Adam and Eve went from a tranquil place of sweet fellowship with God to a place that would eventually become a den of iniquity, so bad that God would say He regretted ever making man. Human beings became enslaved by the prince of the power of the air (Ephesians 2:2). This entire sequence of events that led to the condition of “great wickedness” and where “thoughts were only evil continually” (Gen. 6:5), was the result of one sin. Paul describes it as a place where we fulfill the desires of flesh and mind and were by nature “children of wrath.” Nature is a habit formed by repetitious activity and practice. It becomes second nature. It has nothing to do with born traits. Jude describes a similar class of people as being fit for destruction.
The battle of the mind is a war between the flesh and spirit. The flesh pertains to the things of this world. 1 Peter 2:11 speaks of abstaining from sinful desires, which wage war against your soul. Are we to assume that this war just concerns our saying “no” to the flesh by our own power? There is a principle taught in the Bible that is the “put off/put on” principle. Rarely, will we find a text that speaks of putting off something that the writer doesn’t also speak of putting on something else. The only true way to succeed, spiritually, is to add to our faith or clothe ourselves with certain protective measures to use in the war. For example, Paul writes to the Ephesians to “put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto you the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand” (Ephesians 6:11-13). If we do not guard ourselves against his devices and prepare for battle, we are fully capable of receiving his attributes. The fight is on, and each of us has a choice to be influenced by either one and conformed to their image.