Jesus Christ is my God!
Issued 07.05.2008
Battles of wills
You tasted something good and you wanted to get more of it. What you wanted once you almost always want forever. If you tasted something to be good although it is bad, you started to want what is bad. How could you get rid of it?
Birth of will
Without a promise there is no hope and without a hope there is no will. What was promised to you that you can hope to get. The promise must convince you that the target is good so that you could start to want it. A sample contains a promise and gives birth to your will. Will means binding oneself to a target hoped for.
What you tasted contained a promise. Your will was woken by the promise. You got to taste something to reach for. Your soul said this is good. I have to get more of this. How would anybody want something that he has not tasted? We must have got some experience, whether it is hearing, seeing or feeling.
One person feels that a sample is good and another one tastes the same bad and the third one tastes nothing. Therefore our will is woken by different things. You must be a very careful taster so that you would not wake wanting evil. When you taste something, make sure what tastes bad is bad and what tastes good is good. If you tasted something to be bad though it is good, you missed your bliss. If you tasted something to be good though it is bad, you stepped into a disaster.
What have you tasted of God? Many convey deceitful samples to you so that after tasting them you would think about Him: I want no more of this. If someone has really tasted that God is good, he has got a living hope of coming to Him.
If you have tasted that God is good, you want to be with Him. You want to do God's will and because you have this state of will you are able to believe Bible's Jesus. He says: "If anyone wills to do His will, he shall know concerning the doctrine, whether it is from God or whether I speak on my own authority." Joh.7:17
Without a promise there is no hope and without a hope there is no will. What was promised to you that you can hope to get. The promise must convince you that the target is good so that you could start to want it. A sample contains a promise and gives birth to your will. Will means binding oneself to a target hoped for.
What you tasted contained a promise. Your will was woken by the promise. You got to taste something to reach for. Your soul said this is good. I have to get more of this. How would anybody want something that he has not tasted? We must have got some experience, whether it is hearing, seeing or feeling.
One person feels that a sample is good and another one tastes the same bad and the third one tastes nothing. Therefore our will is woken by different things. You must be a very careful taster so that you would not wake wanting evil. When you taste something, make sure what tastes bad is bad and what tastes good is good. If you tasted something to be bad though it is good, you missed your bliss. If you tasted something to be good though it is bad, you stepped into a disaster.
What have you tasted of God? Many convey deceitful samples to you so that after tasting them you would think about Him: I want no more of this. If someone has really tasted that God is good, he has got a living hope of coming to Him.
If you have tasted that God is good, you want to be with Him. You want to do God's will and because you have this state of will you are able to believe Bible's Jesus. He says: "If anyone wills to do His will, he shall know concerning the doctrine, whether it is from God or whether I speak on my own authority." Joh.7:17
Sinful sampling
You tasted the ecstasy of alcohol and you wanted to experience it again. It left you the living hope of the happiness of inebriation. Sometimes you maybe experienced an awkward situation when you were drunk. Therefore you no more want it as much as before. Your will lost its heart, but still you remained dependent on your intoxicant.
You tasted the ecstasy of sexual ardour and it kindled a burning desire of getting more of it in your soul. Wanting to be stimulated anchored your soul to seek a perfect sexual partner. Sometimes you maybe suffered pains instead of pleasure. Therefore you don't want to satisfy your lust as before. Your will became weaker but still you remained dependent on your pleasure.
You tasted the gloss and splendour of mammon that caused you to want becoming rich. You fell in love with money. You started to want money and mammon, because it felt so good to be an owner. Sometimes maybe you felt great emptiness among your properties. Therefore your will to become rich became sluggish, but still you remained dependent on the security of owning.
You tasted joy of honour you received. When you were praised, your self-esteem raised so high that it caused you to want to seek gold and glory. Sometimes honour you received was maybe not able to swell you with happiness. Therefore your will to seek glory started to totter, but still you remained dependent on praises of people.
You tasted comfort of a religion. Holy ceremonies caused you to want to be a believer. A devoted atmosphere in a temple gave you a solid faith to God. Maybe the ceremonies in your community started to bore you so much they lost their power to convince you that God is with you. Therefore your will to believe died, but still you remained dependent on your religion.
You tasted the ecstasy of alcohol and you wanted to experience it again. It left you the living hope of the happiness of inebriation. Sometimes you maybe experienced an awkward situation when you were drunk. Therefore you no more want it as much as before. Your will lost its heart, but still you remained dependent on your intoxicant.
You tasted the ecstasy of sexual ardour and it kindled a burning desire of getting more of it in your soul. Wanting to be stimulated anchored your soul to seek a perfect sexual partner. Sometimes you maybe suffered pains instead of pleasure. Therefore you don't want to satisfy your lust as before. Your will became weaker but still you remained dependent on your pleasure.
You tasted the gloss and splendour of mammon that caused you to want becoming rich. You fell in love with money. You started to want money and mammon, because it felt so good to be an owner. Sometimes maybe you felt great emptiness among your properties. Therefore your will to become rich became sluggish, but still you remained dependent on the security of owning.
You tasted joy of honour you received. When you were praised, your self-esteem raised so high that it caused you to want to seek gold and glory. Sometimes honour you received was maybe not able to swell you with happiness. Therefore your will to seek glory started to totter, but still you remained dependent on praises of people.
You tasted comfort of a religion. Holy ceremonies caused you to want to be a believer. A devoted atmosphere in a temple gave you a solid faith to God. Maybe the ceremonies in your community started to bore you so much they lost their power to convince you that God is with you. Therefore your will to believe died, but still you remained dependent on your religion.
Revived will
What we wanted once we almost always want forever. Our will recovers from the blows it got and doesn't easily cease from hoping for what we tasted in the beginning. Therefore many drunken want to continue to drink alcohol although they got painful hits from it. Sexual intercourse outside a marriage is dirt that doesn't dishearten many from plunging again into the same flood of dissipation.
A desire to become rich is revived in many hearts although worries of the management of the property have pierced their souls with many grieves. Boasters who have been put to shame consolidate their strength and want determinedly to be something great even more eagerly than ever before. Those who have become estranged from their religion return back into the lap of their community in a moment of distress. Samplings are fateful moments!
To want or not to want, that is the question! When we accept some wanting to enter our innermost being there will always be born something new that will be a part of us. Therefore it is so difficult for us to get rid of wanting something. However you need not to be desperate in this matter. God has prepared for us release from wanting evil.
Have an experience of how God became man in Jesus Christ and atoned your sins on the cross of Golgotha. Look at Jesus suffering on the cross the punishment of your evilness. This sacrifice proves to you that God wants to save you. He will give you strength to crucify your evil will.
Do you think not to taste the sacrifice of God until you have lost all your hope concerning all other things? You wait for it in vain, because as long as you live your evil desires don't die totally. However if they are weakened they are not able to prevent you from tasting the gift of God.
What we wanted once we almost always want forever. Our will recovers from the blows it got and doesn't easily cease from hoping for what we tasted in the beginning. Therefore many drunken want to continue to drink alcohol although they got painful hits from it. Sexual intercourse outside a marriage is dirt that doesn't dishearten many from plunging again into the same flood of dissipation.
A desire to become rich is revived in many hearts although worries of the management of the property have pierced their souls with many grieves. Boasters who have been put to shame consolidate their strength and want determinedly to be something great even more eagerly than ever before. Those who have become estranged from their religion return back into the lap of their community in a moment of distress. Samplings are fateful moments!
To want or not to want, that is the question! When we accept some wanting to enter our innermost being there will always be born something new that will be a part of us. Therefore it is so difficult for us to get rid of wanting something. However you need not to be desperate in this matter. God has prepared for us release from wanting evil.
Have an experience of how God became man in Jesus Christ and atoned your sins on the cross of Golgotha. Look at Jesus suffering on the cross the punishment of your evilness. This sacrifice proves to you that God wants to save you. He will give you strength to crucify your evil will.
Do you think not to taste the sacrifice of God until you have lost all your hope concerning all other things? You wait for it in vain, because as long as you live your evil desires don't die totally. However if they are weakened they are not able to prevent you from tasting the gift of God.
Sampling of nature
The whole creation is full of samples that tell us about God. Our senses say to us that the world is planned. A bad conscience blinds senses and produces tasteless science. It is crazy to surrender to chances. In any case the miracles of nature are samples that nobody can miss.
All want God to give them the splendour of His creation. Although the Fall took away the Paradise from us, still there are samples of it among us. We have samples of God's deeds, but do we taste God Himself in His deeds? A doer is always more than his deeds.
The polymorphism of living beings tells us about boundless riches of His imagination. The complicated system of nature tells us that He loves order and harmony. The appropriateness of the systems He has planned proclaims to us His amazing intelligence. The cuteness of baby animals reflects His tender character. His pure humour appears in many funny expressions and actions of animals.
Generally the samples of nature don't cause in us any movement to God, because the Fall left a curse in nature. Violence appearing in nature is a bad taste in a sample. Therefore we don't want to approach the Creator although that bad taste is our fault. Violence in nature reflects our evilness but who admits that?
A lion kills a goat and eats its flesh, because your evilness nourishes itself with gifts of God's goodness. Lions will eat grass when God once will step down to us.
The whole creation is full of samples that tell us about God. Our senses say to us that the world is planned. A bad conscience blinds senses and produces tasteless science. It is crazy to surrender to chances. In any case the miracles of nature are samples that nobody can miss.
All want God to give them the splendour of His creation. Although the Fall took away the Paradise from us, still there are samples of it among us. We have samples of God's deeds, but do we taste God Himself in His deeds? A doer is always more than his deeds.
The polymorphism of living beings tells us about boundless riches of His imagination. The complicated system of nature tells us that He loves order and harmony. The appropriateness of the systems He has planned proclaims to us His amazing intelligence. The cuteness of baby animals reflects His tender character. His pure humour appears in many funny expressions and actions of animals.
Generally the samples of nature don't cause in us any movement to God, because the Fall left a curse in nature. Violence appearing in nature is a bad taste in a sample. Therefore we don't want to approach the Creator although that bad taste is our fault. Violence in nature reflects our evilness but who admits that?
A lion kills a goat and eats its flesh, because your evilness nourishes itself with gifts of God's goodness. Lions will eat grass when God once will step down to us.
The heavenly sample
The blood of animals is shed in nature because our sins require atonement. Someone understood this and confessed his sins to God and sacrificed a lamb to Him. Then God gave him a sample from heaven by forgiving him and by giving a good conscience. In this way the will to walk with God was born in him.
It exists only one sacrifice for our sins. Sacrificed animals have only been allusions to it. The Blood of the Son of God was shed on Golgotha. It is the only sacrifice for our sins. It is the heavenly sample that is offered to you. You can experience the power of God's sacrifice. You are allowed to experience how God forgives your bad deeds.
God has really promised much to us in Jesus Christ. If you tasted Jesus you received the promise and therefore you want to follow Him. However before you came to faith you have tasted selfishness, greed and pride. They gave births to the wills which are fighting against the will to which the gospel gave birth.
The battle between the will of God and the sinful wills takes place in the heart of every believer. Many have lost these battles and therefore they have finally also fallen away from the sacrifice of God's love. "For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted the heavenly gift, and have become partakers of the Holy Spirit and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come, if they fall away, to renew them again to repentance." Heb.6:4-6
Falling away from God is like you had lost a war. We can lose many battles, but finally win the war. Also we can win many battles, but finally lose the war. Falling away doesn't happen easily. If it is difficult for us to put to death our evil wills which were born when we lusted after evil things, it is even more difficult to put to death that will which was born when we experienced the power of the gospel.
However, every battle is dangerous. During battles of wills we can fall into an experience that causes us to make a crime against the gospel. "Since they crucify again for themselves the Son of God, and put Him to an open shame." Heb.6:6
We can lose our hope of the victory when we resist our sinful will. Don't you want to fight anymore? Your decision to give up hope is the decision to give up fighting. Although your faith in this way became sluggish you remain dependent on God's grace. Because you don't fight anymore you have not the full peace in God. You notice that some are fighting still and that starts to irritate you. When you resist them you can fall into the same spirit with those who crucified Jesus. When you defend yourself for not fighting you may put Jesus to an open shame.
So that you would not become a mocker of God's grace, never give up fighting against your own evilness, but give yourself always fully to it. "And we desire that each one of you show the same diligence to the full assurance of hope until the end, that you do not become sluggish, but imitate those who through faith and patience inherit the promises." Heb.6:11-12
The blood of animals is shed in nature because our sins require atonement. Someone understood this and confessed his sins to God and sacrificed a lamb to Him. Then God gave him a sample from heaven by forgiving him and by giving a good conscience. In this way the will to walk with God was born in him.
It exists only one sacrifice for our sins. Sacrificed animals have only been allusions to it. The Blood of the Son of God was shed on Golgotha. It is the only sacrifice for our sins. It is the heavenly sample that is offered to you. You can experience the power of God's sacrifice. You are allowed to experience how God forgives your bad deeds.
God has really promised much to us in Jesus Christ. If you tasted Jesus you received the promise and therefore you want to follow Him. However before you came to faith you have tasted selfishness, greed and pride. They gave births to the wills which are fighting against the will to which the gospel gave birth.
The battle between the will of God and the sinful wills takes place in the heart of every believer. Many have lost these battles and therefore they have finally also fallen away from the sacrifice of God's love. "For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted the heavenly gift, and have become partakers of the Holy Spirit and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come, if they fall away, to renew them again to repentance." Heb.6:4-6
Falling away from God is like you had lost a war. We can lose many battles, but finally win the war. Also we can win many battles, but finally lose the war. Falling away doesn't happen easily. If it is difficult for us to put to death our evil wills which were born when we lusted after evil things, it is even more difficult to put to death that will which was born when we experienced the power of the gospel.
However, every battle is dangerous. During battles of wills we can fall into an experience that causes us to make a crime against the gospel. "Since they crucify again for themselves the Son of God, and put Him to an open shame." Heb.6:6
We can lose our hope of the victory when we resist our sinful will. Don't you want to fight anymore? Your decision to give up hope is the decision to give up fighting. Although your faith in this way became sluggish you remain dependent on God's grace. Because you don't fight anymore you have not the full peace in God. You notice that some are fighting still and that starts to irritate you. When you resist them you can fall into the same spirit with those who crucified Jesus. When you defend yourself for not fighting you may put Jesus to an open shame.
So that you would not become a mocker of God's grace, never give up fighting against your own evilness, but give yourself always fully to it. "And we desire that each one of you show the same diligence to the full assurance of hope until the end, that you do not become sluggish, but imitate those who through faith and patience inherit the promises." Heb.6:11-12
Own or God's will
Jesus overcame all temptations. His attitude is the weapon that leads also us to the victory. "I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of Him who sent me." Joh.6:38
In putting a bad will to death it is essential to live through Jesus. As the Father sent Jesus to the world in the same way Jesus has sent us to the world to do His will who sent us. "I can of myself do nothing. As I hear, I judge; and my judgment is righteous, because I do not seek my own will but the will of the Father who sent me." Joh.5:30
What would be my will now? Don't even ask. It is a trap to seek our own will, because the wills created by our wrong choices live in us and they will answer you. What would God want from my life? The Holy Spirit will answer to your question and He also gives you strength to do it. "For it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure." Php.2:13
Unfortunately many are satisfied with only tasting God's life and don't want to continuously eat Him. Therefore God can't work in them to will and to do for more than coming to faith. They believe that they can live their whole life on a sample. Therefore they desert God and don't remain in faith to the end.
Why are many satisfied with tasting God, not wanting to get more? They are fed with religious food in meetings of churches and they believe that to be genuine spiritual nourishment. This deception isolates them from the genuine nourishment of God's grace.
The congregational meetings, where believers give performances to each other, raise pretenders. The hypocrisy that was adopted in meetings also affects personal prayer life. Many perform to God and therefore they cannot hear the words coming from the mouth of God. If we come near to God only with our mouths and keep our heart far from Him, we remain without the food of His grace.
"Therefore, laying aside all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all evil speaking, as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby, if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is gracious." 1Pe.2:1-3
Smash your prayer wheel created by the Christian culture and "rend your heart" and pour out it as water in the presence of God. Put away performances! Just leave it and run for your life!
God doesn't give performances to us! His sacrifice on Golgotha is not a divine play. The death and the resurrection of Jesus are real occasions which touch the whole creation.
If we put away our old wills, we are able to concentrate on receiving impacts of the Spirit of God. If you hug Jesus you turn your back to the likings of your sinful nature. If you have tasted God, eat more! Then God will work in you to want His will. You are allowed to want what God wants.
Jesus overcame all temptations. His attitude is the weapon that leads also us to the victory. "I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of Him who sent me." Joh.6:38
In putting a bad will to death it is essential to live through Jesus. As the Father sent Jesus to the world in the same way Jesus has sent us to the world to do His will who sent us. "I can of myself do nothing. As I hear, I judge; and my judgment is righteous, because I do not seek my own will but the will of the Father who sent me." Joh.5:30
What would be my will now? Don't even ask. It is a trap to seek our own will, because the wills created by our wrong choices live in us and they will answer you. What would God want from my life? The Holy Spirit will answer to your question and He also gives you strength to do it. "For it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure." Php.2:13
Unfortunately many are satisfied with only tasting God's life and don't want to continuously eat Him. Therefore God can't work in them to will and to do for more than coming to faith. They believe that they can live their whole life on a sample. Therefore they desert God and don't remain in faith to the end.
Why are many satisfied with tasting God, not wanting to get more? They are fed with religious food in meetings of churches and they believe that to be genuine spiritual nourishment. This deception isolates them from the genuine nourishment of God's grace.
The congregational meetings, where believers give performances to each other, raise pretenders. The hypocrisy that was adopted in meetings also affects personal prayer life. Many perform to God and therefore they cannot hear the words coming from the mouth of God. If we come near to God only with our mouths and keep our heart far from Him, we remain without the food of His grace.
"Therefore, laying aside all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all evil speaking, as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby, if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is gracious." 1Pe.2:1-3
Smash your prayer wheel created by the Christian culture and "rend your heart" and pour out it as water in the presence of God. Put away performances! Just leave it and run for your life!
God doesn't give performances to us! His sacrifice on Golgotha is not a divine play. The death and the resurrection of Jesus are real occasions which touch the whole creation.
If we put away our old wills, we are able to concentrate on receiving impacts of the Spirit of God. If you hug Jesus you turn your back to the likings of your sinful nature. If you have tasted God, eat more! Then God will work in you to want His will. You are allowed to want what God wants.
I have the will but no strength to do it
It is miserable if we have the will that God gave us, but we have no strength to practice it. God worked in us to want His will, but why is He prevented to work in us to do it? Paul wrote about it:
"I know that in me that is, in my flesh nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find. For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice." Ro.7:18-19
Paul had this experience that his evil wills live in his flesh. They were fighting against the will of God that lived in his spirit. When Paul says, "the evil I will not to do, that I practice", he is speaking about what his sinful nature wants to do. The flesh did its deeds in his thoughts, but he didn't acknowledge them, but put those thoughts to death.
He certainly doesn't give any mercy to his fleshliness so that he would allow it have an influence on the deeds of his body. Of course he sometimes fell into a sin, but he doesn't give any right to do evil on the pretext of that he has no strength to do good. God offers us a share in the death of Jesus as the solution to our lack of strength to do good. Our good deeds are fruit of the resurrection of Jesus.
"For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh, that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit." Ro.8:3-4
Your bad deeds got what they deserve in the pains of the body of Jesus. He was struck on Golgotha by the wrath of God because of your evil will. Look at the holy fire that consumes your sinful nature and silences its speech.
"Therefore, brethren, we are debtors - not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God." Ro.8:12-14
If we have experienced God's love to us, we owe God our life to carry out His will. Because of His love we allow the Holy Spirit to put our evil wills to death. If we refuse to die together with Jesus, we don't get strength to do the will of God, although our will woke for it when we heard the gospel.
It is miserable if we have the will that God gave us, but we have no strength to practice it. God worked in us to want His will, but why is He prevented to work in us to do it? Paul wrote about it:
"I know that in me that is, in my flesh nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find. For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice." Ro.7:18-19
Paul had this experience that his evil wills live in his flesh. They were fighting against the will of God that lived in his spirit. When Paul says, "the evil I will not to do, that I practice", he is speaking about what his sinful nature wants to do. The flesh did its deeds in his thoughts, but he didn't acknowledge them, but put those thoughts to death.
He certainly doesn't give any mercy to his fleshliness so that he would allow it have an influence on the deeds of his body. Of course he sometimes fell into a sin, but he doesn't give any right to do evil on the pretext of that he has no strength to do good. God offers us a share in the death of Jesus as the solution to our lack of strength to do good. Our good deeds are fruit of the resurrection of Jesus.
"For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh, that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit." Ro.8:3-4
Your bad deeds got what they deserve in the pains of the body of Jesus. He was struck on Golgotha by the wrath of God because of your evil will. Look at the holy fire that consumes your sinful nature and silences its speech.
"Therefore, brethren, we are debtors - not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God." Ro.8:12-14
If we have experienced God's love to us, we owe God our life to carry out His will. Because of His love we allow the Holy Spirit to put our evil wills to death. If we refuse to die together with Jesus, we don't get strength to do the will of God, although our will woke for it when we heard the gospel.
Doers of the will of God
If we have eaten well we are better capable of doing something. With the food given by God we can want what God wants and do what God wants us to do. In His Spirit we can do His will. He has done all our good deeds in Jesus Christ.
God's Spirit doesn't put your evil will to death by force. Therefore Paul says that "if by the Spirit you put to death". It is expected that you put it to death and voluntarily. God doesn't practice mental violence. Instead religious spirits would like to make you to be their puppets. If you have a liking for God's automatic effects in you, you are in danger of falling under the domination of these spirits who pretend the works of God.
If Jesus lives in you, you can guard your every thought that comes to your mind. Be ready in the Spirit of God to kill with the sword of God's Word every evil thought that comes to your mind. Thus you carry out the following word of the Bible: "Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish." Ga.5:16-17
Hey, where are your thoughts wandering? Be man of courage, be strong and let your spirit fight in the Spirit of God. Guard the gate of your mind in the same way as a soldier watches the direction from where he expects an enemy is coming. Be ready to fight every moment. Precisely about this Paul said: "Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling." Php.2:12
He doesn't urge us "to deserve our salvation", but he urges us to be diligent in grace. Religious spirits urge you to give up battles of wills by claiming that your battles are against the salvation by grace. If you have the will caused by God you have life in the Spirit of God and you need not listen to doctrines of the dead people.
If your spirit has God's life it means death to your sinful nature. Cry out to the Spirit of God: 'Crucify my sinful nature!' "And those who are Christ's have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit." Ga.5:24-25
Fight yet for a moment, for soon all the evil will disappear and Jesus comes and establishes His Kingdom on the earth. "The world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever." 1Jo.2:17
If we have eaten well we are better capable of doing something. With the food given by God we can want what God wants and do what God wants us to do. In His Spirit we can do His will. He has done all our good deeds in Jesus Christ.
God's Spirit doesn't put your evil will to death by force. Therefore Paul says that "if by the Spirit you put to death". It is expected that you put it to death and voluntarily. God doesn't practice mental violence. Instead religious spirits would like to make you to be their puppets. If you have a liking for God's automatic effects in you, you are in danger of falling under the domination of these spirits who pretend the works of God.
If Jesus lives in you, you can guard your every thought that comes to your mind. Be ready in the Spirit of God to kill with the sword of God's Word every evil thought that comes to your mind. Thus you carry out the following word of the Bible: "Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish." Ga.5:16-17
Hey, where are your thoughts wandering? Be man of courage, be strong and let your spirit fight in the Spirit of God. Guard the gate of your mind in the same way as a soldier watches the direction from where he expects an enemy is coming. Be ready to fight every moment. Precisely about this Paul said: "Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling." Php.2:12
He doesn't urge us "to deserve our salvation", but he urges us to be diligent in grace. Religious spirits urge you to give up battles of wills by claiming that your battles are against the salvation by grace. If you have the will caused by God you have life in the Spirit of God and you need not listen to doctrines of the dead people.
If your spirit has God's life it means death to your sinful nature. Cry out to the Spirit of God: 'Crucify my sinful nature!' "And those who are Christ's have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit." Ga.5:24-25
Fight yet for a moment, for soon all the evil will disappear and Jesus comes and establishes His Kingdom on the earth. "The world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever." 1Jo.2:17
The Bible version used in references is NIV