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Day 318 or November the 14th. Why can't I stop?

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Today's thoughts come from Romans chapter 7 verse

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19. For I do not do the good I want to do, but

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the evil I do not want to do, this I keep on

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doing. And now the big picture surrounding this

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verse. Paul stresses that rules and regulations

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cannot stop us sinning. Only an outside influence

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can change us, and the Holy Spirit is that agent

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who is willing to become an inside influence

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when we invite him. And now today's action step.

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If ever there was real evidence of original sin,

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this is it. We keep on doing the same old bad

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things day after day, even when there is no benefit

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to us, and even when we really sincerely wish

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we could break the habit. Of course, it's some

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encouragement to learn that great men like the

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Apostle Paul struggled just like you and me,

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but beware in case this becomes an alibi for

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you and me, never to tackle it ourselves. The

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old ideas of new resolutions at New Year and

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other special times like birthdays seem to have

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slipped into misuse, and I am convinced that

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it is failure to keep them that's killed them

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off. Don't beat yourself up over regular failure

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in your life. We become aware of things in our

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lives that need to be resolved because the Holy

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Spirit shows them to us. Without the Holy Spirit,

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most folk are unaware of the grime and error

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in their lives. They use other people as their

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standard and consequently they don't do too badly.

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We, on the other hand, use Jesus as our mentor

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and the challenge appears enormous. We need to

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look at others and ourselves in the light of

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how much progress has been made rather than how

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much more there is to do. Ultimately, we are

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all becoming more Christ -like, but for many

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of us, the process is exceedingly slow. Never

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mind the pace, rejoice that you are aware of

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how much you need Jesus and His Spirit, and relax

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in the security of knowing He is always available,

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and tomorrow is always another day. Remember,

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we worship the God of new beginnings.