There is a fight that
goes on in the life of every believer to live a life of holiness. Paul tells us in Romans 7:21, “When I try to
do good, evil is always present.” The flesh fights
against us daily as we try to pursue holiness in our life.
The flesh is our sinful nature, those desires
that are contrary to the Spirit. These desires
are a craving and longing for those things that oppose God and His will. Our sinful nature is strong and difficult to
control. Therefore, we cannot fight the
flesh in our own power. Jesus said, “The
flesh is weak.” Every person has
experienced the power of the sinful nature; everyone has "fought"
against doing something we did not want to do; we knew it was harmful and
hurtful...yet we could not resist. At
one time or another we all have cursed, or became angry, or gotten drunk, or lied
or became involved in some other evil.
Paul reminds us "all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of
God (Romans 3:23)."
The power to live a
holy life can only be found in the person of the Holy Spirit. Galatians 5:16
says, “Walk in the spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the
flesh.” This Holy Spirit of God is the
answer to conquering the lusts of the flesh and living a holy life. No person
has the power to control the lusts of his or her sinful nature within
themselves.
The Spirit of God will create holiness
in our lives as we submit ourselves to God’s will. Only those who are led by the Spirit are
capable of living a holy life.