The Battle: Flesh vs. Spirit

Do you ever feel like you are in a constant battle?

If so, I completely understand. The battle I face often is between my flesh and spirit. As I grow in God, I’m constantly trying to strip myself away from my fleshly desires and gravitate firm to the will of God. The bible teaches in Galatians 5:16-26 the difference between following the flesh vs. following the spirit. When we follow our flesh, we land in this pit that fills our lives with all the sinful things this world alludes like: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, idolatry, hostility, quarreling, jealously, self-ambition, division, envy, drunkenness, and loads of other sinful afflictions. This way of living torments us because this is not what God intended for our lives. A lot of us comport to this way of living for many reason. One of the main reasons I believe we allow our flesh to win is because we conform to the ways of this world, and that is why It’s vitally important for us to know the scriptures and understand what God wants for us. Romans 12:2 teaches us to not copy the behaviors and customs of this world, but let God transform us into new people by changing the way we think, daily. The vital message in this verse is to allow God’s word to transform our mind to not submit to the pleasures of this world but rise above it and live the way God is calling us to live. Paul, continues to explain that when we allow the spirit to lead us, we reap this astounding fruit in our lives. This fruit is transformative because it slowly builds up what God has already planted inside of us. We begin to receive “the fruits of the spirit.” What is so beautiful about this is the change behavior and character building it brings to our lives. When we accept the Holy Spirit leadership, it slowly bestows within us love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. So, when we allow the spirit of God to dwell within us, it will change our way of living and allow this cathartic burst of life to spring up inside of us and in-turn blossom outwardly for all the world to see.

God’s way of living is what living is for, ultimately. It’s this beautiful life long process, but in-turn, we grow closer to him and we gain a deep understanding of him and his amazing character. In Matthew 7:24 it states, “Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock.” The bible is the teacher for our lives. It wants to guide us through life, but given free will, it’s ultimately our choice to follow it. God wants to be here for each and every one of us, and we don’t have to battle this life alone because we have a Savior who knows exactly what we are all going through. He’s just waiting for us to reach out to him. Calling on God for help is the most influential action you can take. Its life changing. God promises to never fail us or abandon us, so there is no reason for us to be afraid or take on this crazy life alone. We don’t have to battle this way of living without him. One of the true gems that I’ve had the privilege of learning from God is that the sinful desires that stem from within me has no equivalence or superiority to the power of the Holy Spirit. When I allowed Christ to dwell within me, I became capable of not conforming to the ways of this world, and I slowly kill my flesh because I don’t feed it. The bible tells us that the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak, so it’s important that we consciously take heed to the knowing of the things that keep us bound. Because once we know what’s attacking us, we can tell God and he will help remove that sinful thing within us, so we can be more like him. The word tells us in 1 John 5:14 that we are confident that he hears us whenever we ask for anything that pleases him. So, asking God to transform you to be more like him is definitely pleasing to him. Always trust and believe that God hears you and want to answer your prayers.

God is faithful to all who want to know him. He’s ready to change our lives and help us be all that he has called us to be. God has an amazing plan and purpose for each and every one of us. Proverbs teaches us to trust in the Lord with ALL our heart and do not depend on our OWN understanding because God is infinitely omnipotent, and his ways are not our ways, so we have to believe and trust that he will do what is best for us. I mean think about it, he created us, and he knows our end from beginning, so we don’t have to worry about anything or battle with conforming to the ways of this world. God sees all, and he knows all, so we have to live this life with God leading our path. That’s the only way to go.