Brave Enough to Obey God: Living by the Spirit When Your Flesh Fights Back

For the [true] love of God is this: that we habitually keep His commandments and remain focused on His precepts. And His commandments and His precepts are not difficult [to obey]. 1 John 5:3.

What do you do when you feel like you are losing your resolve to do what God instructs you to do, to follow Jesus no matter what? How do you strengthen your resolve to push on especially when you are going against the current. How do you navigate that season when it seems like even your very flesh is striving against you?

For I do not understand my own actions [I am baffled and bewildered by them]. I do not practice what I want to do, but I am doing the very thing I hate [and yielding to my human nature, my worldliness—my sinful capacity]. Romans 7:15

Romans 7:15 shows, even from the experience of such a seasoned man of God, the very person who wrote majority of the New Testament: Paul, that it is impossible to achieve righteousness apart from Jesus. Every effort on our human part eventually ends in frustration as even when we want to do what is right, we do not. We end up doing what is wrong and what we hate to do because of the sin nature. That is why Jesus said to His disciples: Keep actively watching and praying that you may not come into temptation; the spirit is willing, but the body is weak. Matthew 26:41.

We need help from the Holy Spirit if we are going to do what is right in the sight of God.

What started off as a dilemma for Paul in Romans 7 ends with divine revelation in Romans 8. Paul discovered the key to successfully living according to the will of God, even on this sinful earth: the Holy Spirit.

Those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh; but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. The mind of the flesh is death, but the mind of the Spirit is life and peace, because the mind of the flesh is hostile to God: It does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. Those controlled by the flesh cannot please God. You, however, are controlled not by the flesh, but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ. But if Christ is in you, your body is dead because of sin, yet your spirit is alive because of righteousness. Romans 8:5-10.

Jesus Christ living in us makes our spirits alive to righteousness and dead to sin! What a comforting truth! Indeed, we need Jesus every step of the way because apart from Him we can do nothing.

I am the Vine; you are the branches. The one who remains in Me and I in him bears much fruit, for [otherwise] apart from Me [that is, cut off from vital union with Me] you can do nothing. John 15:5

You have had it been said that we ought to live our lives according to the Bible’s teaching rather than the culturally acceptable practices of the day. But whatsoever that look like practically? What strategies can you employ in the daily rhythms of your life and family to effectively do this?

We must have faith that God’s Word is true, trust in His promises to us and allow to be led by the Holy Spirit daily.

It’s not easy living whole-heartedly for Jesus in a culture that is increasingly hostile to Him is hard. Jesus warned us about this already, but He did not leave us helpless or hopeless. He sent us the most powerful and effective Helper anyone could ever ask for, the Holy Spirit. Jesus also encourages us to take heart; He has overcome the world. Not will or is going to but has already overcome. We are fighting from a place of Victory!

I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have [perfect] peace. In the world you have tribulation and distress and suffering, but be courageous [be confident, be undaunted, be filled with joy]; I have overcome the world.” [My conquest is accomplished, My victory abiding.] John 16:33.

God has set us up to succeed! He has put things in place to help us. One of the biggest advantages we have is the gift of the Holy Spirit. Jesus, as He was leaving this earth, assured us that it is good for Him to go, so He can send us exactly what we need: our Helper, the One who will help us succeed even when it seems like the odds are stacked against us. The Holy Spirit. The same Spirit that powerfully rose Jesus from the dead will give us the power to live righteously in this fallen world. Hallelujah!

But I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper (Comforter, Advocate, Intercessor—Counselor, Strengthener, Standby) will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him (the Holy Spirit) to you [to be in close fellowship with you]. But when He, the Spirit of Truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth [full and complete truth]. For He will not speak on His own initiative, but He will speak whatever He hears [from the Father—the message regarding the Son], and He will disclose to you what is to come [in the future]. John 16:7, 13.