“Walk in the Spirit.” Galatians 5:16 NAS
“This flawed world with your fallen nature is a dangerous combination for spiritual defeat.”
My thoughts today are about a “tug of war.”
Have you ever played “tug of war”? It was early Spring when I spoke for a men’s retreat at a Conference Center in Northern California, where a youth camp was also being held. As I sat alone beneath towering Redwoods, a grassy field nearby soon became the setting for the teens’ tug of war. Teams were chosen and positioned to successfully oppose the other team.
I quietly observed the relentless back and forth as each team tried to pull the other in opposite directions. One team would gain an advantage for a moment, and then the other team would rally their strength, digging in their heels to pull with all their might to swing the game back in their favor. Finally, one side grew more tired than the other, their strength and resolve failed, and they were dragged across the line dividing them, where they collapsed in laughter and good fun. It was just a friendly game, a diversion for friends on a warm and sunny afternoon.
But the tug of war that Paul writes about is no friendly game. He warned about the flesh and the spirit, which are always in opposition . . . an unrelenting tug of war that has importance now and holds significance eternally. “For the flesh desires what is against the Spirit, and the Spirit desires what is against the flesh; these are opposed to each other.” Galatians 5:17.
There are some things so opposite that they cannot be reconciled. The Bible says that is true about the flesh and the spirit. They are stridently opposed to each other. The flesh is a term used in the Bible to refer to the lesser, lower nature of every man’s predisposition toward sinfulness. Left to ourselves, we will probably do bad things, maybe occasionally do some good things, but we can never do what is truly righteous on our own because of this internal, spiritual tug of war. When you mix this flawed world with your fallen nature, you have the dangerous combination for spiritual defeat.
The spirit refers to the eternal nature created in every man where the presence of God dwells within the Christian. It has been redeemed and desires to please and serve God, but faces a life-long struggle with the flesh that opposes every good thought, intent, and action. See Romans 7:18-25 NIV. There is good news: a way to victory, and that is in the Savior who delivers you and the power of the Holy Spirit that dwells within you. See Romans 8:1-8 NLT.
My prayer for you today is that you will walk in victory because, “Christ in you is the hope of glory.” Colossians 1:27.