
By ourselves, we don’t stand a chance.
When we’re hanging on by a thread, we need to muster whatever strength we can to make this call for help. We’re not alone, unless we choose to be.