LUST:
ENEMY OF GREATNESS
MEMORISE
Beloved,
I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy
soul prospereth.
3 John 1:2
READ
1 John 2:15-17
15 Love not
the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world,
the love of the Father is not in him.
16 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.
17 And the
world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God
abideth for ever.
MESSAGE
God’s desire for His children is greatness and good
success. Greatness denotes being above in all areas. His desire is for all His
children to prosper spiritually, mentally, materially, psychologically,
financially and health-wise. You should however know that greatness has
enemies. It is better not to acquire wealth than to be a formerly rich person.
It is better not to win than to be an ex-champion. As Christians, we should be
focused and not allow ourselves to be destroyed by the world. We are enjoined
in 1 John 2:15 not to love the world.
The greatest enemy of greatness is lust. The most
devastating of these lusts is the lust of the flesh. In Genesis 34:1-26,
Shechem lost his life and the lives of all the men in his entire tribe to the
lust of the flesh. He ravished Dinah and was destroyed by the sons of Jacob.
Samson was a judge in Israel, gifted with supernatural physical strength. He
however lost his strength, eyes and eventually, his life to the lust of the
flesh. The second greatest enemy of greatness is the lust of the eyes. Many
people have been motivated to go into sin by what their eyes saw. Looking at
how man fell in the Garden of Eden, the eye can be described as a primary
channel through which sin creeps in. It was through the eyes of Eve that the
sin of disobedience crept into her life. The Bible in Genesis 3:6a says,
“And
when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to
the eyes...”
Is the eye then evil? The answer is No! In Matthew
6:22-23, the scripture reveals that the light of the body is the eye. The eye
is very good. For our body to be full of light, our eyes have to be focused on
God. By implication, we should not lose sight of our first love. Your first
love is your desire for God at the time you gave your life to Christ. After
giving your life to Christ, there is the tendency that as you continue in the
Christian race, other desires come in which may cause you to deviate from this
first love. Such desires include desire for position, benefits and privileges.
What type of eyes do you have for God in the ministry? Are your eyes covetous,
wicked or self-centred? All these are not of God. Many people with covetous
eyes want to start life big and they end up destroying themselves. Stealing is
an action of a covetous eye. Adultery is also an action of the covetous eyes.
Another evil resulting from the covetous eyes is the desire for goods and
properties of others. Gehazi was destroyed by this. Beware of lust. Make God
your number one desire.
ACTION
POINT
Beware of lust. Examine your life and repent of all
actions motivated by lust in your life.
BIBLE
IN ONE YEAR
Exodus 4:1-6:13; Psalm 109:21-3
May the Lord help us all.
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