For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. (Romans 7:18-19)
So we are saints who sin. We may want with all our heart not to sin, but we struggle to walk blamelessly with the Lord because of our flesh, that “body of death” that Paul talks about in Romans 7:24. Our flesh is our constant companion until Jesus takes us home or comes again. The more sinful your life was before you accepted Christ, the more difficult it is going to be for you to overcome the consequences of what you’ve done.
If you’ve seen countless sexual images or slept with many different women, you’re going to struggle for some time before you can overcome your flesh. Once the Enemy has those images planted in your mind, he can activate them and put them into service whenever he wants. They sit dormant awaiting his command. Your flesh is his willing accomplice.
God has delivered us from the ultimate penalty of our sin, but he has left us with our traitorous flesh to strengthen and test us. Our trials with our flesh produce spiritual strength – making us warriors worthy of following the King. David’s Mighty Men didn’t get to be mighty without battling powerful enemies. Neither will we. Our spiritual training has to be tested on the battlefield.
