"Lo, this only have I found, that God hath made men upright; but they have sought out many inventions."

As opposed to trusting in God, we His creation have discredited His ability to provide our lives with fulfillment, joy, peace, righteousness, true happiness, and satisfaction.
Instead, we seek out inventions that masquerade as self-fulfillment options other than that which has the sole capability of fulfilled purpose in a man's life.
That is the definition of original sin:
Seeking self-accomplishment in one's own life of that which can only be accomplished by that one's creator.

"And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth."

God create us to be just like Him. He succeeded. But man did not trust Him, and heeded lies, departing from truth.

"And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil."

So the great impostor Satan used the serpent to draw mankind from being in the image of God to being just like a god.

The amazing part is that He can make us upright again.
Jesus came into this world through the miracle of the virgin birth. Then he turned the established religious thought on its head by demanding the perfection of God the Father from all men in His first sermon to the general public. He proceeded to perform physical miracles which restored physical bodies, making them whole; but the miracles were not only confined to bodily repair. Jesus restored hearing and sight, healed infirmities, made the sick well, raised the dead to life, and cast out demon spirits.

Then the Holy Spirit through Paul's letter to the Roman church told us that the natural things are a shadow of the spiritual. Jesus restores physically to give people hope that they may be restored spiritually.

Restored to what?

The image of God.

This is not pride. This is the purpose of our existence, and the glory of the cross. The Bloody, Gory, Wonderful Cross. Our return to the image of our Father is fulfilled by the cross. Our death is necessary. Christ has fulfilled our death.

Yet we pursue inventions. We know of the cross, but we allow the flesh to pursue its own happiness at the expense of the Spirit's influence in our lives. And we think if we satisfy the flesh, even in a small way, it will open those we pursue in the Gospel to Christ.
How foolish we are.
We invent ways to bring people to Christ, and neglect prayer, fasting, even our own salvation, and justify our selves in our sin and call it grace, or the triumph over legalism.

Our definition of legalism too often crosses the line into those actions that are definitive of the law of the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus, which makes us free from the law of sin and death. Simply put, we call following the law of the Holy Spirit legalistic and oppressive.

Oppressive to the flesh, absolutely. So kill it. Crucify it. Nail it to the cross.
So we did that yesterday. Do it everyday, and don't lose hold on your steadfastness in the faith. It is that serious.

Sean is right. Pray without ceasing is a command. Why can't we question our Salvation? Why can't we examine ourselves? We ought to do so before taking communion lest we be found guilty of the body and blood. It can only produce holiness in the life of a true Christian. If you're not real for Christ, then at least you'll be honest with yourself. You'll still be going to hell because you love darkness rather than light, because your deeds are evil, and the light will make them manifest. Are you willing to expose to God that which he already knows? Examine yourself. Repent, turn from wickedness, and be found in Him.
You are a Christian who struggles in some area. Me too. Why aren't we fasting and praying that we find deliverence in Christ? Because it would be legalistic? We are fools to think that!
Know we not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God?

We are so concerned with looking "holier than thou" that we neglect holiness. But the Word commands us to Be Holy, again as God is Holy. So the Word commands us to be in His image.

He stooped to our level, so that He could raise us up to His.

So Why do I walk the way that I Do?
Wretched Man that I am!!! WHO SHALL DELIVER ME???
I thank God. I am delivered through Jesus Christ my Lord. He will show me how to walk after the Spirit, by whom the flesh is put to death, and having walked after and followed Him, I am no longer under death by servitude to sin, but alive through SERVITUDE to Christ.

We live to serve HIM.
But there's this "area" (see "sin issue") in my life that I just can't get over... Fast, watch and pray, that you enter not into temptation... there remaineth no more excuse for sin.

I know the arguments of those wary of this line of thought: don't get too lost in this ideal. Don't get too hopeful that Christ will accomplish a miracle in your life, or that CHRIST WILL ACTUALLY BE FOUND OF THOSE THAT SEEK HIM WITH THE WHOLE HEART.

I believe.

"But the days will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken away from them, and then shall they fast in those days."