Lies We Tell Ourselves
Daily Scripture
Romans 7:15-25
15 I don’t know what I’m doing, because I don’t do what I want to do. Instead, I do the thing that I hate. 16 But if I’m doing the thing that I don’t want to do, I’m agreeing that the Law is right. 17 But now I’m not the one doing it anymore. Instead, it’s sin that lives in me. 18 I know that good doesn’t live in me—that is, in my body. The desire to do good is inside of me, but I can’t do it. 19 I don’t do the good that I want to do, but I do the evil that I don’t want to do. 20 But if I do the very thing that I don’t want to do, then I’m not the one doing it anymore. Instead, it is sin that lives in me that is doing it.
21 So I find that, as a rule, when I want to do what is good, evil is right there with me. 22 I gladly agree with the Law on the inside, 23 but I see a different law at work in my body. It wages a war against the law of my mind and takes me prisoner with the law of sin that is in my body. 24 I’m a miserable human being. Who will deliver me from this dead corpse? 25 Thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then I’m a slave to God’s Law in my mind, but I’m a slave to sin’s law in my body.
Daily Reflection & Prayer
Note: This week’s GPS draws on lyrics from two of the most popular songs from Netflix’s KPop Demon Hunters, “Golden” and “What It Sounds Like”.
Song Lyrics:
Nothing but the truth now
Nothing but the proof of what I am
The worst of what I came from, patterns I’m ashamed of
Things that even I don’t understand
I tried to fix it, I tried to fight it
My head was twisted, my heart divided
My lies all collided I don’t know why I didn’t trust you to be on my side*
Most of us know what it’s like to want to change and still do the same thing anyway. We promise ourselves this time will be different, and then we’re right back in the same pattern within a week. It’s not usually because we don’t know better. It’s because there’s a gap between what we believe and what we actually do, and that gap can start to feel like two different people living in one body. Today’s song lyrics describe exactly that split, a “twisted head” and a “divided heart” caught between colliding lies. Paul wrote about the same struggle centuries earlier, admitting he didn’t understand his own actions, that he kept doing the very thing he hated. But he didn’t stop at the confession. He pointed to an actual turning, not just feeling bad about the pattern, but genuinely changing direction because of what Christ had already done.
- Today’s song lyrics describe a divided heart caught between colliding lies. What fears, assumptions, or false beliefs have kept me from believing that God is truly for me and on my side?
- Paul didn’t just feel guilty about his pattern, he pointed to an actual rescue. Not more effort, not finally trying harder, but Christ stepping into the exact place where his own willpower had already failed. Where in my life do I experience the tension between the person I want to be in Christ and the habits, desires, or patterns that continue to pull me away from God’s best for me? When I feel discouraged by my ongoing struggles, how can I more fully rely on the grace and power of Jesus rather than trying to overcome them through my own strength?
Prayer
Merciful God, you know the gap between what I believe and what I actually do better than I’m willing to admit. Thank you that Christ doesn’t just forgive the pattern, he interrupts it. Give me one honest turn today, not just guilt, but an actual change of direction. Amen.
GPS Insights
Bethany Wilkie
A scripture that will always speak to me is Romans 7:22–23: “I gladly agree with the Law on the inside, but I see a different law at work in my body. It wages a war against the law of my mind and takes me prisoner with the law of sin that is in my body.”
I was born and raised in the Church. I went to kids’ ministry, was confirmed, and throughout my teenage years have really grown in my faith. When I spend time with God, I feel calm in the midst of the storm and at peace through knowing who He is. The best way for me to know Him more deeply is by studying my Bible daily.
I wish I could say that I read my Bible every day, but life happens. Sometimes I’m out of town or spend the entire evening studying. However, the biggest thing that keeps me from reading my Bible is my phone.
I can spend hours scrolling at night, especially on social media, which often leaves me feeling uncertain and not good enough. Yet I continue to let it consume my mind. I find myself constantly praying for the discipline to put my phone down and spend that time with God instead.
If this is something you also struggle with, here are a few ways to prioritize time in the Bible over time on your devices. When you read your Bible, turn your phone off and leave it in another room. Set reminders throughout the day to spend time with God, and consider setting screen-time limits on your phone so you’re only allowing yourself a couple of hours of social media each day.
These tips can apply to more than just our devices. Find ways to pull yourself away from worldly idols and draw closer to God. Those idols can never fill the place in our hearts that only He can. I pray for all of you reading this, that God would give you the strength to turn away from the things that distract you and help you find more time each day to spend with Him.
What is the GPS?
Resurrection offers a free tool for those who wish to read the Bible daily. Our Grow/Pray/Study guide (GPS) provides a Bible reading, Scripture reflections based on the passage, inspirational quotes from leading Bible scholars, questions to help readers apply the Bible to their faith journey, and a daily prayer guide at the end of each day’s reflection. Many readers have told us the GPS has strengthened their spiritual growth and helped them better understand how to let the Bible guide them in Christian living.
