I believe the gospel, but I find temptations too strong. What should I do?
Near the beginning of the Bible there's a story of a man named Cain who becomes overpowered by sin. He seems to go ahead and do something he would otherwise have avoided: he kills his brother (Genesis 4). Near the end of the Bible, there's another equally murderous man named Paul who puts the experience to words: "For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out . . . no, the evil I do not want to do – this I keep on doing . . . What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death?" (Romans 7:18-24)
So what’s the solution? In both portions of scripture a solution is found. In Genesis, sin enters the human scene so that everyone born since Cain has to deal with its power. But a man named Seth arises, and it sounds like he's a righteous man because it says that in his days, "men began to call on the name of the LORD" (Genesis 4:25-26). In Paul's case as well, he discovers that the answer is this: "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved" (Romans 10:13).
What's it mean to "call on the name of the Lord"? First, it means to call, to cry out in desperation and helplessness, a real heartfelt SOS. We have to realize our inability to deal with the problem ourselves and ask, no, beg God for his help. Second, to call on the name of the Lord means to appeal to God according to His name, meaning his true identity, the truth about who he is: "compassionate and gracious" (Psalm 103:8); the faithful one who will "provide a way out" when we are tempted (1 Corinthians 10:13), the one who is "faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness" every time we confess our repeated sins to him (1 John 1:9).
If we keep our eyes fixed on Jesus – on what he wants, on how he forgives us each time we give in, and on the possible ways he could be opening doors of escape – we will see that our sin and our temptation are no match for him!