And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. Romans 12:2 (NKJV)
Do you ever feel like two natures are at war inside you? Although it might feel that way at times, it’s not true.
Let’s pretend I own a company and I sell it to you. You’re the new owner and you have a few ideas about how to make the company better.
On your first day, you walk into the building with a whole new plan. You’re the owner so you have the authority to initiate that change. But do you know what your first job will be? It’ll be to get all the staff on board with your new ideas. Your employees have all been trained to function the old way, and that’s the way they’ll continue to function unless you retrain them. You have to bring this new culture and new way of thinking to your leaders and down the line, right to the factory level.
When you gave your life to Christ Jesus, you received the Spirit of God and his nature. It’s like he’s your new owner. But it’s going to take a bit of work to retrain your body, mind and heart to function, think and believe like your new “boss.”
It’s not that you have two natures at the same time. If you’re a believer, the old nature of sin that was within you has been removed and now you have the new nature of your Father, God. Just keep doing the work to get trained in the values and ways of God, and you’ll find that you will struggle less and less with conflicting thoughts.