The Enemy Within
November 8, 2026
The most dangerous enemy may be the one living within us. We often assume that freedom means doing whatever we want, but what happens when our desires begin controlling us? In Galatians 5, Paul calls these disordered desires “the flesh” and warns that repeatedly giving in to them will shape the people we become. But we are not powerless against the enemy within. In part three of Battle Lines, we will discover how the Holy Spirit uses our everyday choices and practices to retrain our desires, reshape our character, and form us into people who increasingly reflect Jesus.
Passage
Galatians 5:13-25
Principle
Freedom is not the ability to do ##whatever## ##I## ##want##; it is the Spirit-given capacity to ##become## the ##person## God ##created## ##me## ##to## ##be##.
Practice
##Starve## your flesh and ##walk## by the Spirit.
Small Group Questions
Use this outline for personal reflection, as a couple’s or family devotion, or with a small group.
HANGOUT
- What daily habit or routine would someone who knows you well say defines you?
- One point in this week’s sermon is that what begins as a choice can become a habit; what becomes a habit can become a master. Have you experienced this as true?
HEAR
Read Galatians 6:1-5
- How does Paul suggest we avoid deceiving ourselves?
- What does it mean that “you who are spiritual should restore” those who are caught in any transgression? How does Paul suggest we do it?
- Paul says in verse 2 that we are to bear one another’s burdens, but in verse 5 he says, “For each one will have to bear his own load.” Is this a contradiction? Why or why not?
Read Galatians 6:6-10
- What does it mean to reap what we sow? When have you seen this happen?
- What are the two options Paul describes for sowing in verse 8? Can you give examples of both?
- What does verse 9 suggest about sowing in the spirit?
Read James 1:2-4
- How does James say we should approach life’s trials? How does he justify this directive?
- When you think of trials, do you think of life’s hardships or the temptations you face? How does understanding “trials” as the temptations we face change your reading of this verse?
- How does this verse reinforce Ephesians 6:9?
HUDDLE
What habit is currently sowing to your flesh? What practice of abstinence could help you say no to that desire? What practice of engagement could help you sow to the Spirit? Share one concrete commitment, invite accountability, and pray for one another.
Daily Reading
As you read each passage, ask the Father to help you understand the flesh’s distorted desires and cultivate desires and habits shaped by His Holy Spirit.
- Day 1: Galatians 5:13-26
- Day 2: Romans 7:14-25
- Day 3: Romans 8:1-14
- Day 4: James 1:12-18
- Day 5: Luke 9:18-27
- Day 6: Galatians 6:7-10
- Day 7: Psalm 51
Passage to Memorize: Galatians 5:16
Think Deeper
- When have you experienced competing desires within yourself?
- Have you ever been enslaved by something you believed would make you free?
- Where is a desire threatening to rule you, and what would walking by the Spirit look like in that area?
Suggested Resources
Live No Lies, by John Mark Comer
The Screwtape Letters, by C. S. Lewis
Renovation of the Heart, by Dallas Willard
Check out these and other books from our suggested reading list at https://bit.ly/AspireSMB.