All of us have a constant battle waging in our hearts. We understand how we are to act to please God. Yet, the events and circumstances of life combined with our sinful nature compound to constantly lead us into responses that don’t please God. Sadly, some Christians have become so accustomed to these poor responses they begin to justify them and surrender the battle. But this is not a battle we have to lose. We can be different people who live with joy and peace. While this seems impossible, it can be a reality for us all.

 

In Galatians 5, Paul addresses this battle that wages within all of us. In verses 16-18, Paul speaks to the battle waging within us. 16 But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. 17 For 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. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. We find victory in this battle when we learn to walk by the Spirit. Yet, it is a constant battle. The desires of our flesh wage war against the Spirit within us. While we certainly hate this battle. We should also learn to be thankful for the struggle.

 

In Ephesians 2, Paul reveals that we were dead in trespasses and sin before our justification through faith in Christ (our salvation). The key to that statement is that we were dead. Dead things don’t fight. They don’t do anything. They are dead. Paul used this picture to remind us of our total depravity. As he states in Romans 3, none of us are good. In that section (3:10-18), Paul weaves together several Old Testament passages in which God clearly demonstrates that nothing is good in us. Because there is nothing good in any of us, we did not battle against the flesh. We were spiritually dead.

 

Yet, God made us alive in Christ. He raised us from spiritual death and infused life into us. He clothed us with the righteousness of Christ so that we can now please God and fight against the flesh. With the Spirit now in us, we have a war because we understand what God desires of us. So we fight. We begin to hate the fight because it keeps us from doing what we want through the Spirit: live a life pleasing to God. Yet, this fight is a sign of life in us. Dead things don’t fight. Only things that are alive can fight. The fact that you have this battle in your heart is a sign that you are alive in Christ!

 

In Romans 6, Paul asks if we should continue to live in sin. He argues that this cannot be the case. We are now dead to sin and alive in Christ. So, we should seek to live apart from sin. Yet, the desires of our flesh keep us from doing that. All the things inside us and around us seek to drive us away from a life lived for God. For, as John says, all that is in the world – the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and the pride of life – is not from the Father but is from the world (1 John 2:16). So the things we desire to do, we find ourselves not doing. The things we desire to refrain from, we find ourselves doing. The result is that we are unhappy, discontent, angry, unsatisfied people.

 

We regularly point to the people around us as the reason for our unhappiness. However, the reality is that the source of our problems is us. The wars and fighting come from our hearts (James 4:1-10). We don’t get what we want, so we rage. Our desires are not met, so we fight. As you sit and bicker with those around you, you must remember that the problem is not the other person. The problem is your sinful desires.

 

But there is a wonderful answer. This is a battle we can win. Living in bitter discontentment is not what God desires for us. God wants you to live in joy, not anger, in contentment, not bitterness, in love, not hate, in peace, not conflict. So, He provided a way to victory in this battle. Over the next few weeks, this is the message I want to explore. I hope to reveal the battle plan to discover peace and joy in our lives. And hopefully, as we discover it, we can help those around us discover it as well.