Tug Of War

 You know about tug of war. You have two teams grab both ends of a long rope. The game is started with each side trying to tug the other team across a barrier. Loads of fun have been had with this old competition. That is not what is on my mind today. I am thinking of a much more serious tug of war that happens in the soul. 

Christians live with the constant tug of war of two natures. They are waging war for supremacy. The flesh opposes the Spirit of God within us. Each fighting for control. The flesh is hostile toward God and the things of God. This is the sinful carnal nature. The Holy Spirit is fighting just as hard to lead us to honor and please God. Which one wins?

Let me illustrate. Say we have two dogs of equal breeding, size and temperament. One dog you faithfully feed every day. The second dog you only feed once every three days. This routine is repeated for several weeks. Say those two dogs turn on each other and get into a fight. Which dog do you suppose will win? The stronger dog will be the one that has been properly nourished. 

The same is true in us. If I constantly feed the flesh, give into carnal desires, and let that nature rule supremely I will lose more spiritual battles than I win. If on the other hand, I pray, study the scriptures, and seek to live surrendered to the Holy Spirit I will most likely win most of my spiritual battles. 

It is a constant tug of war in the soul. The nature you give the most attention will most likely be the nature that wins the day. Paul exhorts us in [Galatians 5:16] to walk by the Spirit. I interpret this to mean that we are to live in submissive surrender to the Holy Spirit. To put it another way, we are to live yielded to the Holy Spirit. Suppose two cars approach an intersection and one has a yield sign and the other does not. The car with the yield sign surrenders the right of way to the other car. In yielding to the Holy Spirit, we give Him the right of way in our lives. When we do this, we will not carry out the desires of the flesh. Even though the flesh is in opposition with the Holy Spirit within us, the Holy Spirit is the more dominant force when we walk by His power. 

We read on in Galatians about behaviors associated with the flesh and behaviors associated with the Spirit in [Gal 5:19-23]. Which set of behaviors most characterizes your life? That will give a clear indication of which nature is winning the tug of war in your soul.