How can I overcome living a dual life?
First of all, let me just say that you are not alone. A lot of people still are struggling with a double life but you don’t have to live that way which is the good news.
Romans 7:21-25 21 So I find this law at work: Although I want to do good, evil is right there with me. 22 For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; 23 but I see another law at work in me, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me. 24 What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death? 25 Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God’s law, but in my sinful nature[a] a slave to the law of sin.
According to this verse the way we overcome living a life we don’t want to live ( which is under the law or living life righteously either because of fear of God or wanting to find favor with God) is to surrender our lives to Christ who has fully loved us.
The book of Ephesians chapter 2 is a great book for you to read. It talks about our human nature to sin, deceive and live a life of sin but God who is rich in mercy saves us from our sin and loved us fully and He gave us His grace to live the life worthy of the calling we have received.
Once you understand the true nature of God’s love and grace – it moves you to live right. You are no longer dictated by the law but is only guided by the law. You are now filled with the spirit of God to move in godly living.
Ephesians 2:8-10 The Message (MSG)
7-10Now God has us where he wants us, with all the time in this world and the next to shower grace and kindness upon us in Christ Jesus. Saving is all his idea, and all his work. All we do is trust him enough to let him do it. It’s God’s gift from start to finish! We don’t play the major role. If we did, we’d probably go around bragging that we’d done the whole thing! No, we neither make nor save ourselves. God does both the making and saving. He creates each of us by Christ Jesus to join him in the work he does, the good work he has gotten ready for us to do, work we had better be doing.