Are We Fighting Against Sin or for Joy? Ask Pastor John

Is holiness the fight against sin, or is it the fight for joy in God? It’s a question from a listener named Kendall. “Hello, Pastor John! A group of guys and myself have been reading your book Desiring God. Awesome book, thank you for it!

“My question: In overcoming sin and temptation, the strategy most of us attempt to employ is to fight it, overcome it, out-power it, and out-will it. But after reading the first few chapters, I am wondering if our job as Christians is not to fight against something but to fight for something — namely, joy and pleasure in God. My heart was created to be pleased, so when I fight against sin am I unwittingly fighting against my own nature to find pleasure.