Wanna Wanna
Have you noticed that there are many times when we don’t want to do something, but we want to want to do it? That sure is true for me. Paul says it in Galatians:
… and more clearly in Romans chapter 7, in each of these verses:
16: Now if I do what I do not want, I agree with the law, that it is good.
18: For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out.
19: For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing.
20: Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me.
21: So I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand.
There are times we don’t want to do something, even though we know it’s the right thing to do – but we know we should want to do it.
We don’t do it because we don’t want to do it. But we wish we wanted to do it.
Similarly, each of the ‘works of the flesh’ as Paul calls them (as opposed to the fruits of the Spirit) has this characteristic: we want to do those for which we have a weakness, but we don’t want to want to. How many times have we caught ourselves in a rage about something, for instance, only to realize that (a) it felt so good and (b) it was so wrong? 1
I think we’re designed that way, and I think it was done for a very specific reason. Over and over again, I find that God limits Himself and us. He could have made us perfect, but for our benefit He didn’t.
So where does all this leave us? Are we helpless pawns to our desires and weaknesses? I don’t think so – for these reasons:
- As Christians, we are children of Almighty God. Good Dads don’t leave their children defenseless. We are tempted, and it seems that the temptation is permitted in order to produce endurance:
No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and He will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation He will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.– 1 Cor 10:13
- We are called to ACT, not to REACT. When we act, the things we do and the thoughts we think originate new sequences of events. He who starts something controls it first – the other side must work within the scope of the original action. The enemy longs to reverse that, in order to keep us off balance. But if we get into the habit of ‘checking in’ with the Father before everything we do, then everything we do becomes an initial action, and it is as if every prior wrong step is redeemed thereby. Bad steps are stopped. Poor choices are corrected. Good decisions are strengthened. And best of all, that habit will spill over into the rest of our lives. Thus every thought will be checked out first with God as well – held hostage to the Lord:
We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ, …– 2 Cor 10:5
As the leading proponent of Galatians 5:19-21 thinking, I can attest to the fact that – on the rare occasion when I remember to – when I tell God that I want to think these thoughts but I don’t want to want to, I find it’s easier to shift my mind onto some more healthy topic. Similarly when I don’t want to apologize to someone who deserves an apology, etc..
Life isn’t easy, but then – it was never intended to be.
- As an aside, Paul gives a non-exhaustive list 15 of these works of the flesh in Gal 5:19-21 …
► sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality,
► idolatry, sorcery,
► enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy,
► drunkenness, orgies
… and I find it interesting that over half are about anger in relating to others … possibly because this set of wrongness can apply to absolutely everyone at absolutely any time at the speed of light. ↩
Mike
Dave Travis
Rose
Thanks for this great synopsis. (BTW, “No Name” near bottom of your list was Mel Lawrenz, Elmbrook...
October 19th, 2009 at 7:57 pm
Reading this I experienced a shift in state; a thought I had has been solidified. The concept of acting as opposed to reacting as you explained it has crystallized my thought that if we keep His Words before us always they will be our first response to Satan as they were for Eve. What he offered Eve was a second thought and had she stuck with ‘the first thought;’ the Words of God, we wouldn’t be in this predicament. But, then again, we wouldn’t have the opportunity to say, “Look DADDY, I figured it out! – Trust You; doubt the second thought that the devil offers up!”
October 20th, 2009 at 10:20 pm
Another insightful post, Steve. You’ve hit the nail squarely on the head for me here in your articulation. ‘Wanting to want’ is something I’ve often prayed about. I love Paul’s honesty and transparency as revealed in his confession in Romans 7. It lets me know I’m not alone in my struggles and there is hope to overcome and move on to higher heights. I figure if Paul struggled with these same things, I’m in pretty good company. Doing the right thing because it’s in our heart and head to do it, helps us to make sure our motives are right and that we’re just not on spiritual cruise control. Makes me think of Mark Batterson’s ‘right brain/left brain’ references. Thanks bro.