Walking in the Spirit: Who’s Winning The Tug-of-War

Walking in the Spirit: Who’s Winning the Tug-of-War?

Every day, there’s a battle happening inside us—a tug-of-war between our flesh and the Spirit. Imagine yourself as the rope, being pulled in two directions. On one side, your flesh tugs at you, pulling you toward selfishness, sin, and shortcuts. On the other, the Spirit leads you toward righteousness, patience, and obedience. The tension is real. The question isn’t if this battle exists—it’s who’s winning?

The Struggle is Real

Paul lays it out in Galatians 5: The flesh and the Spirit are constantly at odds with each other. It’s not about pretending the battle doesn’t exist. It does. The real question is, which side are we feeding?

Being led by the Spirit isn’t about following a set of rules—it’s about transformation. It’s not about trying harder, but about surrendering more. When we’re guided by the Spirit, we don’t live under the control of sin.

What Happens When the Flesh Wins?

Paul doesn’t leave us guessing. He lists the works of the flesh—things like anger, jealousy, selfishness, division, impurity, and idolatry (Galatians 5:19-21). The truth? A life controlled by the flesh never moves forward in the Spirit. It keeps us stuck.

But here’s the good news—God doesn’t just tell us what to avoid; He shows us a better way.

The Evidence of Walking in the Spirit

Instead of being controlled by the flesh, we can walk by the Spirit—and when we do, something powerful happens. We produce fruit.

Paul describes the fruit of the Spirit as love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23). Just like fruit doesn’t grow overnight, spiritual fruit takes time to develop. The goal isn’t to try harder to be more patient or loving—it’s to stay connected to the Spirit and let Him shape us.

Jesus put it this way in John 15:5: “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.”

? Fruit is the evidence, not the effort. What grows in your life reveals what’s guiding your heart. If we want to see spiritual fruit, we need to let go of the rope and allow the Spirit to lead.

Victory Starts with Surrender

Walking in the Spirit isn’t a one-time decision—it’s a daily choice. Jesus said, “Take up your cross daily and follow me” (Luke 9:23). That means dying to our flesh every day—laying down our selfish desires and allowing Jesus to shape us.

Paul says it like this: “Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.” (Galatians 5:24) In other words, we’ve taken our struggles, sins, and burdens to the cross, where Jesus already paid for them. We don’t have to fight for victory—we fight from victory.

So, Who’s Winning the Tug-of-War?

The side that wins is the side we feed the most.

If we feed our flesh, it grows stronger. If we feed our spirit, it grows stronger. Transformation isn’t about pulling harder—it’s about letting go and letting God  lead.

This week, ask yourself:
✅ What kind of fruit is growing in my life right now?
✅ Am I feeding my spirit or my flesh more?
✅ What do I need to surrender to God today?

Walking in the Spirit means staying connected to the vine and allowing God to do the work in us. As we do, we become bearers of good news—living proof of what Jesus has done. Let’s choose to feed the Spirit, surrender daily, and let God grow something incredible in our lives.