“I Just Need to Try Harder”

“... to live right.” “... to stop this sin I just can't stop.” “... to be a better Christian.” “... to love my spouse more.” Fill in the blank for you. These things that vex us aren't okay. They are idols in our life and we do need to lay them down and be free of them. But just trying harder won't work.

“I just need to try harder.” That's the religious answer. The condemning voice inside says we just need to straighten up and fly right. As if we could. As if we could live a righteous life by trying harder and being more religious. What a lie. Jesus is not religious; he's relational.

You can only get evil things out of your life by (1) agreeing with God that they are evil things, and (2) laying them at the foot of the Cross. Not at the foot of Trying Harder.

Yes, we do need to try as hard as we can to live a godly life. Knowing Jesus is not a license to sin. But we live a godly life by pressing into Him as hard as we can. By focusing our attention and energy on Him. By spending more time with Him. By Knowing Him and getting closer to Him, the by-product for us is freedom from the chains that bind us.

What's that look like? Isn't that just trying harder to read our Bible or spend time with Him or do something religious? No, it's different. We'll talk about two key, practical strategies for focusing our lives on Jesus and living godly lives this week.