Romans 6:12-14 NKJV

[12] Therefore, do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts. [13] And do not present your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God. [14] For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace.

As a hormonal teenager, I was convinced that I could single-handedly control my ability to abstain from acting out on lustful impulses. I would try. I would fail. I would try again and fail. I got discouraged. I quit trying.

It took a long time (30+ years) to understand what I was missing. I failed from self-reliance. I tried to count on "me." We aren't cut out or equipped to handle that kind of pressure. We're not meant to achieve salvation or freedom from willpower.

My pathway to freedom has come from a DAILY relationship with Jesus. The power of the Holy Spirit gives us access to a level of living that can't be achieved alone.

Philippians 4:13 - I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.