Something intense occurs within us when we become born again through faith. It is a war within between our flesh and our spirit. At first, that may sound strange. Why would such a struggle occur after we become a Christian?
Think about it this way. Before you became a Christian, your flesh and your spirit were one. After you accept Christ as your Savior and in turn become born again, you receive a new spirit. You are spiritually born again from above.
At that point, your flesh and your spirit are no longer one. They are no longer partners in crime and sin. So, now your flesh wants to do the things that are pleasing to itself, but your reborn spirit wants to do the things that please God.
Paul the apostle puts it this way: “For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please” (Galatians 5:17, NASB).
It is important to note that Paul wrote these words to the church at Galatia. In other words, he was writing to believers. He was writing to those who had accepted Christ as their Savior and who had become born again through faith in Christ.
The point is that Christians were not exempt from what he was saying. On the contrary, they were the ones subject to what he was saying.
Three Things to Bear in Mind
Though some believers would have you to believe otherwise, no Christian is an exception to the internal struggle Paul reveals. I call it a war within because the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit and vice versa. Your flesh and Spirit will not get along after you become a Christian. These two have diametrically opposed agendas. But we are the ones who determine which side wins.
The latter part of the verse quoted above underscores the reason we must address the war within us: “That you may not do the things that you please.” In other words, our inner struggle is an impediment to our desire to please the Lord. The good news, however, is that every genuine believer in Christ is fully equipped to win the war within. Success requires that you heed the following truths.
1. Merely Being Born Again is Not Enough.
When we become born again, we become a new creation. Old things are passed away. All things become new (2 Corinthians 5:17). But this life-changing experience does not eliminate the inner struggle between our flesh and Spirit.
Merely praying about it won’t make the inner struggle within go away. Your flesh and Spirit will always oppose each other. Most importantly, the Holy Spirit within you won’t make you do the right thing. But He has given you the power to do so. That brings us to the second the point:
2. You Must Choose to Obey the Holy Spirit
“Walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh” (Galatians 5:17, NASB). Think about how practical this verse is. Since your flesh and Spirit oppose each other, you can’t walk after one of them and fulfill the desire of the other at the same time.
Whenever the flesh says yes to a wrongful act, for instance, the Spirit will always say no. It follows then that a key to winning the war within is to choose to always follow the Spirit. Through the aid of the Word of God and prayer, we can do this.
3. You Must Discipline Yourself to Realize Godliness.
Just as you can discipline your physical body to achieve physical fitness, you can also disciple yourself to achieve godliness. To that end, Paul wrote these words to Timothy: “Discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness” (1 Timothy 4:7, NASB).
Is there an area of your life where your flesh is out of control? Search the Scriptures to determine what the correct biblical response should be. Conscientiously respond to that area of your life according to the biblical guidance. Continue to do this until it becomes a habit. This is how you condition yourself to achieve godliness.
In a way, physical disciplines and spiritual disciplines work the same way. The more we exercise ourselves by these, the stronger we become. This is how babes in Christ become spiritually mature over time.
Conclusion
We can’t do anything about the fact that an inner struggle between our flesh and Spirit exists. That won’t change until the Lord returns and we are changed from corruptible to incorruptible. Be we have been equipped to win the war within us.
We have the Spirit of God living in us. We have been empowered to walk according to the Spirit. And we can discipline ourselves to live a godly life.
Copyright © 2024 by Frank King. All rights reserved.