Out with the Old

How are you doing on breaking your old habits? That old way of life may be
catching up with you right now. That happens to all of us. Stop and think for a
minute about how many years you lived life the old way. You have spent your
entire life learning to get away with as much as you can. Now you understand the
consequences of those choices and you have allowed Jesus to pay for your sin and
change you. But, those old habits are still there and they die hard. You are not
the only person to ever deal with this problem.

Open your Bible and read Romans 7:17-25.

Notice how Paul opens up these verses. Why do I do wrong things and not do
right things? Have you been asking yourself that question? The truth is we have
two natures living in us. One nature wants to do things that please God and
honor God. The other nature wants to do things that are wrong. In other words,
you are a war zone and the war is inside of you.

Let’s take a few minutes to think about what drags you back to old habits. Is
it a friendship? Is it a relationship? Is it a song or movie? Do you have things
at your house that you need to get rid of like a stash of porn, drugs, or
alcohol? Maybe you have never connected those things with what causes you to go
back to your old life, but they may be a huge part of the problem. Another
question to ask is, “when am I the most tempted?” Is it when I’m home alone
after school or is it when it’s late at night and everyone is asleep but me? Is
it at lunch when you do and talk about doing the stuff that you should no longer
be a part of? Be honest.

Now that you have identified the source of temptation you need to deal with
it. You may need to add some new friends that follow God or maybe even end a
relationship that seems to drag you away from God. You may need to get rid of
something that tempts you around the house. You should tell the person holding
you accountable about your temptation. Remember, we talked last week about not
going it alone. You need to know you are not alone and you need someone to ask
you how you are doing in the war zone of your life.

Finally, this week let’s memorize a verse that reminds us of who we are. Open
to 2 Corinthians 5:17. Memorize that verse this week.

Take a few minutes to pray. Ask God to help you to deal with temptation.
Thank Him for forgiving you when you fail.