Your Fight for Fruit

The Christian life is a fight between the desires of what Paul calls the “flesh,” or the sinful nature, and the desires of the Spirit. The desires of the flesh automatically produce ugly “works,” like fungus, that dominate and divide us. The desires of the Spirit, on the other hand, draw out beautiful fruits of character that pull people together in relationship. If you are a Christian, the Spirit in you is “the real you,” and your flesh is a persistent but mortally wounded foe. Jesus has already nailed your sin to his cross; now he invites you to actively crucify your flesh, while actively working to keep in step with the Spirit.