FROM LUSTFUL to LASTING

Have you thanked Him?

Have you praised Him?

Have you made it your priority to agree and cooperate with Him today?

Have you taken that deep breath and listened for what He has for you today?

ARE YOU SEEKING?

1 Timothy 2:1 (The Message)

^1-3The first thing I want you to do is pray. Pray every way you know how, for everyone you know.

1 John 2:15-17

Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world. The world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God lives forever.

Man, that is a tough order isn’t it? I mean let’s be brutally honest for a second; we are naturally drawn to these “world things” aren’t we?

And what a powerful pull those “things”can have over us huh?

So much so that this verse tags them as “lusts”and those are defined as:

...a passionate or overmastering desire or craving…

Whew...

Yet given that definition, these “lusts” are nothing new to the recovering.

Trust me.

And also trust me when I say just because we have chosen a path of recovery do they decide to stop re-surfacing or distracting us.

Just look at that definition again. It sound like something we have “struggled with” before?

Craving?

Yep!

Overmastering desire (even when we know it is detrimental to our walk, our recovery, our relationships, our marriages, and our GODLY connection)?

Yep.

These lusts are damaging, relentless and at times overpowering.

The trouble is they seem to be “natural” at times don’t they?

"The lust of the flesh" (desire for physical pleasure), "the lust of the eyes" (desire for things we see) and "the boastful pride of life" (the desire to be right, to be popular, to be in control, to be important) — these things come very naturally to us.

I know these make up the top 3 for me, especially that “boastful pride” trap.

And even when we know better, take steps to guard against them, put barriers up, spend time in our Word, exercise our spirits, they still seem to trip us up from time to time.

But we are not alone. The Apostle Paul had his “moments” too.

Romans 7:18

New Living Translation (NLT)

¹⁸ And I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature.^[a] I want to do what is right, but I can’t.

But we MUST take the steps necessary to beat back those little lusts, those cravings, those “mind-mastering” things and we do so by remembering WHAT is important in life.

Not the instantaneous gratifications and fulfilments these little lusts bring but rather those things that matter; GOD, our future in Him, our opportunities for abundant life, and His grace.

Our thoughts must move from the LUSTFUL to the LASTING if we are to truly be free.

Philippians 4:8(NIV)

⁸ Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.

We have to purposefully set our minds and hearts on "the love of the Father" and actively decide each moment to live for God.

It is the only way to lock down the “lusts”.

Have a blessed day!

I love you all.

Freedom Church

Pastor GDelaney