Changing your 'want to'

At a luncheon after a ministerial association meeting, my associates and I were having lunch and discussing the difficulties of living the Christian life, especially in an America that is turning anti-Christian. 'Can anyone really live a good Christian life,' one pastor asked? 'Absolutely,' I answered.

It may be difficult, at times, to be a good Christian, but it is not complicated, not at all. It is a matter of will, choice. You either serve God or you serve satan, and it's your choice.

Luke 16:13 "No servant can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other...."

Not only is it your choice, it is your fault if you fail. It's not God's fault. He has given us all we need to succeed .. grace, love, His Word, the Holy Spirit and more.

The culprit, when we fail, is sin that we choose to do.... Simple. Sin. Catholic tradition identifies seven particularly troublesome classes of sins (the "seven deadly sins"): They are pride, covetousness, lust, envy, gluttony, anger, and sloth. While no one is safe from any of these, those that pose the greatest challenge to the disciplined Christian life are almost certainly pride and sloth, according to most preachers.. I think the two worst culprits are lustful thoughts aand difficult people, getting down to the nitty gritty. Here's an interesting take on 'sloth,' however.

Sloth is insidious. It whispers that you might as well do it tomorrow, that nobody will know if you cut corners here and there to save yourself some trouble, that the world will be the same in a hundred years no matter what you do, so why do anything? Sloth says, ‘Don’t strain yourself,’ ‘What’s the big hurry?’ and ‘Just give me five more minutes.’

Sloth hits the snooze alarm, hits the remote control and hits the road when the going gets tough . . . Sloth cheats on exams, drinks straight from the milk carton and leaves exactly two sheets on the toilet roll so that it will have to be replaced by the next poor soul who finds out too late that the remaining paper is nothing more than a mirage. -- Joseph Stowell, Today in the Word, July 1996, p. 2

Make no mistake about it, people like to sin, and they choose sin regularly over good living. Why is that? .. Human nature or as some call it, the 'sin nature.' It's also human nature to scratch an itch but people with self control do it in private, eh? It's human nature to pick the nose but, as Melina would say, 'ewwwww.' Socialized, self controlled people don't do it, at least not in public. Human nature can be thwarted when not in our best interests. Again, it's not complicated. Simple choosing. If not, why have a system of laws, checks and balances. We know we can be good when we want to. It's the 'want' or maybe better said the 'I don't want to" that's the problem.

How can we change our 'want to?' Sometimes we make things more complicated than they need be.

"Why do Baptists not have sex standing up? Because it might lead to dancing." Fortunately, this is a joke. However sometimes Christians actually have gotten carried away with rules. Rules of behavior have turned into an end in themselves.

Back to changing the 'want to.' Try a little self control. The Christian life doesn't happen by accident. It requires planning and a consistent approach. We must, although we find it difficult, face our faults and our weaknesses and plan accordingly. If you know that staying up surfing the net makes you too tired to do a good job the next morning, it's simple, don't do it. Self discipline is necessary for most successful living, including being a 'good' Christian.

There are a number of different approaches to discipline. Most of them are based on regular scheduling. Christians generally should set aside specific times each day for prayer and study, both individually and as a family. If you don't, your 'want to' will suffer. These times should include prayer. They should normally include some kind of study or opportunity for growth.

And Christians need to associate with each other, for there IS strength in numbers, and the Lord said He would be with us where two or more gathered in His name. Yes, I'm talking about church. Those who say they don't need to be in 'church' (where two or more are gathered in His name) are foolish and lying to themselves and others. You do need to be there, to worship and to be guided, fed, led and encouraged. You don't get all those things gazing at the stars in a forest.. or as Wesley asked, in a zoo. :) You need to be with other Christians and worship the Lord, not the stars, the universe, rocks or flowers or grass. The Bible gives good examples of worship which are studying together, singing together, praying together, etc. Notice the 'together.'

Finally, Christians are to be committed to serving others. Jesus indicated that the primary way of judging someone's spiritual state was by looking at what they did for Him and for others. And I can assure you, if you're busy serving others, being a responsible person, taking care of business and obligations, praying, having devotions, studying, you will find it much easier to control your 'want to,' that is, if you really want to.

I Was Afraid You’d Tell Me Not To Do It

A school teacher lost her life savings in a business scheme that had been elaborately explained by a swindler. When her investment disappeared and her dream was shattered, she went to the Better Business Bureau. “Why on earth didn’t you come to us first?” the official asked. “Didn’t you know about the Better Business Bureau?” “Oh, yes,” said the lady sadly. “I’ve always known about you. But I didn’t come because I was afraid you’d tell me not to do it.”

The silliness and dangerousness of human nature are that even though we know where the answers lie .. in God’s Word .. we don’t turn there for fear of what it will say. That's the same reason we don't change our 'want to,' we're afraid to for we won't have the fun of sin, eh?