Read
Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator.
Colossians 3:9-10
Reflect
There’s an old story that I’ve heard variations of for many years. For years, I heard it described as an old Native American story about a grandfather and his grandson, although its actual origins are uncertain.
In the story, a wise old grandfather is teaching his grandson about life and he tells him, “A terrible fight is going on inside me. The fight is between two wolves. The first one is evil, and he is anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority and ego.”
The old man paused to let this first part sink in, and he continued. “The other wolf is good. He is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion and faith.” He paused again and continued. “The same fight is going on inside of you, grandson, and inside of every other person.”
The grandson thought about what he had just heard for a minute or two and then asked, “Which wolf will win?”
The grandfather simply said, “The one you feed.”
I originally heard that story about being between two dogs—an old one and a young one. In that story, the two dogs represent two different natures—the old nature that we had before Christ and the new nature that we received when we accepted Christ as our Savior. But they’re basically the same story told in different ways. And they both point to the same truth: what we feed grows stronger.
It’s not just the one we feed the most. I’ve heard that, too. But that implies that we can feed the sinful nature a little bit and feed the Christlike nature more and we’ll be OK. In my experience, even a little food for the evil wolf can go a long way. We shouldn’t deliberately keep feeding the old nature and assume that a larger helping for the new one will cancel it out.
That doesn’t mean the old desires disappear. They don’t. But they no longer define who we are. In Christ, the old self has been put off and the new self has been put on. The old habits and desires may still come sniffing around, but they aren’t our identity anymore.
What’s at stake? Our faith and our growth as mature Christians. And it doesn’t always seem like a fair fight. We’re surrounded by choice food for the bad wolf. It comes through what we watch, what we listen to, what we scroll through, what we dwell on, the resentments we rehearse, the gossip we entertain, and the anger or envy we allow ourselves to justify. The list seems endless.
But God has given us plenty to feed the new nature, too. We have the Bible, prayer, praise and worship, fellowship with other Christians, gratitude, forgiveness, compassion, kindness, humility and love.
We also have the off switch for much of the world’s wolf food supply. We don’t have to engage in things that feed us messages and images that will lead us astray. We don’t have to follow every account, watch every show, enter every argument or indulge every thought simply because it’s available to us. We can choose to focus on things that feed the good wolf and the new, Christlike nature.
Yes, the other food source is enticing and the images are familiar. That’s why temptation is tempting. But once you’ve tasted the goodness and richness of Christ, you begin to recognize the old food for what it is: appealing in the moment, perhaps, but incapable of satisfying what it promises.
What you’re doing right now is a good start. Reading a devotion like this can be part of a good spiritual meal, and there are others that are probably much deeper and more enriching. Just make sure that you plan a steady diet of healthy, spiritual nourishment that will strengthen the new life within you.
And when the old wolf comes sniffing around—and he’ll always be looking for an opportunity—make sure the good wolf is strong and on guard.
Better yet, don’t leave a bowl out for the old one.
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Reflection copyright © 2026 Doug DeBolt.
