The Enemy Within

All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath. Ephesians 2:3

Paul writes to the Ephesian church about life before Christ. He reminds them of their former way of living when they followed the cravings and desires of their flesh. By “flesh,” Paul isn’t referring to their literal, physical bodies but to sinful nature that opposes God’s Spirit. They needed to understand that this internal enemy—the flesh—distorts good desires into sinful ones. As the early church leader Augustine would later write, the flesh either loves the wrong things or the right things in the wrong order.

We face this same battle. Our sinful flesh corrupts what God intended for good. Sin affects how we think and what we desire, encouraging us to take good gifts from God and turn them into the ultimate desires of our hearts. The longing for a relationship becomes lust. The desire for success becomes greed. The need for security becomes control. Like the Ephesians, we must recognize that this enemy within—our sinful nature—opposes God’s work in our lives. Our flesh’s nature can’t be managed by self-effort. It must be put to death through Christ’s work in us. Through Jesus, we experience victory over the flesh’s control.

TODAY: Spend time praying about any disordered or distorted desires. Ask God to reveal longings or cravings that are at odds with God’s desire for your life. Confess anything God reveals. As you confess, remember, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).