I've had to seek out what the bible says about the difference between our sinful nature as humans and actively sinning. 2 Corinthians 5:10 "For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad."
In doing so, I've realized many of my habits have been in direct conflict with God's commands. Sometimes I've felt like I didn't have the strength to fight against my sin. Other times I reasoned with myself thinking it would be ok because God would have grace on me.
I reached a turning point when I decided to trust in God completely and not rely on my own understanding to get through each day. I realized I needed Him every single moment and that meant giving up a lot of misconceptions about what he wanted from me.
Jesus said "If you love me, obey my commandments."
To me, that meant doing whatever God asked without questioning it. When I started doing this I learned more about God than ever before. I first obeyed God in a specific area of my life AND THEN I understood why He wanted that for my life! Understanding can come later. It's much better to obey Him first without questioning/reasoning/negotiating. All my excuses were coming from pride and fear, but when I let that go and just lived the way I knew would be pleasing to Him (happily and joyfully, not reluctantly or resentfully), I gained a peace in my life that can only be credited to Jesus Christ.