An old Cherokee chief was sitting before a flickering fire with his grandson. The boy had broken a tribal taboo, and his grandpa wanted to help him understand what made him do it. “It’s like we have two wolves inside us,” said the chief. “One is good, the other is bad. Both demand our obedience.”

“Which one wins?” asked the boy.

“The one we feed!” said the chief.

Every follower of Jesus can identify with that struggle. We fight an ongoing battle with selfish and sinful desires. First they are small “harmless” desires, but they grow stronger and can ultimately control us (Romans 6:16).

To resist, we must believe what the Bible tells us about temptation’s power. We must also believe that the Holy Spirit will help us resist or break free from its power.

Then comes the hard part. When an evil desire demands to be fed, we must say no—perhaps again and again and again. Paul said, “Do not think about how to gratify the desires of the flesh” (13:14).

Remember, what we feed will control us.