Daily devotion: God help me against myself!
Galatians 5:16–18, 25
“I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law… If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.”
There are times when I sense that the spiritual struggle between my old flesh and my new, Spirit-filled nature is raging like a war that would make some earthly battles seem insignificant!
Just as Isaac and Ishmael were in conflict, so too are the Spirit and the flesh — two opposing forces that cannot live in peace.
If the Holy Spirit controls the body, we walk in the Spirit. But if the flesh takes control, we walk according to its lusts and desires. These two have entirely different appetites, and this is what creates the constant conflict within us.
Our old nature is like the pig and the crow — always seeking out something unclean on which to feed. We cannot overcome this nature simply by willpower. The solution is not to pit our will against the flesh but to surrender our will to the Holy Spirit.
We must not grieve our Lord through stubbornness. To win the fight, we cease from striving — and instead, we humbly come to Christ, asking Him to forgive, to help, and to strengthen us so that our thoughts, words, and actions might please Him.
This victory comes when we fall to our knees in prayer, Bible open before us, and surrender fully to the Lord.
When we wave the white flag of surrender, God begins to move. He removes anger, bitterness, and all the things our flesh feeds upon.
As you read this devotion — surrender. It’s not about your rights or who’s right or wrong. It’s about pleasing the Lord, becoming Christlike, and forgetting about yourself completely.