Tug-o-War

When I was a kid, one of the highlights of Spring at school was Field Day. Field Day was the perfect combination of circumstances: no classes and play outside the whole day. We competed in the usual events, sack races, relay races, softball throw, and punt-pass-kick. I must confess, I didn't fare too well in the racing events. God designed me more for comfort than for speed.

My favorite event, however, was Tug-o-War. Two teams lined up at either end of a long rope with a flag tied halfway between them. The winning team was able to pull their opponents into the muddy ditch that separated them. Never have you seen such groaning, grunting, and straining. Never have you seen such carnage. The event usually ended with BOTH teams in the ditch, participants covered in mud from head to toe.

For the Believer, we find ourselves caught in the middle of a daily tug-o-war, only we are not participants, we are the rope. The Holy Spirit is locked in mortal conflict with our old self – the sinful nature with which we were born.

For the flesh desires what is against the Spirit, and the Spirit desires what is against the flesh; these are opposed to each other, so that you don't do what you want. – Galatians 5:17

The Holy Spirit working through our spirit constantly battles that part of us that still is in the habit of sinning. These two sides absolutely cannot get along. Just as the tug-o-war rope has a flag in the middle to mark the progress of the competition, we also can look at very clear indicators to determine whether the Spirit of God or our own sinful nature is winning the contest. We will clearly display through our actions and attitudes either the works of the flesh (Galatians 5:19-21) or the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23).

For the believer, a life driven by flesh – even if our flesh leads us to do "religious" things – is totally unacceptable and entirely sinful. We are commanded to live "by the Spirit" so we will not give in to the desires of the flesh. How can we enable the Spirit to achieve victory in our lives? The solution is quite simple to express, yet quite difficult to implement.

Whichever competitor we feed the most will win. If we feed our flesh by soaking in all our contemporary culture has to offer, if we bask in the enjoyment of self-importance and pride, if we listen to, look at, and ponder those things contrary to God's Word and His will for our life, we feed the flesh and render ourselves unable to resist those sinful urges that emerge from within us.

On the other hand, if we saturate our minds with "God thoughts," if we surround ourselves with the Word of God, if we fill our ears with the Truth, then we will develop more sensitivity to God's Spirit and live our lives more by His control. In living this way, we obey and please God.

How will you choose to view life? Will you settle for a myopic, self-focused view that follows the urgings or our desperately wicked heart, or will you instead immerse yourself in God's Word and listen for His voice to guide you? Don't let your flesh drag you into the mud. Instead, let the Holy Spirit set your feet on a rock, make your steps secure, and put a new song in your mouth. (Psalm 40:2-3)