Folly to Rely on My Willpower

It occurs to me that I am in the greatest danger when I decide that my willpower alone is strong enough to resist temptation or worse yet to foolishly conclude that I am cured and no longer vulnerable.

As I examine my conscience and my history of sinful lust, I see that when I am not feeling particularly tempted, these are the times I am most likely to relax my commitment to daily heartfelt prayer. It is not long after such mistakes that the evil one rushes in with a temptation that I am ill prepared to fight.

I think this interpretation of Proverbs 16:18 from the Knox bible says it well.
"Presumption comes first, and ruin close behind it; pride ever goes before a fall."

 

Today I read an interpretation of Romans 7: 13 - 25 that I found in the New American Bible which I think explains why willpower alone is insufficient to fight sin.

"Far from improving the sinner, law encourages sin to expose itself in transgressions or violations of specific commandments (see ⇒ Romans 1:24; ⇒ 5:20). Thus persons who do not experience the justifying grace of God, and Christians who revert to dependence on law as the criterion for their relationship with God, will recognize a rift between their reasoned desire for the goodness of the law and their actual performance that is contrary to the law. Unable to free themselves from the slavery of sin and the power of death, they can only be rescued from defeat in the conflict by the power of God's grace working through Jesus Christ."

I summarize this to mean, once we have made the decision to quit sin, we must have grace to underpin that commitment. In my understanding, grace is obtained by prayer, devotion to Jesus Christ and kindness to others. Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound!

 

Lately, I have been led to examine my heart and to ask myself if I want a truly clean heart or if I am holding on to some vestige of my old self and a desire to sin. A house divided against itself cannot stand and so if I do not completely desire a clean heart, eventually I will fall again.

I understand that grace underpins willpower but it occurs to me there is a third element to this equation called desire. The more one desires a truly clean heart the more grace is bestowed on them and the more grace one receives the stronger willpower becomes. Perhaps these three things are a structure where each builds on the other. Where I used to pray, "Lord create a clean heart in me", the prayer that is resonating with me these days is "Lord teach me to desire a thoroughly clean heart".

Fulton Sheen wrote this when describing Christ's entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday.

“In the life of every individual and in the life of every nation, there are three moments: a time of visitation or privilege in the form of a blessing from God; a time of rejection in which the Divine is forgotten; and a time of doom or disaster. Judgment (or disaster) is the consequence of human decisions and proves that the world is guided by God’s presence. His tears over the city [Jerusalem] showed Him as the Lord of History, giving men grace, and yet never destroying their freedom to reject it. But in disobeying His will, men destroy themselves; in stabbing Him, it is their own hearts they slay; in denying Him, it is their city and their nation that they bring to ruin. Such was the message of His tears as the King goes to the Cross.”

Excerpt From: Fulton J. Sheen. “Life of Christ.”

 

Thank you Mr. Eko, I will think and pray about what you have shared! As always, you are very enlightening. Thank you!