God did not create us by accident. He formed us with intention, body, soul, and
spirit, each pulling in different directions, yet all placed within us for a
specific purpose that is revealed over time.
Come, walk with me along this path, and let the Lord unveil His truth to us. But
before we take another step, let us pause in prayer and ask Him for revelation,
guidance, and understanding.
Most of us feel this tension daily. The body wants relief. The mind wants control.
The heart wants certainty. Yet the spirit is being drawn toward surrender, toward
trust, toward a life governed by God rather than by self. If you have ever
wondered why conflicting desires can dwell in the same body, why one part of you
pulls toward comfort while another pulls toward God, then walk with me. As we move
along this path and examine what we encounter, let us uncover the truth God reveals
and the trust He is forming.
Genesis 2:7
Scripture tells us that “the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and
breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul”. From
the beginning, humanity is both material and spiritual, earth and breath, dust and
divine impartation. This union is intentional, yet within it exists a tension that
becomes increasingly apparent as life progresses.
The body and the spirit operate by different principles. The body is governed by
time, limitation, sensation, and preservation. It seeks comfort, control, and
survival. The spirit, however, is oriented toward obedience, surrender, truth, and
eternity.
Scripture does not soften this reality:
Galatians 5:17
“For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and
these are contrary the one to the other.”
This opposition is not a flaw in God’s design. It is central to it.
A critical misunderstanding arises when we assume that spiritual transformation
means improving the natural man. Scripture does not teach that the self is refined
into godliness, it teaches that the self is crucified.
Romans 6:6
“Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be
destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.”
Transformation is not the natural man becoming more disciplined, informed, or moral.
It is the end of self-rule. The issue is not behavior alone, but government: who is
ruling the life?
This is where the two trees in Genesis become a clear picture.
The Tree of Knowledge is the way of independence: “I will decide what is right, and I
will do it in my own strength.” It does not only produce bad behavior; it can also
produce good moral behavior and moral effort, but it still does not produce spiritual
life.
The Tree of Life is the way of dependence: “I receive life from God, and I live from
what He supplies.” It is not about trying harder; it is about receiving and abiding.
One tree (Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil) produces conduct.
The other (Tree of Life) produces being.
Eating from the Tree of Knowledge creates a religious self, active, sincere, and
informed, yet still in control. Eating from the Tree of Life produces surrender,
where life no longer flows from effort, but from union.
The phrase “Dying to self” is not poetic language for restraint; it is a transfer of
authority. The self does not become better; it steps down.
Galatians 2:20
“I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me.”
The Spirit of God does not come to assist the natural man in living better. He comes
to replace him as ruler. This is why Jesus said:
John 12:24
“Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die,
it bringeth forth much fruit.”
Life only comes through death, not metaphorical death, but the end of self-governance.
The body is not the object of transformation; it is the arena in which surrender is
worked out. Through fatigue, weakness, delay, loss, and decay, the illusion of
self-sufficiency is dismantled. The body does not perfect the natural man; it exposes
and exhausts him.
This is why Scripture can say:
2 Corinthians 4:16
“Though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day.”
The body belongs to time and decay. It is temporary by design. The spirit belongs to
eternity and continuity. One is being spent; the other is being formed.
So, what looks like loss on the outside is God’s preparation on the inside. God is
not merely giving us an assignment; He is forming a person. Destiny is not mainly
what we do, it is what we become.
Romans 8:29
“For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of
his Son.”
Before God entrusts responsibility, He forms capacity. Before activity, there is being.
The tension between body and spirit exists because surrender must be voluntary. If the
body did not resist; obedience would cost nothing. If self were never challenged, it
would never die.
This life is the proving ground, where self-rule is dismantled, where dependence is
learned, and where the Spirit of God is allowed to rule without rival.
The ultimate destiny is not achievement, recognition, or even service. It is union.
1 Corinthians 6:17
“He that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit.”
The body serves its purpose, not as an enemy, but as a servant. It provides the ground
where surrender can be chosen and where God’s life can take rightful rule. When that
work is complete, nothing essential is lost. Only what was temporary is laid down.
1 Corinthians 15:44
“It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body.”
What remains is what God was always after:
a life no longer governed by self, but ruled by His Spirit, prepared for eternity.
If you recognize this struggle in yourself, join me in this prayer. Make it your own,
and let it be honest before God.
Father, I see more clearly now that this life is not mainly about improving myself,
but about yielding myself to You. Teach me, in real time, the difference between living
from the Tree of Knowledge, where I stay in control, even when my behavior looks good,
and living from the Tree of Life, where Your life is the source and Your Spirit rules
within me.
When my body resists obedience, when comfort is threatened, and when weakness exposes my
limits, help me not to fight these moments or explain them away. Let them become
invitations to surrender instead of occasions for frustration.
As the outward man is worn down, keep my heart free from bitterness. As the inward man is
renewed, guard me from pride. I do not want to decorate the old self; I want its rule to
end. I do not want to manage my life; I want to be led by Your Spirit.
Help me live today with eternity in view. Form Christ in me. Take rightful rule in my life.
Amen.
