“For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not.” ~ Romans 7:18

I raise chickens and ducks. I feed them well, give them good shelter, and — if I’m being honest — I’m pretty fond of the little creatures. Everything they need is provided. And yet, the moment I step outside, every last one of them has their head to the ground, pecking and nibbling around — often wandering away from the very food source I’ve set before them — in search of something else.

They are well-kept birds hunting as though they are starving.

Sound familiar?

The believer has something infinitely greater than a full feeder. We have the God of the universe taking up residence within us (Colossians 1:27). The Spirit of Christ — His power, His peace, His very life — dwells inside the born-again soul (Romans 8:9).

We are not spiritually impoverished. We are not lacking. We have been blessed with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ (Ephesians 1:3).

And yet the flesh keeps its head to the ground.

It doesn’t matter how much grace has been deposited into the account — the old nature will always scout for a nibble of depravity. It doesn’t need a feast. It just wants a taste. A little peck here. A small drift there. Just enough to get the beak dirty (Galatians 5:17).

The Apostle Paul understood this tension better than most. He didn’t pretend it wasn’t real. He named it plainly in Romans 7. But he also gave us the answer — not in our own discipline or willpower — but in recognizing who we are in Christ and choosing to walk accordingly (Romans 8:1, Galatians 2:20).

My birds can’t help what they are. We can.

We have been given the mind of Christ (1 Corinthians 2:16). We have been equipped. The provision is there. The question is simply whether we will lift our heads and eat from what God has already placed before us — or keep pecking around in the dirt.

The feeder is full. Lift your head.