Psychologists say, “Willpower is the key to success.”

Hmm!

The question we need to ask is, “What is success for us?”

If success for us is getting straight A in all college exams, well, I think willpower will be the key to successfully do that. Even if this is not true to all people, it’s at least for many people. But if “success” for you is to discipline your flesh, to keep, for example, your eyes from watching any filthy stuff such as viewing porn or sexually explicit movies, shows, dramas or TikTok short videos, let me tell you something, willpower will do you no good!  

It is even foolishness for anyone to try to tame his flesh by his own will-power. It is actually funny even to think like that. One can have will-power to study the whole night and the whole day but this same person cannot use this same will-power to keep his sexual sanity.

“Willpower” is “the ability to delay gratification, resisting short-term temptations in order to meet long-term goals.”

Look how Paul writes the value of “self-empowering” kind of ability:

“If you have died with Christ to the elementary principles of the world, why, as if you were living in the world, do you submit yourself to decrees, such as, “Do not handle, do not taste, do not touch!” (which all refer to things destined to perish with use)—in accordance with the commandments and teachings of men? These are matters which have, to be sure, the appearance of wisdom in self-made religion and self-abasement and severe treatment of the body, but are of no value against fleshly indulgence.” Colossians 2:20-23

They “are no value against fleshly indulgence” – My! That is a very strong statement! But also true!

Christianity has nothing to do with willpower or “self-made religion.” Christianity is all about bringing praise and honor to the One who deserves to receive them all!

Willpower pats on its chest says, “My! My! I am good! The only one who can beat me is me.”

Do you see how “self” is being glorified?

I mean, let’s say self is not glorified (by the way, it is impossible in this case, but for the purpose of discussion, let’s say self is not glorified), what will be the goal and purpose of using “willpower” in the context of Christianity?

To get to God or to impress God with our “good works” and our “sexually pure” lives or to just achieve that “Christianity goal?”

Let me tell you something: God can only be glorified by God!

Hmm!

Let me paraphrase that statement in a little different way.

God can only be glorified in a perfect and holy way, no other way. One may think that they impress God by avoiding sexually explicit movies but if their thought lives are corrupt, forget about impressing God.

Do you see my point?

By the way, let me say this at the outset: I am a person who loves willpower and who benefitted from willpower greatly in my entire college life. Yes, human willpower can accomplish many great things. All I am trying to say here is willpower cannot be a tool to use to walk in godliness. That is all!

Pursing God, seeking Him and digging deep into the word to know Him will separate us from the things of this world. It is a second by second walk because we are not fully convinced that God is all we need in this life. So, we time and time again stop or lag in pursuing God and get entangled with this world and our fleshly desires and fantasies. Then we pull ourselves up by our bootstraps to start all over again. But the question is, what is our status before God when we go through these ups and downs, regretting, confessing and denouncing our sin and starting our journey all over again?

This is where Christianity is different from all other religions?

You see, the word of God says,

“What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things? Who will bring a charge against God’s elect? God is the one who justifies; who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is He who died, yes, rather who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us.” Romans 8:31-34

Did you see that?

When does Christ Jesus pray and intercede for us?

Are you kidding????

Christ Jesus ALWAYS stands at the right hand of God, seen before God as a slain Lamb for us. Notice the grammar, Jesus Christ “is at the right hand of God, who intercedes for us.”

And don’t you wanna know what the word of God says after it says “intercedes for us?”

I do! Listen:

“Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? Just as it is written,

“For Your sake we are being put to death all day long;
We were considered as sheep to be slaughtered.”

But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:35-39

Breathtaking!

I mean, can we even comprehend what the word of God is saying to us in the above passages? I personally don’t think I can ever fully comprehend it because I am living in this sin-stricken body and in this fallen world. That is why Paul said, “For now we see in a mirror dimly”.

Dimly I see this in the word of God: Christianity is an everyday search of our Sovereign God and delighting in Him. Christianity is not a religion of “do’s and don’ts” but a religion of intimate and unceasing relationship between God and His people. Sexual purity and sexual sanity or sexual integrity is the fruit of that relationship. Fruit is something that comes as a result of. So, we don’t work hard to make orange. Rather, we plant an orange tree and cultivate it so we receive the fruit.

So, before we ask or get concerned about our sexual sanity or purity, let’s see if we are intimate with God and the Spirit of God; if we are part-time Christians or full-time Christians? – By the way, there is no such kind of term in Christianity. We are Christians or we are not-Christians.

What are we? ///