Two Men, One Life: Choosing Spirit Over Flesh

Two Men, One Life: Choosing Spirit Over Flesh

Every believer lives with a strange tension—two men pulling in opposite directions within the same body. Not two identities, but two personas: the flesh man and the spirit man. The one is stubborn, self-preserving, and allergic to truth. The other is reborn in Christ, surrendered, and hungry for righteousness. This isn’t a metaphor; it’s reality. And the journey of sanctification is the daily decision to silence one and yield to the other.

Scripture teaches that the old man is already condemned. He cannot be rehabilitated. Romans 6:11 tells us to "reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord." The flesh can’t be improved—it must be starved, reckoned dead, and displaced by the life of Christ. You don’t fight the flesh with willpower; you deny it fuel and make space for the Spirit.

Transformation doesn’t happen because we feel like changing—it comes as the Word renews our mind. Romans 12:2 urges, "And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind…" When truth gets into your heart, it rewires how you think, how you choose, and how you respond. The process is not instantaneous, but it is intentional. Without the Word, the default is always flesh. But with it, the Spirit gains influence—and the fruit of change begins to show.

And once the mind is renewed, we begin to walk in the Spirit. Galatians 5:16 instructs, "This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh." But walking in the Spirit isn’t just about a feeling or divine prompt—it is the result of yielding to the Word of God that we've read, studied, and allowed to shape our convictions. As the Word takes root and renews our thinking, obedience follows in life's everyday circumstances. That obedience is not mechanical—it’s alive. It’s the Spirit expressing Himself through a believer who has chosen to let the Word lead the way. And when we do that—when our choices align with truth—the flesh dies a little more, and the Spirit lives visibly through us.

Galatians 2:20 declares, "I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me…" That’s the tension. That’s the triumph. You’re not earning your place in the Kingdom—you’re living like someone who already belongs there. The more the Word renews your mind, and the more you yield your steps in obedience to that Word, the louder the Spirit speaks, the clearer He leads, and the more Christ is formed in you.

Let the Word speak louder than your impulses. Let grace guide your growth. And when the flesh kicks and screams, remember—he doesn’t get to drive anymore. You’ve got the Spirit of the living God in you, and that changes everything.