Shadowboxing: Winning the Battle Within Sample

THE SHADOW-SIDE

At the gym one day, I noticed that one of the trainers had a new tattoo, a very impressive artwork of a wolf. "That’s a cool tattoo," I said. He got really pumped and told me that all his tattoos have a special meaning.

"This one of a wolf," he began, "You know the story? You’ve got two wolves. One is the good wolf that helps you and the other is the bad wolf. The question is: Which wolf are you going to feed?"

By now, I was getting really pumped because I knew there was a sermon in there. "You’re preaching to me and I’m a preacher," I said. To which he replied, "Well, you know what it’s all about then, don’t you?" (Amen, brother.)

It’s not a new idea that we all have a darker side to our natures that eggs us on to do things that may feel good in the moment but are actually bad for us and can even derail our lives. When the Bible talks about this shadow-side of our humanity, it usually refers to it as ‘the flesh’ or ‘the sinful nature’.

Once the Holy Spirit takes up residence in us, there are constant clashes between the sinful nature (which wants its own way) and the Spirit (Who promotes God’s way) on the battlegrounds of our hearts and minds. Galatians 5:17 (NLT) says: ‘The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, so you are not free to carry out your good intentions.’

The struggle is real. Even the Apostle Paul writes about it in Romans 7:19 (NLT): ‘I want to do what is good, but I don’t. I don’t want to do what is wrong, but I do it anyway.’

Yet when God encourages us to do things His way, it’s not to spoil our fun but to protect us from the potential ruin described in Galatians 5:19–21 (MSG): ‘It is obvious what kind of life develops out of trying to get your own way all the time: repetitive, loveless, cheap sex; a stinking accumulation of mental and emotional garbage; frenzied and joyless grabs for happiness; trinket gods; magic-show religion; paranoid loneliness; cutthroat competition; all-consuming-yet-never-satisfied wants; a brutal temper; an impotence to love or be loved; divided homes and divided lives; small-minded and lopsided pursuits; the vicious habit of depersonalizing everyone into a rival; uncontrolled and uncontrollable addictions; ugly parodies of community. I could go on.’

The paradox is that there’s no freedom in doing exactly as we please. Instead, we just get caught up and trapped in destructive patterns, habits, and addictions, which end up controlling us.

On the other hand, look at what we can expect when we follow the Holy Spirit’s direction in our lives, according to Galatians 5:22–23 (MSG): ‘But what happens when we live God’s way? He brings gifts into our lives, much the same way that fruit appears in an orchard—things like affection for others, exuberance about life, serenity. We develop a willingness to stick with things, a sense of compassion in the heart, and a conviction that a basic holiness permeates things and people. We find ourselves involved in loyal commitments, not needing to force our way in life, able to marshal and direct our energies wisely.’

This is where true freedom lies.

Which brings me back to my friend from the gym’s question: Which wolf are you going to feed? Or to rephrase it in biblical terms: Will you feed your flesh, or will you feed your spirit, which is fused with the Holy Spirit? (See 1 Corinthians 6:17)

Over the next few days, we’ll explore some ways to feed our spirits and pave the way for God’s action in our lives.