LUST PULLS ITS VICTIM
1:12 Blessed
is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall
receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that
love him.
1:13 Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man:
1:14 But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.
1:15 Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.
1:16 Do not err, my beloved brethren. James 1:12-16 (KJV)
Many
people have been taken captive in different ways. Some have become
captives of war, while some others have fallen prey to traps set by the
enemy. May God deliver us from satanic booby traps! However, you really
need to exercise caution if you do not want to fall prey to the devil.
Watch those things you take pleasure in because sooner rather than
later, they can become the very things the tempter will use in enticing
you! Temptations start with us: they emanate from
what we secretly or openly long for. Some people nurse some unvoiced
thoughts and ideas and do not really care whether those thoughts agree
with the standard of Philippians 4:8. This standard states:
“…Whatsoever
things are true, whatsoever thing are honest, whatsoever things are
just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely,
whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if
there be any praise, think on these things.”
For
nonchalant Christians, the devil soon sets them up to reveal exactly
what is in their heart, and thereafter they are confronted with
temptations. An example here is Esau, who loved good food. He loved
eating so much that the devil decided to use food to secure the loss of
his destiny, and he fell for it. If you secretly admire the opposite
sex, the devil will find out about it someday, and before long, you will
be battling with sexual lust or some other form of immorality.
Men
are drawn by their own lustful thoughts. Lust pulls the one lusting
into further sin. Do everything possible to avoid lust because before
you know it, it will bring you into the pit of sin. If you lust after
money, before long, you will find yourself in a situation where you will
be tempted to sell out on your salvation or betray someone who is close
to you in exchange for money, like Judas Iscariot and Joseph’s brothers
did. What do you secretly lust after? If you ignore
it, you will later regret it by the time the tempter is through with
you. This is the time to prayerfully check and cut off any seemingly
harmless pull from lust. Where there is a pull, it continues until there
is a build-up. When the build-up has become formidable, it will become
too difficult to resist its compelling force to sin. Therefore, do
everything possible to love only those things that are good, and feed
your mind on the word of God. Also, avoid the tendency for a build up by
resisting the subtle lure of lust. Prayerfully keep your thoughts in
check and closely monitor what you allow into your heart.
Action Point:
To
prevent sexual sins, covetousness, murders and the likes, stop it at
the thought stage. Don’t allow it move from thought to lust.
ulled from open heavens by Pastor E.A Adeboye
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