"Did I do that? Again?"

So this week I bought the new Kari Jobe CD (which is incredible by the way) and all week I've had it on repeat. There is this one song that I love but there was a line in it that I couldn't quite figure out what she was saying. So like any normal person does... I made up my own lyrics to plug in there. After all week of singing the same words, I finally got sick of it today and went with option 2... pulling out the sheet and actually looking at the lyrics. When it came on again on my drive home I still sang the lyrics  wrong all three times the chorus played. I thought to myself, "How dumb! Why am I singing the wrong words when I know the right ones?" .... How often in life do we find ourselves committing the same sin over and over even when we know it's wrong. Often times in our lives (at least in mine anyways) we find ourselves making certain sins a habit. We do them all the time and then one day we read some passage or hear some message and become convicted by the Holy Spirit. We realize we are wrong and decide that day not to commit that sin any longer, yet the next day out of habit we find ourselves doing that same sin again. Like learning the right lyrics to a song, it takes several times of consciously doing it right before the habit of wrong is gone. Romans 12.2: Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. This passage always makes me think of a word that my youth pastor uses often, SANCTIFICATION. Sanctification: to be separated, to be made holy, the act of carrying on to the work of perfection, being made more like Jesus. From the time we are saved to the time we die, we are being sanctified. We are going through process by process to be made more like Jesus. But thank God for GRACE! We are not saved by our own works but by grace. Ephesians 2.8-10: For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. ... We are not saved by good works but FOR good works!!!! So don't be discouraged but be sanctified!!!