Copyright by Freedom in Christ, used with permission.
And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. Philippians 1:6
We can easily fall into the trap of thinking that when we become Christians everything will be perfect and we won’t struggle with sin any more. So when we realize that we haven’t turned into perfect, lovely people who only want to do good things and are never tempted to sin, we can start to think: “What is wrong with me?”; ”Why am I still like this?”; ”Why is my faith not working?”; “Maybe I’m not a saint after all.”
But the reality is that, even though we did become new creations when we were saved, our flesh is still very much alive and kicking and fights to be heard and obeyed. Overcoming it takes time and perseverance in countless moment-by-moment choices. The good news is that, if we persevere, collaborate with God, and allow Him to work with us in this, He will finish the work He has started – this verse from Philippians promises us that.
Simply becoming aware of the very real choice between walking by the flesh and walking by the Spirit can be life-changing. There’s nothing wrong with you – you are just fighting the fight that all Christians throughout the ages have had to fight.
Every day this week, specifically commit yourself to walk by the Spirit rather than by the flesh. Ask the Holy Spirit to fill you and guide you.
