Tag Archives: evil desires

GUARD YOUR HEART!

Christian Life, ,

Saved as we are, sin is still a horrible possibility in our human lives. The Bible warns of many ways in which we can be entangled in the web of sinful thoughts and behaviour. Like the seals that face the danger of entanglement every day as they follow the lines and nets of fishing boats for scraps, so we, surrounded by temptation, can easily fall prey to our old desires from which Jesus saved us.

Is it possible for us to “escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires”?

God has given us many solutions to the issue of temptation and sin.

First, how does sin catch us out?

James 1:13-15 NIV
[13] “When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; [14] but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. [15] Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.”

God is never the author of temptation. He may allow us to be tempted for good reasons. We never win over temptation through our own will-power. If God left us to resist temptation, at some stage our will power would give way.

God has promised us the power to resist temptation only by His grace.

Romans 5:17 NIV
[17] “For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God’s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ!”

Just as we rely on God’s grace to forgive our sin, so we must rely on His grace to say “No” to temptation.

The entire process of learning to live pure lives, then, depends on our participation in God’s grace to win the battle over the flesh

However, before we can ever move purposefully in the direction of holiness, awareness and attitudes must change.

Again, the Bible gives us the prescriptions that help us to change, in our thoughts and behaviour first.

Our attitude to holiness and sin, first, must be shaped, not by what we feel or what is convenient at the moment, but by what the Word says.

We are to fear the Lord in every detail of life, taking Him seriously and living by His instructions.

Habakkuk 1:13 NLT
[13] “But you are pure and cannot stand the sight of evil….”

Proverbs 8:13 NLT
[13] “All who fear the Lord will hate evil. Therefore, I hate pride and arrogance, corruption and perverse speech.”

If God is holy, that is…consistent with His own perfect and pure character, devoid of every perverse and corrupt thought and deed, …then everything that contradicts who He is, is evil.

He calls us to share His attitude to evil, to hate evil and to disassociate ourselves from every taint of evil.

We learn this process, unfortunately, mostly by trial and error. Sinful attitudes, thoughts, and actions produce inward pain. We lose our peace and face the consequence of a disturbed conscience. Only as we put right through confession, forgiveness, and restitution if necessary, can we return to the rest in Jesus that He provides.

Such experiences prompt us to avoid repeating what caused us pain…a lesson learned if we heed it. These experiences help us to move away from experimenting with sin and to reinforce the desire to live by God’s grace that enables us to tame our unruly hearts.

Paul advised young Timothy to deal with fleshly desires.

2 Timothy 2:22 NLT
[22] “Run from anything that stimulates youthful lusts. Instead, pursue righteous living, faithfulness, love, and peace. Enjoy the companionship of those who call on the Lord with pure hearts.”

What wise and sound counsel! We canonly run from sinful desires by replacing them with holy desires. We can only change the way we behave by changing what we think and believe. To escape sinful desires, we must pursue what is pleasing to the Lord.

The Holy Spirit is in us as our resident Helper. We call on Him for His power to say “no” when the desires of our flesh threaten to overwhelm us. Sometimes, we find ourselves faced with situations that corner us, arousing desires too big to overcome. Only grace can supply the strength to say a meaningful “No!”, and effectively shut the door to sin.

Romans 8:12-14 NLT
[12] “Therefore, dear brothers and sisters, you have no obligation to do what your sinful nature urges you to do. [13] For if you live by its dictates, you will die. But if, through the power of the Spirit, you put to death the deeds of your sinful nature, you will live. [14] For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God.”

As sons of God, we have the right to call on the Lord and to anticipate His grace to keep us walking in obedience to His Word.

God has also given us a plethora of promises, each one suitable for each situation, to answer every need need, for one purpose…to live godly lives in the world.

2 Peter 1:3-4 NLT
[3] “By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know him, the one who called us to himself by means of his marvelous glory and excellence. [4] And because of his glory and excellence, he has given us great and precious promises. These are the promises that enable you to share his divine nature and escape the world’s corruption caused by human desires.”

God’s passion is for us to share in His nature, free from corruption and fit for His holy presence. To achieve His goal, He has promised to meet us with His power at every turn. Whatever the situation, whatever the need, He is there to carry us across the chasm of our weakness. We have every opportunity and no excuse for not becoming overcomers in this “war of the spirit”.

There is a love we must kill and a love we must nurture. Jesus said that it is impossible to serve two masters. Whoever we love, we will serve. Love for the world and love for God can never function in one life. God will not share His temple with idols.

If we love the world and its trinkets, we will share its fate. Despite its apparent permanence, the world and its ways, standards, practices, and philosophies, is transient…here today and gone tomorrow. God alone is eternal, and all who are joined to Him by faith will survive the purging.

1 John 2:15-17 NLT
[15] “Do not love this world nor the things it offers you, for when you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you. [16] For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father, but are from this world. [17] And this world is fading away, along with everything that people crave. But anyone who does what pleases God will live forever.”

To follow Jesus is, to walk in the light.

John 8:12 NLT
[12]”Jesus spoke to the people once more and said, “I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life.”

” Light” in Scripture often refers to God’s Word. David, for example recognised the importance of following the guidance of the portion of the Word he had in his possession to keep his life on track with God.

Psalms 119:105 NLT
[105] “Your word is a lamp to guide my feet and a light for my path.”

Since Jesus is the Word in the flesh, to follow His example and to obey His teachings is the safest way to walk in the light.

Walking in obedience to Jesus keeps us in fellowship with the Father and the Son through the Holy Spirit, and with God’s family.

1 John 1:7 NLT
[7] “But if we are living in the light, as God is in the light, then we have fellowship with each other, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, cleanses us from all sin.”

Even for those times when we inadvertently follow the flesh, the Word enables us to chamge our behaviour to remain clean because of the blood of Jesus at work in us.

1 John 1:7 NIV
[7]”But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.”

The prophet Micah learned God’s simple prescription for a godly life. If we follow his directives, we leave no room for ungodly behaviour.

Micah 6:8 NLT
[8] “No, O people, the Lord has told you what is good, and this is what he requires of you: to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.”

Likewise Solomon, despite his own failure, provides another simple way to overcome sin in ourselves.

Proverbs 3:5-6 NLT
[5]”Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. [6] Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.”

Sounds easy, doesn’t it? Only by God’s grace, once again, can we follow the directives of His Word. Living life this way takes deliberate attention to what we think, what we believe, and what choices and decisions we make that help or hinder our progress towards the Father.

With this in mind, how imperative it is that we follow Solomon’s wise counsel. Whether we win or lose in this war against sin and its effects on our eternal destiny depends on one thing!

Proverbs 4:23 NLT
[23] “Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.”

What we do in life… how we behave, how we deal with life’s tests and temptations, what we choose or renounce …depends on the condition of our hearts.

As David prayed, so should we, every moment of our day,

Psalms 139:23-24 NLT
[23]” Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. [24] Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life.”

GUARD YOUR HEART

Oh, be careful little eyes what you see
Oh, be careful little eyes what you see
For the Father up above
Is looking down in love
Oh, be careful little eyes what you see.

What appears to be harmless glance
Can turn to romance
And homes are divided;
Feelings that should never have been
Awakened within
Tearing the heart in two,

Listen, I beg of you,
Guard your Heart!
Guard your Heart!
Don’t trade it for treasure;
Don’t give it away;
Guard your Heart!

Guard your Heart…
As a payment for pleasure
It’s high price to pay!

For a soul that remains sincere with conscience clear,
Guard your Heart.

The human heart is easily swayed
And often betrayed at the hand of emotion.
You dare not leave the outcome to chance,
You must choose in advance
Or live with the agony…
Such needless tragedy…
Guard your Heart!

Guard your Heart.
Don’t trade it for treasure;
Don’t give it away.
Guard your Heart!

Guard your Heart,
As a payment for pleasure
It’s high price to pay.
Guard your Heart!
Guard your Heart!
Don’t trade it for treasure;
Don’t give it away;
Guard your Heart!
Guard your Heart!
As a payment for pleasure
It’s high price to pay…

For a soul that remains sincere, with conscience clear,
Guard your Heart!

For a soul that remains sincere, with conscience clear,
Guard your Heart!

Author: Steve Green
Source: LyricFind
Guard Your Heart lyrics © Capitol CMG Publishing

SOME PUZZLES OF SCRIPTURE – 5

Bible Study, ,

Some Scriptures have such a variety of interpretations that one can recognise the confusion in the minds of Bible translators and scholars.

I found one such passage in James 4.

‭James 4:1-5 NLT‬
[1] “What is causing the quarrels and fights among you? Don’t they come from the evil desires at war within you? [2] You want what you don’t have, so you scheme and kill to get it. You are jealous of what others have, but you can’t get it, so you fight and wage war to take it away from them. Yet you don’t have what you want because you don’t ask God for it. [3] And even when you ask, you don’t get it because your motives are all wrong—you want only what will give you pleasure. [4] You adulterers! Don’t you realize that friendship with the world makes you an enemy of God? I say it again: If you want to be a friend of the world, you make yourself an enemy of God. [5] Do you think the Scriptures have no meaning? They say that God is passionate that the spirit he has placed within us should be faithful to him.”

The verse in question is verse 5. Every translation I have read gives a different slant to its interpretation. If we don’t take the context into account, the meaning of verse 5 is obscured.

Most Bible scholars seem to understand that James is referring to the Holy Spirit who longs for us to be faithful to Him.

‭James 4:5 NIV‬
[5] “Or do you think Scripture says without reason that he jealously longs for the spirit he has caused to dwell in us?”

‭James 4:5 CEV‬
[5] “Do you doubt the Scriptures that say, “God truly cares about the Spirit he has put in us”?

‭James 4:5 KJV‬
[5]”Do ye think that the scripture saith in vain, The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy?”

‭James 4:5 NKJV‬
[5] “Or do you think that the Scripture says in vain, “The Spirit who dwells in us yearns jealously”?

These translators focus on the Holy Spirit who jealously watches over our spirits. However, is that what James is saying? To what spirit is He referring and what is the nature of that spirit?

“What is causing the quarrels and fights among you? Don’t they come from the evil desires at war within you?”

“Don’t you realize that friendship with the world makes you an enemy of God? I say it again: If you want to be a friend of the world, you make yourself an enemy of God.”

The ‘spirit’ James is describing
is the old nature, driven by evil desires and at war with God’s Spirit in us.

Paul describes the same conflict in us.

‭‭Galatians 5:16-17 NLT‬
[16]”So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves. [17] The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, so you are not free to carry out your good intentions.”

The Greek words imply that we think, it seems or appears, in vain, that the Scriptures say or mean that the spirit that inhabits, is in (an established position) me (the word used is ‘ego’, I, me, singular), holding a grudge, spite, jealousy, or ill will, is full of lustful desires.

In this rather clumsy interpretation, is James saying that it is the spirit that is established in me, is spiteful and jealous and that strongly desires what others have that I want. Hence the wars and fights between believers.

This verse is not about the Holy Spirit at all. It’s about the reason for the quarrels between believers. The old sinful nature wants what others have, and fights to get it. James calls this “friendship with the world”. So does John.

‭1 John 2:15-17 NLT‬
[15]”Do not love this world nor the things it offers you, for when you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you. [16] For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father, but are from this world. [17] And this world is fading away, along with everything that people crave. But anyone who does what pleases God will live forever.”

What is the solution? James continues…

‭James 4:6-8 NLT‬
[6]”And he gives grace generously. As the Scriptures say, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” [7] So humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. [8] Come close to God, and God will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, for your loyalty is divided between God and the world.”

GRACE! Only God’s grace, received with humilty, can rescue us from the ravages of our old, sinful nature. This grace comes to us through the Holy Spirit who lives in us, and helps us overcome the evil desires driven by our old nature.

The Greek word James uses to describe God’s treatment of proud people is graphic. He calls in His heavenly troops to set up a strong military resistance. He approaches those who approach Him (through the correct channel, the blood of Jesus – Hebrews 10:19ff). Like the father of the lost son, the Father runs to meet them.

When we accept the position on earth that God has prepared us for, and live and function in it under His authority, with gratitude and humility, we will flourish and be blessed.

DEAD OR ALIVE?

Bible Study, ,

DEAD OR ALIVE?

“Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. Do not offer any part of yourself to sin as an instrument of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer every part of yourself to Him as an instrument of righteousness. For sin shall no longer be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace.” Romans 6:12-14.

“But,” you ask, “why am I not sinlessly perfect now if I died and rose again with Jesus? Why do I still struggle with the temptations of my old nature?”

Firstly, God would have to take you out of this present evil world in order to set you free from all the allurements to sin, and He will. Although He did not have a natural bent towards sin, Jesus Himself was not immune to temptation.

“For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathise with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are – yet He did not sin.” Hebrews 4:15.

Secondly, God has left us in the world, and He has not obliterated our old nature because He is training us to be His sons and daughters. Without the temptation to do wrong, we would not have opportunity to exercise our will and learn submission and obedience to Him in the environment of sin and disobedience. The very hardships we endure and the temptations that come with the tests, are God’s way of strengthening and purifying our faith in Him.

“Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as His children…No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.” Hebrews 12:7a; 11.

Thirdly, by learning to make the right choices in the face of temptation, we strengthen our love and loyalty to the One who saved us and called us into fellowship with Himself. We are witnesses to the enemies of God, both human and demonic, that God is worthy of our love and trust. He reveals who He really is through us.

People are suspicious of God because the devil has lied to them. They cannot abide His holiness and they think He is out to get them. They create their own gods to replace Him because their gods are manageable and more like themselves. They think they are not obligated to live up to His standards and to be accountable to Him if they have their own god. But in the end, they will stand before Him to give an account of the way they lived.

How then, do we overcome the old nature that still rages within us? Paul said, “It’s dead. Now act as though it were dead.” In his book, My Utmost for His Highest, Oswald Chambers said that we must go to our own white funeral. In other words, we must see our old nature in a casket, being buried in the grave with Jesus. We must visualise ourselves rising with Him and leaving the old sinful nature behind in the tomb.

On the strength of that, we are to make our mortal bodies a present to God, using every part of it for His purposes, not our own. We are constantly being pulled in two directions, towards gratifying ourselves or pleasing God by meeting the needs of others. Paul said, “…Offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God – this is your true and proper worship.” Romans 12:1b. How do we do that?

Again, Paul tells us: “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind…” Romans 12:2a.

Change the way you think by thinking what God thinks. Just as sin begins in the mind, so obedience to God begins in the mind. Instead of dwelling on your own wants and wishes, fill your mind with what God says and desires, and the slow transformation into the way Jesus thought and acted will begin to happen. This means taking time to read God’s word and taking the trouble to find out what His thoughts about you are and how He wants you to live.

Yes, it does demand time and discipline, but the rewards are out of this world!

Acknowledgement

THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

7 – ENGAGING THE POWERS OF THE KINGDOM – THE POWER OF FORGIVENESS

Christian Life, ,

7 – ENGAGING THE POWERS OF THE KINGDOM – THE POWER OF FORGIVENESS

God’s grace provides everything we need to “escape the corruption that is in the world caused by evil desires and participate in the divine nature. ” 2 Peter 1:4

Now we begin to explore the facets of grace that we can apply in every circumstance of our daily lives so that we can escape the corruption that is in the world. Forgiveness must surely top our list because we still have an enemy within that will inevitably clash with the people around us.

Protecting and looking after self is at the heart of our old nature. The more self-aware and the less God-aware we are, the more we react in an ungodly way to the things people say and do that offend us.

A “touchy” or “sensitive” person is one who is insecure… in relation to God and to who he/she is. We become defensive and make excuses for our ungodly reactions instead of owning and taking responsibility for what we say and do.

How do we engage the power of forgiveness to live free from grudges and bitterness so that we do not miss the grace of God?

Once again, it’s about being transformed by the renewing of our minds.

  1. The foundation of forgiveness is the awareness of God’s mercy towards us in forgiving our unpayable debt. Any debt of sin another owes us is miniscule compared with the debt we owed God by the lives we lived because of our unbelief.

“All who believe in the Son of God know in their hearts that this testimony is true. Those who don’t believe this are actually calling God a liar because they don’t believe what God has testified about his Son.” 1 John 5:10 NLT

We can forgive because we have been forgiven.

  1. God, in Christ, has already forgiven the sin of the whole world.

“He himself is the sacrifice that atones for our sins—and not only our sins but the sins of all the world.” 1 John 2:2 NLT

When we refuse to forgive, we hold our offender accountable for the debt that has already been paid. It is illegal to demand payment for a debt twice.

  1. Forgiveness is not about how we feel but a choice we make and what we do. When we forgive the sin of another against us, we choose to cancel the debt and set our debtor free.
  1. Forgiveness does not excuse sin; it shows mercy on the basis of what Jesus did for us.
  1. In the end, forgiveness is about showing our debtor compassion when we recognise the truth of what Jesus said on the cross, “Father, forgive them. They don’t know what they are doing.”

Who knows the ramifications of sin of one person against another? How would we feel if we were to see how far our sin has gone in damaging the lives of others?

  1. The wonder of forgiveness, then, is not that we must forgive but that we may forgive because God has forgiven us.
  1. Failing to forgive enslaves us as much as it does our debtor and interrupts our fellowship with the Father because it disrupts our unity with Him.

The world demands revenge, and revenge only multiplies the offences. The kingdom says, “Forgive! ” and forgiveness stops the process of sin’s downward slide.

One more thing to consider. The more we live in forgiveness, the more our minds will automatically release others from their debt when they fail until it becomes a settled way of thinking and living. This is what it means to be transformed by the renewing of our minds.

Can you see how powerful forgiveness is in living out the kingdom’s way of love in the darkness of this world’s ungodly way?

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

All Scripture quotations in this series

Scripture taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide

Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.