In today’s devotion we will continue with the battle between the spirit and the flesh.
The will acts like the commander-in-chief of our drives, desires, and ambitions, giving them their marching orders. Often the battle plans for our lives are well mapped out. A carefully plotted course and destination all seem well within reach. However, right in the middle of our nine-word “statement of condition” lies the pivotal word, “but.” And as with so many things in life there always seems to be a “but.”
“But the flesh is weak.” The flesh represents our emotional center, and here is where the real battle is fought. So often this center is like a huge mine field, where every turn seems to be loaded with powerful booby traps. These can destroy our well laid plans quite quickly if we are not trained properly to avoid them.
It is here that the Holy Scriptures provide us with tremendous insight into why we have such an uphill battle in life. For we read, “the flesh is weak.” There is something in our human nature that is flawed and weak. And no matter how hard we try, we never seem to gain the freedom we so desperately need to live our lives to the fulfillment of the dreams we have.
The Bible gives this flaw a name – sin. For when Adam disobeyed God by eating the forbidden fruit, he fell into sin, broke fellowship with God, and passed this flaw on to everyone who ever lived after him.
Just ponder the above scenario and see how it so perfectly depicts the state of man today. For most of us, the great potential we all possess never really gets off the ground. Our flesh so often wins the battle over our spirit. It’s time to take inventory. For many, peace of mind, joy, and true meaning in life never seem to be found. Instead, they find, when they look back on their lives in old age, only memories of what could have been. And when they look forward, they see only a future fast approaching its terminal point. For such an individual little if any meaning has been found.
Such a person, who was of supreme importance to him or herself, history will record them just as a statistical blip in time. As grim as this may appear the Bible offers us an alternative way of living of great hope and freedom from the bondage, we so often find ourselves in.
In tomorrow’s devotion we will explore this magnificent alternative lifestyle.