As Christ followers, we all suffer from it. This disorder has plagued us since the beginning of human history, afflicting men from Adam to Solomon to us. On one side we want to do all things pleasing to God. To follow the examples set by Christ and to be a living representative of whom He is to all humanity. This side is often represented by the little angel perched on our shoulder whispering in our ear.

Then in the opposite corner of our mind wearing death and destruction colored trunks is our natural inclination. This is often depicted by a cute little devil sitting on the opposite shoulder. As a point of warning, this devil is not cute and the more you listen to its’ direction the bigger it becomes in your live. This enemy feeds on your weaknesses and is hungry for your soul. He will do everything to destroy your life and everything in it.

Sure we can blame its’ presence on Adam and Eve but it is our responsibility to crucify the flesh daily. So with every decision these forces do battle within us. As we strive to please God, many times we end up face down in the mud, having been sucker punched by temptation yet again. It can be a vicious cycle which has too tight of a hold on many of us.

If you find yourself in the sin rut, Paul in his writing to the church at Galatia offers a way out: follow the Holy Spirit. In other words decide which voice you are going to listen to and put the other one on mute. Deliver a daily KO to your human nature and be willing to kick it while it is down to ensure that it doesn’t come back. God’s intended path does not revolve around whatever pleases us. So if we really want to follow God we had better lose ourselves and get caught up in what He is up to in our lives.

Check out these encouraging words in Galatians:

“So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves. The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, so you are not free to carry out your good intentions. 18 But when you are directed by the Spirit, you are not under obligation to the law.” Galatians 5:16-18