Dog Fight

Gal 5:17 "For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please."

"An Eskimo fisherman came to town every Saturday afternoon. He always brought his two dogs with him. One dog was white and the other dog was black. The fisherman had taught the dogs how to fight on command. Every Saturday afternoon in the town square, the people would gather to watch the two dogs fight and the fisherman would take bets. One Saturday the black dog would win; another Saturday, the white dog would win-but the fisherman always won! His friends began to ask him how he did it. He said, "I starve one and feed the other. The one I feed always wins because he is stronger." (paraphrased from the book, "The Holy Spirit" by Billy Graham)

When we place our faith in the person of Jesus Christ, His sacrificial death on the cross for sin, and His resurrection after three days in the grave, the Holy Spirit comes to reside in our body. (1 John 4:13) This causes conflict within us because from the time that we were conceived, we also have a sin nature. (Psalm 51:5) The two natures that dwell within us are in a constant battle for supremacy over all aspects of our lives. Just like the story of the two dogs, every day that we live, there is a struggle within us between the Holy Spirit and the sin nature to dominate and control our thoughts, actions, and attitudes. One of the two will always win! The question then becomes, "How do I win the daily battle over the sin nature?" The answer to that question is determined by the one in which you "feed" and the one in which you "starve". In Galatians 5:17 Paul tells us, "For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another,". Here we have a picture of a Spiritual tug-of-war. The sinful nature tries to pull you away from the control of the Spirit and the Spirit tries to pull you away from control of the flesh. One of them will always win!!! During every moment of your life, you are under the direct control of one of these two natures that dwell inside of you. If we continually yield to the power of the flesh and feed it by sinning, then the flesh will be the predominant power in our lives. But if we continually yield to the Holy Spirit and feed it by a daily renewal in the word of God, then the Spirit will be the predominant power in our lives. Psalms 119:103-104 says, "How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth! I gain understanding from your precepts;therefore I hate every wrong path." Feeding the Spirit from the Word of God will keep you from following the sin nature down "every wrong path". Daily study and application of the Word of God has to be made a priority in the life of a believer in order to win the daily tug-of-war between the Spirit and the flesh. Which nature is winning the battle for supremacy in your life? Which one are you feeding? Galatians 5:16 "But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh." Make it a priority to "feed" the Spirit daily by yielding control of your life to the Spirit and applying the truth from God's powerful Word, and you will be victorious in the "dogfight" over your life. "Feed the Spirit!!!!" "Starve the flesh!!!!" Be victorious!!!