The Flesh Vs. The Spirit

We Christians wage a ferocious battle every day: the battle between the flesh and the Spirit.

Under the guidance of the The Holy Spirit, the Apostle Paul wrote, "Therefore do no let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts. And do not present your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God. For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace." (Romans 6:12-14, emphasis added).

Our fleshly nature desires to indulge in carnal pleasures and yield to the ungodly standards of the world. But these are not the values of God. To follow God and to live a life that is pleasing to Him, we must cast out the lustful desires of the flesh and obey the Lord's commandments. We must love Him with all our heart, soul and mind.

We must submit wholeheartedly to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. After all, He paid for us with His blood. We owe it to Him. We must let Him have complete control of our lives - every thought, every decision, every step we take must be filtered through His will, not our own. We must not let sin reign in our mortal bodies!

Father God, I praise you for creating the world and that you have complete authority over heaven and earth. Thank you for loving me so much that you sent your only begotten Son to die a excruciatingly painful death on the cross to pay my sin debt in full. Lord, I confess that I fall short of your holy standard every day, and I ask you for your forgiveness. Lord Jesus, help me to hide your Word in my heart that I might not sin against you. I ask these things in the name of Jesus. Amen.