“But thanks be to God that though you were slaves of sin, you became obedient from the heart to that form of teaching to which you were committed…” (Romans 6:17)
Sin is still our master as long as it has our heart. Notice the language of Romans 6 – when we become obedient to God from the heart, then we can truly see our slavery to sin in the past tense.
When we change our behavior but don’t address our desires, we are going to eventually return to the same mess we just got out of. We have to be honest with ourselves that sometimes we don’t want to change because even good change is scary.
You cannot fully follow God in a new life while looking back to the old one you left behind. There is an oddly comforting familiarity that can be found in our old life. Even if it is unhealthy, it is what we know. When we look back to our sinful habits with longing, a desire to avoid change, or even a strange self-indulgent wallowing in shame, we inhibit forward progress. These things need confession and prayer.
Commitment from the heart… obedience through love of the Lord… these things lead to walking in the light.
Matthew 4:4 #Biblebites