It's Monday morning and you are stuck in traffic on the way to work. While on the crowded freeway filled with a chorus of honks and beeps, you decide to take a peak at the time. You quickly glance over to the time on your car: 8:45 AM, in big white digits on the screen. "Oh, c'mon!" You say to yourself. "Can't this thing go any faster!?" You crane your neck to see the driver in the car in front of you. As if it was not a shock to you, the driver is none other than an elderly lady in her humble '02 Camry. "Hey, grandma!" you shout as you honk your horn. "Move it or lose it! Meals on Wheels doesn't come 'til twelve! I'm gonna be late to work!" You then proceed to curse up a storm. As soon as the words leave your mouth, you feel a sense of guilt. Yesterday, you just went to church and the pastor preached on the power of the tongue. "Our tongue is like the rudder of a ship," you recall your pastor preach. "And yet, just like James says, it can cause a large fire if we're not careful (cf. James 3:4-5)." Another expletive rolls off your lips as you realize what you just did. "I messed up. Sorry, God. Sorry, lady."

Has that ever happened to you, where you learned what not to do Sunday morning but did just that Monday morning?

That has happened to me several times. Though not necessarily like this fictional scenario, I have found myself in numerous situations where I do what I don't want to do, but what I do want to do, that I do not do. This stumbling becomes frustrating, especially when the things over which I stumble are things I should get right -- being self-controlled, tenderhearted, respectful, etc. Paul expresses a similar conundrum in his letter to the Romans. Paul writes: 

"For I don’t know what I am doing. For I don’t practice what I desire to do; but what I hate, that I do. But if what I don’t desire, that I do, I consent to the law that it is good. So now it is no more I that do it, but sin which dwells in me. For I know that in me, that is, in my flesh, dwells no good thing. For desire is present with me, but I don’t find it doing that which is good. For the good which I desire, I don’t do; but the evil which I don’t desire, that I practice. But if what I don’t desire, that I do, it is no more I that do it, but sin which dwells in me" (Romans 7:15-20, WEB).

In this portion of his letter, Paul is real with what he struggles with. Like many -- if not, all -- of us, Paul wrestles with the flesh. Now, just for clarification's sake, Paul uses the term flesh to describe his struggle against sinful desires. Like in many of his letters, Paul warns against falling into the temptations of the flesh. But, now it is his turn to share about his struggles with flesh. Here, Paul is in a real conundrum, which I'll call the "Paul Funk." Paul wants to do what is good, but he ends up doing what is bad. As someone who was taught the Law (a Divine set of Jewish ordnances for daily living), Paul knew better. Yet, without going into too much detail, Paul discusses his struggle with sin. Paul's wrestling with sin looks bad considering his knowledge of the Law but looks worse when you consider that he is a church planter, evangelist, and teacher to other Christians. And yet, Paul is being open and honest about struggle with sin. Paul goes on further to express his frustration: "What a wretched man I am! Who will deliver me out of the body of this death?" (Romans 7:24, WEB). This, truly, is the Paul Funk.

Sound familiar? All of us will get into the Paul Funk at some point in our journey with Jesus. We will want to do what is pleasing to God and earnestly live for Jesus. But that nasty sin will keep being a thorn in our side, keeping us from growing in God and instead having us do what is sinful -- even if we know it to be sinful. Whether it be lying or lusting, the Paul Funk will come for all of us. So how do we break out of the Paul Funk? Here are five ways to break the Paul Funk:

1. Prayer

The first way to break out of the Paul Funk is through prayer. Prayer is communication with God, and it is through prayer that we can find strength from God through some Paul Funk. Just like you would ask a friend or family member for help, ask God for help out of the Paul Funk. Prayer is powerful, and it is through constant communication with God that you can overcome sin. Remember, in prayer, you are spending time with God, the One who created the world, split the Red Sea, and raised the dead back to life. This God will surely help you in times of Paul Funk. 

• "Bring us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one" (Lord's Prayer, Matthew 6:13, WEB).

• "Watch and pray, that you don’t enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak" (Matthew 26:41, WEB).

• "In nothing be anxious, but in everything, by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God" (Philippians 4:6, WEB).

• "But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him" (James 1:5, WEB).

2. Praise

The second way to break out of the Paul Funk is through praise. Yes, praise. Praise is singing about God and giving Him the glory. Even in a dry season of Paul Funk, praise is sure to, well, "turn graves into gardens." Turn on some worship music, sing to God, or even create art to give God glory. Tune out the distractions of the Paul Funk and tune into the heart of God.

• "I will praise the Lord, who counsels me; even at night my heart instructs me" (Psalm 16:7, NIV).

• "Praise the Lord. Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty heavens" (Psalm 150:1, NIV).

• "Finally, brothers, whatever things are true, whatever things are honorable, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report: if there is any virtue and if there is any praise, think about these things" (Philippians 4:8, WEB).

3. Reading the Bible

The third way to break out of the Paul Funk is through spending time in God's Word. Reading God's Word will not only bring you out of Paul Funk but will also bring more hope to your life and will light our way. You can learn more about God and who He is just by reading the Bible. God's Word is also a tool that can sharpen us and sharpen others by correcting, teaching, or convicting us.

• "Your word is a lamp to my feet, and a light for my path" (Psalm 119:105, WEB).

• "Every Scripture is God-breathed and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for instruction in righteousness, that each person who belongs to God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work" (2 Timothy 3:16-17, WEB).

• "For the word of God is living and active, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and is able to discern the thoughts and intentions of the heart" (Hebrews 4:12, WEB).

4. Remember

The fourth way to break out of the Paul Funk is to remember what God has done in your life. Part of reason the Paul Funk happens is that we forget what God has done. And because we forget what God has done, this can cause us to forget who God is and cause us to stumble into sin. One way to solve the Paul Funk is remembering what God has done in our lives and practicing gratitude for those things. If you're not sure where to start, start with the gift of salvation; be thankful for Jesus and remember His sacrifice on the Cross.

• "Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness" (Lamentations 3:22-23, NIV).

• "I will remember the deeds of the Lord; yes, I will remember your miracles of long ago" (Psalm 77:11, NIV).

• "He took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke, and gave it to them, saying, 'This is my body which is given for you. Do this in memory of me'" (Luke 22:19, WEB).

5. Accountability

The final way to break out of the Paul Funk is through accountability. The thought of accountability may seem frightening to some, but accountability is actually one of the most fruitful steps to take in breaking the Paul Funk. Why? Because accountability involves the presence of other people. To break the Paul Funk, find one other person or a group of people to help you out of the Funk. This could look like having a buddy with you while you travel, installing Christian accountability apps on your device, setting conversational rules, or limiting your screentime. The more accountability there is, the better!

• "Iron sharpens iron; so a man sharpens his friend’s countenance" (Proverbs 27:17, WEB).

• "Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their labor. For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow; but woe to him who is alone when he falls, and doesn’t have another to lift him up" (Ecclesiastes 4:9-10, WEB).

• "If your right eye causes you to stumble, pluck it out and throw it away from you. For it is more profitable for you that one of your members should perish than for your whole body to be cast into Gehenna. If your right hand causes you to stumble, cut it off, and throw it away from you. For it is more profitable for you that one of your members should perish, than for your whole body to be cast into Gehenna" (Matthew 5:29-30, WEB).

Recap

To recap, the Paul Funk happens to everyone, but you can choose to break out of the Paul Funk using any of the five ways listed above. These five ways to break out of the Paul Funk point to Jesus. And though the Paul Funk happens to all of us, it does not define who we are in God. Yes, we will struggle on a daily basis with sin, but our sin is not who we are. Ultimately, this is what Paul concludes. Paul says in Romans 7: "I thank God through Jesus Christ, our Lord! So then with the mind, I myself serve God’s law, but with the flesh, sin’s law" (Romans 7:25, WEB). I thank God through Jesus Christ, as well, for setting us free from sin. And even though we still struggle with sin, that does not change the undeniable fact we are still children of God.