“For the good that I want, I do not do, but I practice the very evil that I do not want” (Romans 7:19).
If you’ve ever ended the day thinking, “Why did I say that? Why did I do that?” you’re in good company. If the apostle Paul struggled, so will we, and the struggle is real. Every believer carries an enemy within—our flesh (Romans 7:18). That doesn’t mean we have an excuse for failure, but that we face the battle with honesty and humility.
At salvation, the Holy Spirit gave us new desires. Yet our old nature still resists. You’ve probably felt it: the pull to comfort when the Spirit calls you to perseverance. The urge to take what you can get when the Spirit urges you to give instead. The desire to be noticed when the Spirit whispers, “Be humble.”
These two natures are locked in battle (Galatians 5:17). So which one wins? The one you feed. What you allow into your heart and mind—through what you watch, read, listen to, or dwell on—either fuels your flesh or strengthens your faith. If you ignore the Spirit’s voice, the flesh will take charge quickly.
Paul reminds us that the works of the flesh show up in ways we’d expect—immorality, drunkenness, rebellion. They also appear in ways we sometimes overlook—jealousy, envy, strife, selfish ambition. But when we yield to the Spirit, His fruit is what becomes most evident—love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:19–23).
This battle isn’t won by trying harder. Self cannot be both the problem and the solution. You’re not enough on your own—and that’s okay, because Jesus is. The old nature cannot be reformed; it must be crucified daily (Romans 6:1-6; Galatians 2:20, 5:24).
Every day you are faced with a choice: Will I feed the flesh or walk in the Spirit? That choice shows up in how you respond to criticism, in what you linger on in thought, in how you treat people who irritate you. Yes, the struggle is real. But the same Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead lives in you (Romans 8:11), and His power is greater than your weakness.
What do you need to cut out that’s been feeding your old nature? Are you willing to do it? Surrender that area of your life to the Holy Spirit and walk in His strength. Victory has already been won at the Cross—now live in it.
