Why can’t I seem to control certain desires?

Galatians 5:24Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there.

When we feel like our sinful nature is getting the best of us, we must ask the Holy Spirit to fill our lives with his goodness. Some of the best experiences of self-control come when we ask the Holy Spirit to step in and control us. When we put our faith in Jesus Christ, we have tapped into a whole new power source to help us control our unhealthy desires.

Romans 7:21-25I have discovered this principle of life—that when I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong. I love God’s law with all my heart. But there is another power within me that is at war with my mind. This power makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me. Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death? Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord. So you see how it is: In my mind I really want to obey God’s law, but because of my sinful nature I am a slave to sin.

Because we are all born with a sinful nature, we will always struggle to do what is right and not do what is wrong. Thankfully, God understands our weaknesses and gives us the desire to please him. As we obey God, we will develop more self-control and the battle with our sinful nature will lessen.

Romans 12:1So, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him.

We must truly want to give up our wrong desires. If we try to hang on to just a little sinful habit, it will eventually come to rule over us.