Not What I Want

Have you ever desired to do the right thing but the wrong one was always present? Has God told you to do something, but when the time came, you followed another way? How about you said you were going to start eating healthy but you keep eating junk food and visiting your favorite restaurants? Changing our behavior can be daunting; however, if we persevere, we will receive a reward.

The Story: 2 Kings 17 – 18

In 2 Kings 17 and 18, we see the kings and people of Israel doing all types of evil in the sight of the Lord. They yielded to sin through their idolatry and complete rejection of God. They even removed items dedicated to God and gave them to the pagan gods. As a result, God sent them into captivity.

Their captors took over the land of Israel and followed their own customs and gods. Their behaviors displeased God so He sent lions to devour them. God captured the attention of these new inhabitants. They inquired of the imprisoned priests about how to remove God’s anger. The captors selected one priest to return to Israel and teach the new inhabitants the ways of God. While the captors followed the customs of God, they continued worshipping their idols.

The Lesson

We can look at these people and judge them for their inability to serve God wholeheartedly. We can criticize how God delivered them multiple times and they returned to idolatry continuously. But I caution us on throwing stones.

Paul informs us in Romans 7:14-25 (AMP) that we behave as the children of Israel on many occasions. We want to do good, but evil is ever present. Verse 24 captures our conundrum. “Wretched and miserable man that I am! Who will [rescue me and] set me free from this body of death [this corrupt mortal existence]? Praise be to God for we have hope.

Jesus is our hope. He came to earth, died for our sins, and rose again to make intercession for us. His existence serves as a reminder that a life of sin is not our portion. We also have Holy Spirit to lead and guide us into all truth. When we seek and commune with Him, He will show us how to cease yielding to the flesh. Therefore, we have a partner in the battle.

I can hear you asking, “How do we do this in real life?” Well, I ask myself this same question on the regular. Here’s what I’ve found:

1. Repent of following our own way
2. Submit to God and express our desire to follow His plan
3. Remove the things and people that are stumblingblocks
4. Continue to lean on God knowing that if left to our own devices, we will return to the very thing we don’t want to do
5. Give ourselves grace because we’re not perfect
6. When we fall, get back up and begin again

Life isn’t about perfection but pursuing God and giving grace at all times.

*Photo by Sandro Katalina on Unsplash