Since the beginning of time Satan has used temptation to try to snatch people from the hand of God. Ironically he has always used the same three temptations. Though he is creative and they never seem to look like the same three they are all rooted in the same three temptations. 1John 2:16 tells us what they are. *For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.* KJV.
1) lust of the flesh
2) lust of the eyes
3) the pride of life
So let's examine each one and see if we can understand it more in order to try to stand against it stronger and easier.
Part 1- The lust of the flesh.
Most of us think this refers to sexual sins but even though that is part of it; it is only a part of it. Satan is much more conniving than to put all his apples in the same cart, so to speak. A lot of what I am going to tell you , you probably already know but, turn a blind eye to kinda using that old saying..... what we don't know won't hurt us, but that is wrong because as Christians we are supposed to be consistently in the word and in relationship with God. And you can't ignore the things that God says to you and get away with well I didn't know.
Though lust of the flesh is partially sexual sin it is not all of the meaning of it. Lust of the flesh also consist of the things we taste, touch, smell or hear. Let's first break down the meanings of these words.
Lust-
1) lust of the flesh
2) lust of the eyes
3) the pride of life
So let's examine each one and see if we can understand it more in order to try to stand against it stronger and easier.
Part 1- The lust of the flesh.
Most of us think this refers to sexual sins but even though that is part of it; it is only a part of it. Satan is much more conniving than to put all his apples in the same cart, so to speak. A lot of what I am going to tell you , you probably already know but, turn a blind eye to kinda using that old saying..... what we don't know won't hurt us, but that is wrong because as Christians we are supposed to be consistently in the word and in relationship with God. And you can't ignore the things that God says to you and get away with well I didn't know.
Though lust of the flesh is partially sexual sin it is not all of the meaning of it. Lust of the flesh also consist of the things we taste, touch, smell or hear. Let's first break down the meanings of these words.
Lust-
a passionate or overmastering desire or craving,a strong desire or drive.
Flesh-
the body, especially as distinguished from the spirit or soul: mankind in general, The soft tissue of the body of a vertebrate, covering the bones and consisting mainly of skeletal muscle and fat.
It all started back in the beginning of time with Adam and Eve. When God placed them in the garden of Eden He told them they could eat of all but, the one tree. So what does Satan do? He proceeds to tempt them. Matthew 3:6...... When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it.= Lust of the flesh.
This was in direct disobedience to God's word.
So then we fast forward a bit to the new testament , the temptation of Jesus. Matthew 4-1-4..*Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil. And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungred.
And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread.- lust of the flesh.
verse 4 But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. This verse shows us how Jesus dealt with Satan, by using the word of God.
Now let's fast forward to here and now. Many of you think, well I don't fall to temptation, I am obedient to all that God say, I don't do these things but really, have you really been honest with yourself and checked the things you have gone through or done?
Have you ever had a time when God has called you to fast and pray but, you felt you couldn't do it because you just couldn't go without eating.? What about when God wakes you up to pray and you don't do it because you're just so tired? What about when God puts someone on your heart that you should talk to or spend some time with or take something to them and you say, I just don't have the time? What about reading your bible? you know you should but, you say I am just to busy? Or maybe you are down to your last 5 dollars and God tells you to put it in the offering or give it to someone who really has a need for it? And you say, "It is my last 5 dollars ,I need it for this or for that? I could go on and on with things that we don't see as lust of the flesh but really are. Come on you can be honest with yourself, I know that I have checked myself and been found guilty of some of these things but, there is a way out. We know that falling to the temptation of the lust of the flesh is sin but, we as Christians also know that if we confess our sins He is faithful to forgive us.
1 John 1:9
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness..But, the we need to watch and be very careful to be obedient to God's word to stand against the tempter from then on.
Keep following this blog for part 2- The lust of the eyes. I will be posting this tomorrow.
And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread.- lust of the flesh.
verse 4 But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. This verse shows us how Jesus dealt with Satan, by using the word of God.
Now let's fast forward to here and now. Many of you think, well I don't fall to temptation, I am obedient to all that God say, I don't do these things but really, have you really been honest with yourself and checked the things you have gone through or done?
Have you ever had a time when God has called you to fast and pray but, you felt you couldn't do it because you just couldn't go without eating.? What about when God wakes you up to pray and you don't do it because you're just so tired? What about when God puts someone on your heart that you should talk to or spend some time with or take something to them and you say, I just don't have the time? What about reading your bible? you know you should but, you say I am just to busy? Or maybe you are down to your last 5 dollars and God tells you to put it in the offering or give it to someone who really has a need for it? And you say, "It is my last 5 dollars ,I need it for this or for that? I could go on and on with things that we don't see as lust of the flesh but really are. Come on you can be honest with yourself, I know that I have checked myself and been found guilty of some of these things but, there is a way out. We know that falling to the temptation of the lust of the flesh is sin but, we as Christians also know that if we confess our sins He is faithful to forgive us.
1 John 1:9
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness..But, the we need to watch and be very careful to be obedient to God's word to stand against the tempter from then on.
Keep following this blog for part 2- The lust of the eyes. I will be posting this tomorrow.
