The battle within happens in our minds. It is the battle between our desires. It is no different than wanting to eat chocolate cake as a midnight snack versus celery sticks. Which do you really want to eat? Well, it depends. In one sense, you want the chocolate cake but in another sense, you want the celery sticks. Chocolate cake will be good to your palate (desirable) but will be bad for your weight (undesirable). But celery sticks will  not be so good to your palate (undesirable) but will be good for your weight (desirable). So you are really having to choose between two competing desires. Which will win out?

But what if our taste buds changed so that we actually think celery sticks taste better than the chocolate cake? So, given a choice between the two, even if you are not on a diet, you would still choose celery sticks? Impossible you say? Well, I guess I’m somewhat of a walking example. I actually prefer to eat celery sticks because I think they taste better than chocolate cake. But I wasn’t always like that. I remember liking chocolate just like any person next to me. And I couldn’t stand the smell of celery sticks. But after learning what they will do to your body and after a period of discipline, I have learned to like celery sticks. And slowly my taste buds changed so that I actually prefer celery sticks to chocolate cake even though I am not at all concerned about my weight.

I think this applies to life and what we are tempted by. “For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit.” Romans 8:5 

If we consistently set our minds on the things of the Spirit rather than on the things of the flesh, then our spiritual taste buds (desire) will change and we will further desire spiritual things rather than fleshly things. Fleshly things may seem more desirable now than spiritual things. But when we consistently discipline our minds to be on spiritual things, eventually our spiritual taste buds will prefer spiritual things to unspiritual things.

And this is the discipline that God will help with.

PH