“I can’t help myself.”  As excuses go, that one is close to the top.  It has been used as justification for a multitude of sins.  Everything from homosexuality to lying has been defended by simply saying, “I can’t help myself.”

Is it true?  Are there things that we do because it is outside of our ability to resist?  Not usually, and almost never when the guilty party has to say, “I can’t help myself.”  The only time I can think of when certain actions are no longer under the control of the one acting is when there is a real addiction to a substance stronger than the person taking it, and even then, the addiction was self-induced.

Temptation comes to us all, but it can always be overcome.

1 Corinthians 10:13 (ESV)
¹³ No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.

The question is do we want to take the way of escape that God provides for us?  Too many times the flesh (our selfish nature that we allowed to be corrupted by sin) gets in the way and deadens our desire to overcome the temptation that the devil throws at us.  To overcome sin, the flesh must be overcome.  Paul tells us how to do this.

Galatians 2:20 (ESV)
²⁰ I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

The “I” that Paul crucified was the “flesh.”  Those who successfully overcome temptation are those who have crucified the flesh.

Galatians 5:24 (ESV)
²⁴ And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.

It is the passions and desires of the flesh that submit to temptation and when such is done it is a willing choice.  Paul said that if we walk by the Spirit, meaning we live according to the Spirit’s teachings, we will not gratify the desires of the flesh (Galatians 5:16), and walking by the Spirit is a choice we can all make.  We just must want to so badly enough.

Flip Wilson used to say, “The devil made me do it!”  No, the devil, nor anyone else, can make us do anything.  God created us with free will, meaning we all determine which course of life we are going to follow.  If we choose to gratify the desires of the flesh, it is not because we cannot help ourselves, it is because that is what we want to do most.  Maybe we struggle not to give in to the devil, but the truth is, if we do, we did not resist him enough.  James tells us that if we resist the devil, he will flee from us (James 4:7), but we are not told that he is going to flee right away, or that he will not come back.  We must resist him diligently, in other words, we must put some concentrated effort into it.  Just saying no to Satan once is probably not going to get the job done.

When it comes to sin, we can help ourselves.  We can help ourselves by crucifying the flesh, studying the word of God, and developing a strong prayer life.  Remember the words of Jesus.

Matthew 26:41 (ESV)
⁴¹Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”

As you wind down for the night, think about these things.