A Native American elder told his grandson about two wolves who live in every heart. One is Evil — anger, jealousy, pride, and selfishness. The other is Good — joy, love, peace, and humility.
The grandson asked his grandfather, “Which wolf wins?” His grandfather replied, “The one you feed.”
While not exactly a biblical illustration, it makes an important point: There is a battle raging in the heart of the Christian. As the Apostle Paul said when writing to the Galatians:
“For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want.” (Galatians 5:17)
Becoming a Christian does not mean that our struggles are over. We are forgiven and we are a child of God, but we still retain our sinful nature. We will battle our sinful nature as long as we live here on earth. We are given the Holy Spirit to give us the power to overcome the desires of the flesh.
The more we feed the Spirit by faith in Christ. The more we are obedient and in prayer, Bible study, worship, and holy living, the weaker the flesh becomes. The closer our walk with the Lord becomes and the easier it is to say yes to the Spirit and no to the flesh.
However, when we feed the sinful nature, our walk with the Lord becomes weaker. Every time we give in to the lusts of the flesh, we are saying no to the Spirit. The more often we say yes to the flesh, the easier it becomes. If we say yes too often, some things can become an addiction with devastating consequences. Satan will not miss an opportunity to drag us down.
But, when we say no to the sin nature, we become stronger. Saying no to the flesh just one time makes us stronger. The more we say no to sin, the stronger we become and the desire of the flesh becomes weaker. If we keep saying yes to the spirit and no to the flesh, we will win the battle.
Don’t be discouraged if you cannot escape the struggle within. Instead, feed the Spirit through prayer and worship. Deny the lust of the flesh. Through the power of the Holy Spirit, you can win the battle within. The Heavenly reward will be beyond what we can comprehend. (1 Corinthians 2:9)
Feed the good wolf in you!
Hope Shack 