Please, Take It Away

      This past week I read a great quote from a fellow talking about his attempts to overcome sin. He said, “I’d been praying self-righteously all along, ‘Please God, take it away!’ not realizing my inner heart was piteously whining, ‘…so I won’t have to give it up.’”

      We all want to overcome the pet sins that plague us like an addiction. A hidden monster that comes out when we least want it to. Perhaps yours is drink or drugs. Maybe it is gluttony. Perhaps you struggle with sexual sins of lust and pornography. Maybe you deal with anger and rage. Materialism, pride, covetousness might be your struggles.

      Have you ever prayed, “Please, God, just take it away”? I have. In my heart, I know I was thinking just what that fellow above was. It is too hard to give up. Part of me doesn’t even want to. If God would take it away, then I wouldn’t have to do anything. Overcoming sin doesn’t work that way. God will not simply take away temptation and sin. That is the principle of reaping what we sow in Galatians 6:7-8.

      However, as we progress from this point, we realize a great paradox. I can’t overcome sin on my own. Look at Paul in Romans 7:7-23. If the apostle Paul could not overcome his sins on his own, how do we expect to?

      Philippians 4:13 provides the balance. “I can do all things through him who strengthens me” (ESV). Interestingly, Paul was talking about being content in whatever financial or material state he found himself. Don’t forget the struggle he expressed in Romans 7 had to do with coveting. He was able to overcome coveting. But not on his own. He was only able to overcome coveting through the strength God gave Him.

      Please note that great balance. He did overcome coveting. He learned not to covet. But he did not do it by his own power. He relied on the strength of God. In II Corinthians 12:9-10 Paul recognized when he was weak, he was strong. How? When he realized his personal weakness, then he relied on God. When he relied on God, God worked through him and he became strong.

      This is the balance of Philippians 2:12-13. We work in fear and trembling because we know God is working in us. We mustn’t go too far in either direction. If we put too much emphasis on us, we will be like Paul in Romans 7 wondering why we keep doing what we don’t want. On the other hand, if we act like God is just supposed to take our temptation away, we will continue sowing to the flesh and we will continue to reap corruption.

      Let’s change our prayers. “Please, God, let me surrender to You and You give me strength to overcome anything Satan hurls at me today.”

Edwin L. Crozier