For the past twenty plus years I have been a pastor. For the past twenty plus years I have been in and out of counseling. Counselors love me because I’m the classic blame shifter who is easy to spot. “What brings you in today?” My wife has issues. “Why do you think you struggle with anxiety?” Because my seven kids are driving me crazy. “Why are you so filled with fear and anger?” Because my congregation keeps picking on me. It’s like I’m still a child in a grown man’s body. The problem is still out there and not inside of me. When will I learn?
Deep inside my regenerated heart, something is still off. Conversion doesn’t eliminate the battle and struggle with sin. The Bible uses terms such as “the flesh” (Galatians 5: 13) or “indwelling sin” (Romans 7: 17). There is an internal war going on within the believer between “the desires of the flesh” and “the desires of the Spirit” (Galatians 5: 16– 17). The “flesh” is the old “me-centered” sinful way of doing life. The “Spirit” is the new Christ-centered way of doing life. The war is real, and you can feel it on a daily
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