Fighting Sin

I have really been struggling with fighting sin recently.  It’s like Paul talks about in Romans 7, when I “do not understand what I am doing, because I do not practice what I want to do, but I do what I hate.”  Especially in the moment, I get so tempted!  My flesh is so good at tempting me with what seems to be so appealing!  But the other day, I was listening to some worship music, and one line in particular stood out to me.  It said:  “my sin weighed upon His shoulders.”  I got a very vivid image in my head.  Jesus has been beaten and tormented, and is extremely weak.  He is trying to carry His cross, but is falling underneath its weight.  He is struggling to get up.  That’s where I come in… MY sin is weighing Him down, is upon His shoulders!  My choices, my thoughts, my actions-  He died for that.  I burdened Him.  My name was written in His blood.  That sacrifice was personal.  When I think of myself pushing him down as he tries to get up, it brings tears to my eyes.  I have to ask God to help me fight my sin, and to learn to hate my sin and see it as He does.  I have to ask Him to make me new even though my flesh fails every single day, to cleanse me of my dirty heart, to make me clean in Him.  I love Him and want to fight my sin for Him, but I cannot do it on my own!  I thank Him for the power of the Holy Spirit, that lives inside me and helps me to do these things that I cannot do on my own.  I have to ask Him to convict me of my sin, help me to see it as painful for Christ, as disgusting in His sight, as something that separated me from Him, and to help me commit to fighting my sin every single day, that it is important to me in every single moment.  When I am tempted, and the image of my sin seems so appealing to me, I have to learn to replace that image with the image of Christ struggling to get up with His cross, and MY SIN weighing down upon His shoulders.  With that image in mind, my sin disgusts me, and I have motivation to fight it with every ounce of strength inside me.  Thank You, Jesus, for taking my punishment for me, and making me free in You!