“Whosoever abideth in him sinneth not: whosoever sinneth hath not seen him, neither known him.” (1 John 3:6)
It is not enough that we are willing to let go of that which is “killing us,” we must take hold of Him who can give us new life. For even if a man wants to turn from an evil path, and believes every warning sign that he is on a road to destruction; without Jesus Christ, he will hopelessly continue on till he plunges off that road into the abyss.
Repentance is the good and necessary first step; but it must be coupled with saving faith in man’s only hope of rescue, Jesus Christ. From start to finish we must look to Jesus as our hope. Paul exhorted those who had received Jesus to walk in Him. “As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him” (Col. 2:6) Jesus told His disciples that the key to growth was abiding in Him. Without Him, we can do nothing. He is at work in us both to will and to do of God’s good pleasure.
All our resolutions to choose the good and refuse the evil are entirely appropriate and of God. But don’t stop there. Know that the same Lord who puts within you the willingness to do what’s right is your only hope of fulfilling your good desires. Look to Jesus always!