Chapter 4, The Enemy Within (Pt 3)

To explain the illustrations from the previous The Enemy Within post, Lundgaard writes "Since [the flesh] resists everything about God, it resists every way we try to taste him and know him and love him. And the more something enables us to find God and feast on him, the more violently the flesh fights against it" (48).

The more I meditate on this idea, the more I see this dynamic playing itself out all day long. I enjoy sleep more than waking up 30 minutes early to read my Bible or an hour early to read and pray. When I get up, will I read my Bible or check my email? When I get in the car, will I listen to belligerent talk radio, or to a sermon on my iPod? Will I encourage my girlfriend and give her hope in the midst of her trials, or will she hide them from me because I'd be too harsh with her?

Now, if you're reading the things I struggle against my flesh with and you're thinking "He can't relate to me at all. I struggle with a porn addiction," or "I struggle with stealing from my boss," or fill-in the blank, please notice that though the sins might be different, they both come from the same heart that is struggling to do the right thing when the flesh is tempting them to stay away from God and what He wants. The same sinful heart is controlling both of us though the expressions are different.

He ends the chapter with this quote, and my prayer is that I'd hate sin even half as much as Captain Ahab hated Moby Dick. Lundgaard changes Ahab's quote to reflect this sentiment when he writes "Towards thee I roll, thou all-destroying but unconquering flesh; to the last I grapple with thee; from heaven's heart I stab at thee; for love's sake I spit my last breath at thee" (48).