Why don’t we just do what’s right? We KNOW what’s best for us. At least in our rational moments. Our thinking moments. The times that we aren’t letting our emotions run away with us. Those of us who believe that God is the Creator of all things know that since He made the world and all of us who are in it, surely His way is the best. Surely if we just do what He tells us to do in His word then it will all work out all right. Right?  Then why don’t we do it?

I was talking to a friend the other day who sells drugs. Not like on the street or anything, like actual drugs that you get prescribed from a doctor and pick up a the pharmacy. Drugs that can help heal you from serious illnesses, or can lessen the symptoms, or can literally save your life.  She was telling me and another friend that the biggest problem with most drugs is compliance. “What do you mean?” I asked.  She replied, “I mean most people just don’t take them.” She went on to tell us that there is a certain percentage of people that never actually even fill the prescription, then of those that fill the prescription there is another percentage that start taking them but don’t finish, and them some that don’t take them the way they are supposed to be taken, and many that even after the fill the prescription, they still don’t ever even take them at all.

My other friend who was with us said, “Why would they do that?” It’s proven that it will make them better, why don’t they take it?”  Therein lies the big one hundred million dollar question.  Why don’t we do what we know is good for us?  Notice, I didn’t’ ask that question. I totally get that. There are times when I just don’t want to do what I know is good for me. We probably all do this every single day. We know exercise is good for us.  There are studies that say how many years, literally years, you can add to your life just by doing some form of exercise 30 min every day. Yet we don’t do it. Well, at least I don’t do it. Most of us have probably had a time in our lives when we actually did do it and we felt better. Right? More energy, less out of breath walking up stairs, felt more confident in our skinny jeans. But we still sit on the couch eating ice cream and wonder why we aren’t doing the thing we know will make us feel better. How about washing our face at night, or wearing sunscreen, or eating our vegetables, or you can probably fill in the blank with things you know you “should” do, but you don’t when it comes to our health or achieving goals, but what about spiritually?

Thinking about those percentages of people, I’ve been all of those at different times in my life in my spiritual walk. I’ve gone weeks without filling the prescription to read the bible and dig into God’s word. Days where I didn’t pray or tap into His power within me. I thought I could do it on my own. I’ve got this. Somehow I’m going to miraculously heal myself without the life-saving medicine that is Jesus Christ. We try it our own ways, fall into bad habits, or worse, old sins that we know don’t lead to the good life God has for us.

Paul knew exactly what we’re talking about here when he said in Romans 7:15-25:

^“I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do.  And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me.  For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.

 So I find this law at work: Although I want to do good, evil is right there with me. For in my inner being I delight in God’s law;  but I see another law at work in me, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me. What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death? Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!”

Can you relate? The best thing about this whole section of scripture, however, is how he wraps it up. Read that last line again. He ends all of his inner struggle with thankfulness to God.

You see Paul knows that it’s not really about him doing it all right after all, it’s about a God who knows every single thing about us and still loved us enough to send His Son to save us. Just a couple of chapters before Paul wrote in Romans 5;6-8, “You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!

Korie Robertson is a New York Times bestselling author and speaker who is passionate about motherhood. Korie (K-Swaggy) is a mom to Sadie — and five other amazing kids. In her free time, you’ll find her playing tennis, drinking coffee and spending time with her kids and grand babies.

Follow Korie on Instagram @bosshogswife