White-Knuckled Christians
Philippians 4:13 (KJV) I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me. The Hubster and I talked to an Christian acquaintance a few years back. He was struggling with a sinful habit that he just couldn't beat. "I'm doing everything I can," he said, "I can't seem to stay away from it." We could almost feel his desperation. It was like he had his hands on the steering wheel, holding on for dear life. This guy was white-knuckling it. We've all been there. There is something in our lives that we know is keeping us from a deeper relationship with the Savior. We really want to give it up. Not thinking about it, avoiding old triggers and negative reinforcement aren't working for us. It seems like the tighter we bear down, the harder the temptation is to resist. And so we give in. Again and again. The downward spiral of failure puts us in a tailspin. Our intentions are honorable. We just can't seem to shake that nasty habit....