Fighting the Flesh

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Posted by: Kathy from Mornings | Monday, August 24th, 2026 ( 8:48am)

Search me, O God, and know my heart. Try me and know my thoughts. And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.—Psalm 139:23-24 

Recently I've had the golden opportunity of a lifetime…a chance to foster Milo, the most handsome three-year-old golden retriever. He has all the classic golden traits; follows me everywhere, wants to be friends with everyone, will do just about anything for a snack, and believes he needs to sit in your lap at all times. I love him dearly, but he has terrible allergies which causes him to not smell so good. My normal obsession with snuggles is disrupted by me ending up smelling of stinky dog.   

In order to fully bond with him and experience the joy that he is, I have had to explore what Milo is allergic to and remove that thing from his environment. Well, after reading about skin allergies in dogs, I’ve managed to figure out it may be the ingredients in his food. Sure enough, once we got him on some food for sensitive skin his allergies seemed to do better. But then one day, he started scratching and irritating those problematic spots once again. I realized some of his old dog food had gotten mixed in with the new stuff. Just that little bit set off a chain reaction of scratching, irritation, and scabbing, making the stink return. He was literally fighting with his flesh.   

I was pondering this and I thought, Milo, you little stinker (literally), you’re teaching me a spiritual lesson here, Bud!  You’re not only charming, but you’re also wise beyond your years (my husband would disagree). His situation made me realize I struggle with my flesh too.

It usually goes like this: Some kind of sin will enter my environment. I become irritated, anxious, and soon become overwhelmed with discomfort that I can’t explain. It gets to the point where I no longer emit a “pleasing aroma” to the people around me. I don’t even realize my stench until I’m so worn out from biting, clawing, and chewing at my flesh that I finally ask the Holy Spirit for help. Just like David cried out to God, "Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting," I too can cry out that prayer of surrender.  

When I invite God to “diagnose” me and trust HIM who knows me from the inside out, only then can He prescribe the solution for my condition. That posture is the beginning of my restoration and healing. I then need to follow the prescription, stay away from the allergen (whatever it may be), or simply remove it from my environment all together.

Guess what? By living in this world, and letting my guard down, I am apt to stumble across sin again. Just like Milo’s old food got mixed into his good food, I too am prone to allowing sin to mix into my heart again too. I fall prey to my tendencies over and over again. The hot spots are ignited, and the flesh fighting starts up once again.

However, on this side of heaven, the flesh and spirit struggle is a constant battle for all of us. But God’s mercies are new every morning. He hears the desperate cries of our hearts and brings us the salve of the perfect and most gentle healing physician. When we allow him to diagnose and heal our flesh, our scent is not only tolerable, but attractive to others. Then, just like my sweet golden boy Milo, we can truly live out the purpose He has for our lives.   

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