The Christian life isn't hard - it's impossible.

Want to hear a lame joke? Sure you do! (But don't say you weren't warned.)

After a storm a guy had a bunch of trees in his yard. His neighbor told him he ought to get a chainsaw to make cleanup easier, so he went to the hardware store and bought the biggest one they had. He shows back up at the hardware store the next day and complains that there’s something wrong with the chainsaw, saying it took him over two hours to cut through one branch.

The store owner grabs the saw, pulls the starter, and it starts right up. The man jumped back and said, “What’s that noise?”

Don't roll your eyes - I warned you it was lame. But it IS a good illustration of how most Christians live their lives of faith. Once we decide to follow Jesus, we recognize that there is a lot of clutter in our lives that needs to be cleaned up: Old habits, bad attitudes, habitual sins, selfishness, self-centeredness, unforgiveness, bitterness, etc. We know instinctively that those things aren’t supposed to be a part of the Christian walk, so we go about cleaning them up the only way we know how – by sheer white-knuckle, all-out, sweat-of-the-brow, effort instead of using the power tools God has provided.

But when my own effort proves to be insufficient and I inevitably fail, the typical response is that I just need to try harder – willpower is the answer. But then I fail again, and again. Eventually, settle into one of two lifestyles: spiritual mediocrity – that is, just sort of give up trying or excuse behavior; or hypocrisy – wearing the façade of being mature and holy, faking it. Either way we never get to experience the abundant life, the life free from sin that Jesus promised those who follow him.

So what’s the answer? The answer is living in the power that Jesus promised those who love and follow Him – we call that power His Spirit, or, the Holy Spirit.

In John 14, Jesus promised that he would send "another" (meaning, "of the identical essence as Him") advocate/counselor/ to live IN us - which we call the "indwelling of the Holy Spirit." What does the indwelling Spirit of God do?

In a word, he empowers us. We get personal, powerful GIFTS to serve - i.e. abilities and talents that equip and edify other believers. (See Romans 12, 1st Cor. 12, Ephesians 4, 1st Peter 4 for some representative lists).

Most importantly, we're empowered to live in OBEDIENCE to God's moral law. This is really special for those of us living in the New Covenant era, because OT believers did not have this privilege. In Christ, through the power of the Holy Spirit, we don't have to rely on willpower to overcome temptation and sin - God's Spirit lives in us to do this. We might illustrate it like this:

If you’re a golfer, would you rather have 20 lessons with a golf-pro who has won the Masters a couple of times, or would you rather have that same golf pro somehow play your rounds from within you?  Or if you’re in to football, would you rather have Peyton Manning coach you on how to play football, or would you rather him play within you? If we’re staring at a par-5 with an island green, most of us would want champion golf pro dwelling within us. Or if I’m staring over the line looking at a linebacker bent on destruction, I don’t want Peyton Manning’s coaching – I want him playing from within me. Having a professional play from within me would make all the difference in my performance.

Of course, these abilities are only available to those who have declared their loyalty to Jesus and allegiance to His Kingdom. But one must take advantage of them. That might start with a prayer, admitting weakness and asking for help. The next step would be to study what the NT says about the work of the Holy Spirit, possibly memorizing (!) key passages. Finally, spend some time with people who seem to be living successful lives of faith, free from habitual sin, at ease with themselves and people, full joy in the most difficult circumstances.

One thing is for sure - walking in the power of the Holy Spirit doesn't happen by accident. One must be intentional, as the Bible says, "Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose. Philippians 2:12-13 (italics added)