Galatians 5:16-18 I say then; Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lust 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.

When we come to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ, we receive the Holy Spirit to help guide us. Our soul is firmly in the hands of God at this point and there is no taking us away from Him. But there is a continual conflict that starts and we fight against our own desires and wants from this time forward. This is the true battle. Our earthly, fleshly desires against the leading of the Spirit.

This is the hardest part of walking with Jesus. We are to crucify our own flesh daily and walk with him. These two are diametrically opposed to one another. The Spirit leads us into a walk of holiness. Our flesh leads us to sin. This is a constant battle that we will have to fight the rest of our lives. The daily walk in this arena is at times overwhelming. That is why we are called to cling to the Spirit. Stay in prayer and in His word.

Living like this is what helps build our faith. We are no longer condemned by the law but saved through God’s grace. This does not mean everything will be peaches and cream. It is difficult and with every step there is opposition. A lot of this opposition is from our fleshly desires. But every step of this conflict leads us to be more like Jesus. He loves us too much to not make us walk this gauntlet. Stand firm in your faith. Trust in the Lord with all your heart. He does not disappoint!