If a person wants to stop doing something, but they aren't strong enough, do they still have freewill?

Answer 1

I'm not sure if your familar with Isaiah 14. It slightly hints at what the Devil wanted for us. He wanted to take away our free will and make us do everything right. The only problem is that we wouldn't ever grow because we would never have to overcome adversity.

But the Devil is still trying to make his plan succeed. He does this by tempting people into becomming addicted to something. Whether it be drugs, pornagrophy, or even a certain type of food.

This is just an adversity that has been placed to test you, to see if you will overcome it. Just remember this

"With man it is impossible, But with God, all things are made possible." (Comment made by Paul)

A friend of mine was talking to a youth group a while back about standards. And how we should be actively engaged in keeping them. One of the youth stood up and asked with real concern,

"What if I have already broken that commandment (Fornication) and have become addicted to it, It feels like there are two wolfs inside of me. One is good the other is evil, and I think the evil one is winning."

My friend, Brother Bytheway, then replied "Well which one do you feed?"

I think that has alot of meaning behind it. Even if you do find yourself feeding the evil wolf at times, remember to feed the good wolf more. You can do this by reading your scriptures, praying with meaning, and trying to keep clean thoughts.

I know that this works. I was addicted to pornagraphy for 8 years. This was the only way I could stop. I promise you that you still have your free agency and that you can stop with God's help.

Answer 2

For Christians, Paul addressed this (I believe it is found in Romans).

Paul claimed that he desired to do what was right - but his body refused to do what was right and instead did everything that was wrong. Paul claimed that this is because the flesh is weak and sinful. One truly doesn't have free will at this time, because one is a slave to the flesh.

Paul claimed that the only way to get free of such situations is to die to the flesh and to be reborn in the spirit - i.e. be batized and follow God. To have the indewelling of the Holy Spirit. Then one could desire and do what is right because one would no longer be a slave to the flesh but instead a slave to God.

For those of us outside of Christianity - I believe that everyone is strong enough to withstand anything. No matter how strong a desire is. We all are capabel of making choices and standing by them. We are not inslaved or powerless to do anything.

Otherwise I would be dead right now - a victim of my own hand. Even if I survived that - I would still be a victim to the addiction of drugs (you slowly become dependent on pain killers when you are on them for a long time for chronic injuries) and I would not be able to walk. A victim of my injury.

I am none of these things. I held onto life, and knew the life that I wanted. It was not one filled with a drug induced haze and seated in a wheel chair. I fought. I am still fighting. We are never powerless - we only believe we are because sometimes that is easier then taking responsibility and fighting.

Answer 3

Yes they still have a freewill. They are not strong enough on their own. They need to call on the Lord Jesus for strength and guidance. He is strong and He has unlimited power.

Answer 4

Even though we have free will, you can let sin build in your life, and basically give it control. The Bible calls this a stronghold. Your free will played its part when you chose to start doing something (like drinking), but it can grow to the point where the desire to stop is not enough to quit (like alcoholism). While a stronghold can be destroyed and you can stop, it usually takes more than just deciding to quit. Prayer and fasting may help for a weaker stronghold, but if it involves something that is deeply ingrained, it may take professional help. Regardless, it doesn't mean that you stopped having free will, it just means that you willingly gave the control of that part of your life over.

Answer 5

You have a free will. There is no harmful activity you must do. You can stop if you want. If you are not strong enough to stop yourself, get help. You have the free will to choose which way to go. The easy one or the more difficult one.

Answer 6

I suspect free will is an illusion; a useful one, but still an illusion.

And in my experience, "not strong enough" is either just an excuse or a euphemism for addiction, which is not really a problem of the will.

That's all I've got.

Answer 7

Yes, but some things can have a physical or emotional hold on someone that makes stopping an action hard. The strongest addict in the world needs counselling, and in some cases even methadone to help their addiction, for instance.

Answer 8

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Answer 9

When you are not strong enough to stop something that you want to stop, this means you are addicted. Free will is the right to chose what you want to do.

Answer 10

Yes... free will isn't limited to only those things you aren't strong enough to stop