"My whole life is a battle between me and me--between me as I am and me as God wants me to be." St. Nikolaj Velimirovic

This is an interesting but true insight. Normally, we would think that our battle is between us and the world that is opposed to God. While this is true, we fail to realize the other greater battle between my fallen humanity and my identity as a child of God. God had and has a plan for my life when he created me. Through his death and resurrection, Jesus set us free from the old self of sin to become the new creature, reflecting God's glory. Even though we have been set free, the old self never gives up. It dies very slowly. The new self, a child of God, grows slowly through these inner conflicts. But for the grace of God, we have no hope. But with the grace of God, the new self grows more and more into the image and life of Christ, Desire and act with resolve to be the person God wants me to be.