For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want.

Galatians 5:17

I want you to imagine a person who comes to you for advice, they want to know how they can change. 

They are dragging their feet, head is down, hands are in their pockets and it seems like a dark rain cloud is hanging heavy over them.  A blue depression has set in. Their frown and tears say it all. The problem is that they love their pet addiction – they don’t want to give it up – but they must because it is killing them. Name it: whiskey, weed, betting or buying things on credit. All sinful pleasures work the same, they split the soul in two

During the crave faze, the sweet temptation of their particular sin looks good. Oh, so good! But like Turkish delight, a mere taste, a small bite into the salty meat, causes the poison to go down deep and it begins to rot the bones. Once a person swallows, the stomach turns sour. And each subsequent time that same hunger comes calling, in a moment of weakness, they take another bite.

Temptation works like the ebb and flow of the tide where it eventually laps up on shore.

So when you see the water rising up in another, you warn them, plead with them to say “no” and run. But pride warps the soul turning a person into a hungry animal and convinces them they deserve to indulge. You can physically see a person change: their eyes narrow, they tell themselves that they will not be caught, and so they grab a tasty morsel, run to a dark place, and begin to feed. That first bite is always delicious. But soon it burns and they start to turn inward, hating themselves.

It is always the same, guilt is released and the soul-split begins. The same pride that said “indulge”, now says, “How could I have given in, I am better than that, how could I have been so stupid?” In other words, pride puts on a pity party. “Oh, how I hate myself”, and “I feel terrible, somebody please feel sorry for me.”

The split is crazy.

When a person is caught in sin they actually will begin to see themselves as two different people. They believe themselves to be a victim who is caught in the clutches of an evil twin named “the flesh.” They actually believe themselves to be a good person who is trapped by a monster. You usually will hear the voice of the good guy:

“When I don’t give into addiction I really want to live for God. I really am good. But then every once in a while I just can’t help it. My addiction gets the better of me.”

So the victim looks for sympathy. He pouts. And then puts on a show for all to see, “Poor fella, he really is a good guy. If he could just not give into the bottle or hanging with the brotha’s, he would be fine.” So we, as kind enablers, confirm the split. We join in the pity party, and we pat the person on the back and say – I know you really did mean it.  We will tell them that they really are a good guy that is being kidnapped against their will.

But is the split real? Or is something else going on?

What is going on is that the good guy isn’t good, he is a liar making excuses for his so-called evil twin. Every time he is looking for sympathy he is ignoring the crime. Evey pity party is a spiritual deflection, the pouting soul does not want to take responsibility for the murder of the Son of God. Look, the bloody knife is in your hand! Own the crime. You are the murderer!

Sin is not a slip-up, a moment of weakness, a kidnapping of the good guy side of you, it is hatred of God. One of the excuses that we said the good guy uses is how “I hate myself.” No, a pity party is just the opposite, it is a sign I love myself. You want people to give you attention, like a child who has a tantrum because he can’t have candy before dinner; an adult who sulks thinks they deserve special treatment from God. They want the Holy God to ignore the crime and to agree, “It really wasn’t me doing the dirty deed.”

If you really hate yourself, die. Die to the sin. 1 Peter 4:1 says, “since Christ suffered in his body, arm yourselves also with the same attitude, because whoever suffers in the body is done with sin.” The good-guy can only be good if he confess he is also the bad guy. He must own it all. 

Confession means to agree with God. Agree that your sin cost him the life of his Son. Agree that you deserve to die…including the flames of hell. That is hard to admit, but that is what saves your life. Agree that you need Jesus to save the good guy too. Stop letting pride speak: (1) You don’t deserve special treatment. (2) If you sin you will not get away with it. And (3) that good guy who wants sympathy is actually acting bad if not worse than the bad guy. He deserves to die. 

The real war for the soul begins when you admit you are not two people but one. A person who is split is lying.