FREEDOM FROM LUST VI

Before any sin is committed, it passes through three stages: Conception, Incubation, and Delivery.

3. Delivery CONT’D
Corruption works by lust. If you are in dire need of money and someone walks into your office with a bag of money to bribe you and a voice comes to you saying ‘God has just answered your prayers, this is it’. Do you have what it takes to say no? Beware! This is a snake in the field. Every corruption is a product of lust; lust of the flesh, lust of the eye and pride of life.

2 Cor. 7:1 talks about cleansing from filthiness. “Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.” You can see the nexus between holiness, the fear of God and victory over lust. Lust is spiritual dust; the leviathan food. True holiness is – loving God and going out of your way to do what God loves, pleasing him; hating what he hates and loving what he loves. Do you really love God above all else in your heart? What is your heart panting after? What are you lusting after?

Eph. 4:24 enjoins us to put on the new man. “And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.” There is a new man that is completely different from the old. This is the true meaning of being born again – a new species of human being. Today, the phrase ‘born again’ is used so liberally that when people claim that they are born again you hardly see any change in them; no newness of life. They still continue with their old lifestyle even after attending Bible school.

There is danger in the type of Christianity that is being presented today that does not emphasize the crucified life. The only way you can deal with lust is the cross. That was God’s prescription in the garden. The seed of the woman would bruise the head of the serpent. It takes the crushing power of the cross of Christ to destroy every serpentine poison.

Do you want to kill the serpent? Raise the cross! When you don’t visit the cross, you get weak. An active flesh is capable of doing anything. If you feed the flesh it will lust after what to eat, what to be and what to look like and what to see.

True holiness is the nature of God, therefore become godly. Most of the things contained in the scripture above are active; things we ought to do in order to have dominion over lust. ‘Put on’ requires an action.

Pray –

• Everlasting and most merciful Father, I thank you for the generous provisions you have made for my well-being here and hereafter. Grant me the grace to put on the new man, make me a worthy ambassador of Jesus Christ your son and establish me in holiness, righteousness and wisdom in Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.

TO BE CONTINUED……..