The desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do.
Galatians 5:17
The bad news is that the root of sin still lies within us. There is a continuing presence of sin in the life of a Christian believer: “The desires of the flesh are against the Spirit.”
The good news is the Spirit also lives within us. There is a continuing presence of the Spirit in the life of a Christian believer: The Spirit desires what is contrary to the sinful nature! This means you are not at the mercy of the flesh. The Spirit of God is active within you.
The continuing presence of sin and the continuing presence of the Spirit in the life of a believer guarantee an ongoing conflict that is the normal experience of the Christian life. So, the first sign of a person who is living by the Spirit is that he or she is waging war against the flesh.
When someone says to you, “I have these terrible thoughts that come to me, and I hate them.” You can say, “Thank God! Your hatred of sin is sure evidence that the Spirit is at work in your life. Thank God for it!”
When have you experienced this inner struggle between your flesh and the Spirit? Did you think something was wrong with you? Can you see now that it is a normal part of the Christian life?
