“Beloved, I urge you as aliens and strangers to abstain from fleshly lusts which wage war against the soul.”
“But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh in regard to its lusts.”
1 Peter 2:11, Romans 13:14
Two armies are drawn up against each other. Each believes they will be victorious, each believes they will put the other to flight. One thing is certain, many will die, and there will be lasting effects when the battle is long over, for the victor as well as the vanquished.
When we abstain from fleshly lusts, when we make no provision for them, the fights will still come, but they will be skirmishes fought here and there. When we begin to make provision for the flesh, when we begin to open the door just a touch, the battles become prolonged. The toll of war must be paid, and this toll wears against the soul.
The lusts of the flesh wage war against our soul. There is death and destruction in all battles; this is the cost of war. The damage against our soul when we open the door is certain; this is the cost of war. When we remain vigilant against them, the skirmishes we encounter will make us stronger, but when we engage in a war against them, it wears away our soul, and it corrupts our morals. What does the Lord say? “Do not be deceived: ‘Bad company corrupts good morals,’” 1 Corinthians 15:33.
We will suffer damage, we will be corrupted. All war has its cost.
But we can be healed from the damage (though it will remain with us; do you believe that David ever lost the memory of Bathsheba and Uriah all the days of his life? He was forgiven, and his wounds healed, but all scars are reminders, and some never fade).
I once transplanted some grass to another part of my lawn. It yellowed and dried out, and did not appear as though it would take, it appeared as though it was near death. But I was patient, and watered it, and after a time it came back to full life. “A bruised reed He will not break, and a dimly burning wick He will not extinguish,” Isaiah 42:3.
We can repent, and the Lord will forgive us, and we can be strengthened again, even strengthened to the point we were before. But all wars have costs; it is better never to let the enemy gain even an inch of ground.