Battle With Ourselves
Romans 6:12, Galations 5:17
How can we be our own enemy? And what does it mean to, as the Bible says, battle with our flesh? Our mortal bodies here on earth are filled with evil desires, but they're not always the obvious ones. Yes, lying, stealing, cheating, killing, and otherwise hurting others is clearly evil. People who claim to be Christians (but aren't) as well as most people throughout the world (regardless of faith) would agree with that. But many of us fool ourselves into thinking that we're in good standing with God because we believe in Him and don't do any of those really bad things.
An authentic Christian, though, knows the battle is much deeper. As mentioned earlier, when God saved us, he upended and reoriented our entire view of the world. We are radically different now, but our intense desires for comfort, security, and pleasure never fully go away. We know we wake up each morning wanting to do what we want to do, and our natural inclination is to find our joy in the things we can see and feel. It is selfish and sinful to the core, but not easy to resist!
Do you need a good job and money in the bank to experience joy in life? Do you need a boyfriend, girlfriend, spouse, children, or other relatives' love to find joy? Do you need your loved ones to be well to find joy? Do you need good looks or good health to find joy? Do you need a house in a nice neighborhood or your favorite hobby/activity to find joy? Do you need talents and admiration to find joy? Most of these look like good things, so what's wrong with centering our lives around pursuing them?
Simply put, it's because God needs to be the center of our lives. (Matt. 22:37-38) Where our treasure is reveals where our heart is, and God wants our whole hearts. (Matthew 6:21) If you're not looking for joy in God alone, above all earthly things, you're simply using Him to get whatever makes you happy.
These tendencies to treasure earthly pleasure over pleasure in God run so deep, even for authentic Christians, that the battle to keep God, not us, at the center of our lives is our greatest struggle.