Do I struggle... ? STRUGGLE ? ...in fighting sin in my life?
(Hebrews 12:4)

That's a very good question.

The answer used to be "Yes".

However, there WAS a problem with what I was doing.

The revelation and defining of sin came from ME and my intensive study of God's word motivated by a fear of eternal damnation... which manifested itself as condemnation... which motivated the burdensome attempt to gather, interpret, and memorize lists of good works and 'Christian' virtues... naturally producing a by-product of lurking envy toward those who seemed to live carelessly and of judgmentalism toward those who did not line up with the standards I had arrived at.

I mediated on ME day and night rather than Gods word.
I worshiped the knowledge of God's word rather than God Himself.
I feared hell more than loved the One who first loved me.

At the height of all this stress and 'struggle' came the full realization of God's love for me, what that love cost Him, and an eye-opening and rather unpleasant picture of the 'ME' God loved before ever I began to seek righteousness.

But, after years of total immersion in the church's contemporary expression of the gospel, while running from my old fixation with good works as my way to God, I find that I HAVE compromised with sin...
I've entertained myself with movies splattered with godlessness...
I've spoken things which were not uplifting or helpful to or about others...
I've enjoyed and given free rein to frivolous and foolish talk or behavior (yes, I have)...
I've wasted time toiling over plans for the future...
I've wasted emotion on anxiety...
I've chosen comfort in satisfying cravings over prayer...
I've given vent to outbursts of personal vindication...
I've taken offense with someone over someone else's offense...
I've justified myself...
I've entertained logic over faith...
And these are just my own vices that I can think of right off.

Watching some of these videos I have recently posted gave me an immediate feeling like... "Oh boy, THAT depressing kind of stuff."

It reminds me of an Old Testament story in 1 Kings 22:8, "...he never prophesies anything but trouble for me..."

If it's depressing, I don't want to see or hear it.

Ok. That's not entirely a bad thing.
We ought to think only on things "...true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable..." (Philippians 4:8)
It'd be great if I had the integrity to consistently apply this principle to thoughts concerning others and the movies I watch.

I must say, there IS a trap of Satan in getting preoccupied with prophecy as a substitute for fellowship with our Creator.
And if we respond to prophetic messages with fear, anxiety, or natural human-logic-inspired planning, we have fallen into a snare and our preoccupation has suddenly become sin to us.
But if the message we hear causes godly sorrow and an urgency toward personal repentance and an increased pursuit of Christ Himself, then we have come into the light.

"All who do evil hate the light and refuse to go near it for fear their sins will be exposed. But those who do what is right come to the light so others can see that they are doing what God wants.”
(John 3:20-21 NLT)

"For the kind of sorrow God wants us to experience leads us away from sin and results in salvation... But worldly sorrow, which lacks repentance, results in spiritual death. Just see what this godly sorrow produced in you! Such earnestness, such concern to clear yourselves, such indignation, such alarm, such longing... such zeal..."
(2 Corinthians 7:10-11 NLT)

"If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake and for the sake of the Good News, you will save it."
(Mark 8:35 NLT)

"Therefore, since the children share in flesh and blood, he (Jesus) likewise shared in their humanity, so that through death he could destroy the one who holds the power of death (that is, the devil), and set free those who were held in slavery all their lives by their fear of death."
(Hebrews 2:14-15 NET)

Ok.
So, I don't want to be stubborn and settled in my comfort zone... especially if God is trying to gently get my attention about something.

"Or do you have contempt for the wealth of his kindness, forbearance, and patience, and yet do not know that God’s kindness leads you to repentance?
But because of your stubbornness and your unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath for yourselves in the day of wrath, when God’s righteous judgment is revealed!
He will reward each one according to his works: eternal life to those who by perseverance in good works seek glory and honor and immortality, but wrath and anger to those who live in selfish ambition and do not obey the truth but follow unrighteousness."
(Romans 2:4-8 NET)

"And the people of Berea were more open-minded than those in Thessalonica, and they listened eagerly to Paul’s message.

They searched the Scriptures day after day to see if Paul and Silas were teaching the truth.

As a result, many Jews believed, as did many of the prominent Greek women and men...

Paul ...was deeply troubled by all the idols he saw everywhere...
He went to the synagogue to reason with...the God-fearing...
And he spoke daily in the public square to all who happened to be there.
He also had a debate with some of the... philosophers...

They said, “What’s this babbler trying to say with these strange ideas he’s picked up?”
So Paul, standing before the council, addressed them as follows:
“...I notice that you are very religious in every way...
(God's) purpose was for the nations to seek after God and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him—though he is not far from any one of us.
For in him we live and move and exist. As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are his offspring.’"
"God overlooked people’s ignorance about these things in earlier times, but now He commands everyone everywhere to repent of their sins and turn to him. For he has set a day for judging the world..."
(Acts of the Apostles 17 NLT)

I know these are long passages of Scripture, but they are packed with substance...

AND think of God as 'Father' when you read this next selection...

"My children, LISTEN when your father corrects you.
PAY ATTENTION and LEARN good judgment, for I am giving you good guidance.
DON'T TURN AWAY from my instructions...
FOLLOW MY COMMANDS, and you will live.
GET WISDOM; develop good judgment.
DON'T FORGET MY WORDS or turn away from them...
Getting wisdom is the wisest thing you can do!
And whatever else you do, DEVELOP GOOD JUDGMENT...
My child, listen to me and do as I say, and you will have a long, good life.
I will teach you wisdom’s ways and lead you in straight paths.
When you walk, you won’t be held back; when you run, you won’t stumble.
TAKE HOLD OF MY INSTRUCTIONS; don’t let them go. Guard them, for they are the key to life.
DON'T DO AS THE WICKED DO, and don’t follow the path of evildoers. Don’t even think about it; don’t go that way. TURN AWAY AND KEEP MOVING...
The way of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn, which shines ever brighter until the full light of day. But the way of the wicked is like total darkness. They have no idea what they are stumbling over.
My child, pay attention to what I say. Listen carefully to my words. Don’t lose sight of them. Let them penetrate deep into your heart, for they bring life to those who find them, and healing to their whole body.
GUARD YOUR HEART above all else, for it determines the course of your life.
AVOID ALL PERVERSE TALK; stay away from corrupt speech.
LOOK STRAIGHT AHEAD, and fix your eyes on what lies before you.
Mark out a straight path for your feet; STAY ON THE SAFE PATH.
DON'T GET SIDETRACKED; keep your feet from following evil."
(Proverbs 4:1-27 NLT)

What a precious letter from the Father!!!

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us STRIP OFF EVERY WEIGHT THAT SLOWS US DOWN, especially the sin that so easily trips us up.
And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. We do this by KEEPING OUR EYES ON JESUS, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith...
Think of all the hostility he endured from sinful people; then you won’t become weary and give up. After all, you have not yet given your lives in your struggle against sin.
And have you forgotten the encouraging words God spoke to you as his children? He said,
“My child, DON'T MAKE LIGHT OF THE LORD'S DISCIPLINE, and DON'T GIVE UP when he corrects you. For the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes each one he accepts as his child.”
As you endure this divine discipline, remember that God is treating you as his own children. Who ever heard of a child who is never disciplined by its father? If God doesn’t discipline you as he does all of his children, it means that you are illegitimate and are not really his children at all. For our earthly fathers disciplined us for a few years, doing the best they knew how. But God’s discipline is always good for us, so that we might share in his holiness. No discipline is enjoyable while it is happening—IT'S PAINFUL! But afterward there will be a peaceful harvest of right living for those who are trained in this way.
So TAKE A NEW GRIP with your tired hands and strengthen your weak knees.
MARK OUT A STRAIGHT PATH for your feet so that those who are weak and lame will not fall but become strong.
WORK AT LIVING IN PEACE with everyone, and
WORK AT LIVING A HOLY LIFE, for those who are not holy will not see the Lord.
LOOK AFTER EACH OTHER so that none of you fails to receive the grace of God.
WATCH OUT that no poisonous root of bitterness grows up to trouble you, corrupting many.
MAKE SURE that no one is immoral or godless...
BE CAREFUL that you do not refuse to listen to the One who is speaking. For if the people of Israel did not escape when they refused to listen to Moses, the earthly messenger, we will certainly not escape if we reject the One who speaks to us from heaven!
...Let us BE THANKFULand PLEASE GOD by worshiping him with holy fear and awe. For our God is a devouring fire."
(Hebrews 12 NLT)

THIS is no apathy.
Neither is all this DOING about the 'ME' in any of us, but for the love of my Lord, my Father, my Creator, my friend...

I will keep my eyes upon Jesus, as that old song said,

"Turn your eyes upon Jesus,
Look full in His wonderful face,
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim,
In the light of His glory and grace."

I WILL 'struggle' to fight the sin in my life.
I WILL 'take a new grip'.

"We do this by KEEPING OUR EYES ON JESUS, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith..."

AMEN.