Overcoming Lust (2)

DAILY VITAMIN
- Overcoming Lust (2)
"And those who belong to Christ Jesus (the Messiah) have crucified the flesh (the godless human nature) with its passions and appetites and desires." (Galatians 5:24 AMP)
    1 John 2:15-16 admonishes us to desist from lust, because it always finds a way to turn us away from God to our very own ruin. Be it the untamed craze for sex, wealth, importance, and everything we don't have that has many young people nowadays under its spell; if not placed under control can come back to truncate us.
      Remember, whatever you can't control will conquer you and eventually bury you. This we see proven in the story of Achan's greedy lust and its consequence. Lust has a way of disguising itself as love or some normal desire, but isn't. It is only a misguided stream of desire and emotional sentiments driven by fleshy cravings. Like Demas, who was said to have deserted Paul because he loved this present world and all that it had to offer. But that wasn't pure love, rather one kicked in by his wrong and evil desires.
     2 Samuel 13 paints the perfect picture of its depravity, and conveys the message of its consequence perfectly. It all began with the news about how Amnon was deeply in love with Tamar that he even began to deteriorate in appearance. But know this: love never causes to deteriorate, it causes to blossom. When you love someone, regardless of how far or close you are from them, it doesn't sicken you, it strengthens you. And that there was the first indication that it wasn't love Amnon felt. Well, he continued this way until he schemed out a plan to trap her and afterwards raped her. And then the veil came off, and everyone could now see what it really was that he felt. Verse 15 says that "suddenly his love turned to hate, and now he hated her more than he had loved her" (TLB).
      What he assumed was a deep love was a deep lust for her body in disguise. Lust has no root and so easily disappears after its conquest. And it wasn't done with him yet; it ruined him, making him the second lamb (male child) David had been judged to lose according to Nathan's prophecy. This singular error continued to roll-over in misery for the entire family of David, which begun the day the King also lusted after another man's wife. Lust always comes with its judgments; one that we were never destined to receive.
     In Christ, we are no longer slaves to sin, and neither should we be victims of lust. In Him, we are not bound to the shackles of its pull and manipulations; rather we are empowered to overcome it. In Him, we are capable of truly loving people purely. Someone once said said that when you take away the romance and the sensual desires in a relationship and they still won't leave each other, what's left is love. But the scripture bests that; it says Love is kind, loyal, believing, enduring, selfless, hopeful, humble, and focused on the welfare of the other (see 1 Corinthians 13). And through Christ, we can exhibit this kind of love every day of our lives, rather than helplessly pursuing what the flesh merely craves after.
      As it regards overcoming the feeling of lust, there is sufficient grace freely made available to us to help where we might be weak (2 Corinthians 12:9). We were designed in Christ to rise high like an edifice above all temptations and trials as He did by His grace and the strength of His Spirit. And He is able to help us (Hebrews 2:18). Remember, this isn't in the process of being done, it has already been done completely through Him. " ...So you see how it is: my new life tells me to do right, but the old nature that is still inside me loves to sin. Oh, what a terrible predicament I'm in! Who will free me from my slavery to this deadly lower nature? Thank God! It has been done by Jesus Christ our Lord. He has set me free." (Romans 7:23-25 TLB).
Praise God!

Prayer:
Thank you Jesus because you have empowered me to overcome every temptation of the flesh. You have given me priority, and has endowed me with the Holy Spirit to help me each day of my life. Because of this I can love completely with pure intentions, and can give myself wholly to pleasing you. This is my reality now and forever; this I pray through your Name, Jesus. Amen.