Grace has granted us a new identity. “Christ, who is your life.” That's a direct quote from Colossians 3:4. When we came to Christ, we came to a cross, and the cross means death. We came to our death when we came to Christ, so that He could live in us.
If you think you are going to fiercely strong-arm your lust problem away, it will not happen. We do not fight by doubling down or buckling down. Although we make a firm decision to deal with our sin, willpower alone is like shadowboxing. We are saved by grace through faith, and we will win the fight of our lives the same way, by grace through faith. Grace is a power. The power for sexual purity comes by Grace.
The law exposes but grace delivers. The law doesn't help me with my sin. Rather, it exposes my sin. The law does not make me stronger. Grace delivers me with a new strategy; Grace trains me where the law fails to change me. Grace applied is the true New Testament strategy that actually trains me to live in power through purity.
Grace will train a humble, receptive heart – never a self-confident heart. Grace meets us in repentance and trains us. When I failed during this process, I'm in a good place to learn something. When I am weak, then I am strong, for the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ mentors and trains me to renounce my ungodly passions and ungodly sexual patterns, and mentors me in trusting the power of His life.
Our new strategy from Christ and the Apostle Paul is, “Be weaker.” If you are strong, then what is Christ supposed to do?
If you are frustrated and disappointed with yourself, then, sadly, that means you were trusting in yourself. You were trusting in your own strength to get up and be good for Jesus' sake! That may be religion, but it is not Christianity.
Do you want to be stronger? Then set your mind on being weaker. Weakness is a strategy of grace.
Excerpts from the book, “The Fight of Your Life” by Tim Clinton & Mark Laaser. You can get the book here: The Fight of Your Life - Manning Up to the Challenge of Sexual Integrity
