Why do I keep going back to the very thing I’ve asked God to take away?
Most of us have something we’ve prayed about, confessed, and promised to leave behind, only to find ourselves right back where we started. After enough rounds, it’s easy to wonder whether something is wrong with our faith or whether God is running out of patience with us. In this message from our Made Visible series, we look at Colossians 3 and one of the strongest commands in the New Testament. It raises an honest question: how do we take real steps toward freedom without turning the Christian life into another self-improvement project? The answer begins with what Jesus has already done, and it changes how we understand temptation, desire, and even failure.
This is a message of real hope for the struggle that hasn’t gone away yet. It’s also a fresh look at the grace that meets us right in the middle of it, no matter how long the fight has lasted.
If you missed the live service or want to reflect further, you can watch the full message above anytime after. We’ve also included discussion questions to dig deeper into the message and a handout with fill-ins to guide your reflection. You can find the handout by clicking the “Download” button above. Whether you watch this on your own or share it with your small group, we hope this message encourages you.
Discussion Questions
- Growing up, how did you learn to think about becoming more like Jesus? Was it more about trying harder, or more about waiting for God to change you?
- Paul says “put to death” right after saying we’ve already been raised with Christ and that Christ is our life (Colossians 3:1-5). How does that order change the way you hear the command?
- What’s the difference between fighting for freedom and fighting from freedom? How might that change the way someone deals with a struggle that has lasted a long time?
- Romans 6 says sin is no longer our master, but it also tells us not to let sin control the way we live. How can both of those be true at the same time?
- What are some choices we can actually make when something destructive is pulling at us? And what are the things only the Holy Spirit can change in us?
- Why is it so easy to treat a strong feeling or desire as if it were a command? What helps you remember that you don’t have to obey what you still feel?
- Galatians 5:16-17 describes a real conflict between the flesh and the Spirit. Does it change anything for you to think of the struggle itself as a sign that something new is happening in you?
- What makes the prayer “Jesus, I don’t want what You want yet, but I want to want it” feel honest or hard to pray?
- When we fail at something we thought we’d left behind, why do we tend to pull away from God instead of running to Him? What does Hebrews 4:14-16 say to that instinct?
- Take a quiet moment and ask, “Holy Spirit, what do You want me to see in this, and what does responding to You look like here?” What would it look like for you to take the next honest step with Him this week?
