145 EASIER THAN I THOUGHT BUT HARD AS I REMEMBERED
145 EASIER THAN I THOUGHT BUT HARD AS I REMEMBERED
Phi 4:8 Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things 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.
As a Christian, we are taught to keep our minds free from the lusts and desires of this world but we still have to work and live around other people and things.
Eve was tempted by the fact that she could not have one thing; Adam told her that they could not eat from the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Up until then they had no knowledge of evil because they only know God and He is good.
It should have ended there but Eve had to go and see this tree and that started the sin process; see, desire, weaken your resistance and act.
We have not sinned until we act because, up to that point, we have kept it to ourselves;
[I know, I know. Jesus said “Mat 5:28 But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.”] but we can always stop ourselves and repent until we act; then it is a public affair and involves more than just us. We may stop and repent but others know our mind and will spread our sin to others.
This ‘sin’ process starts with sight. Look around yourself and see how many things you own or that others have just to be seen by themselves or others. We keep ourselves clean and tidy so others will accept us for our looks, fashion is a multi-trillion dollar industry, we work hard and suffer much to present ourselves in a manner that the world wants us to be in and money buys things for us and others to look at.
I would like to have a ’57 Chevy but, when I thought about it, I would be inside driving it and could not admire it; I would own it so others could see me in it and admire me driving it. Not a good reason to spend a lot of money to own or maintain something.
These ‘sight’ desires are all around us; trying to get us to want something that we do not have and are not supposed to have. [God wants us to be satisfied with what He has and is giving us, not looking at things that make us want, want, want.]
Now, with all this bombardment of sight lusts, how are we to keep our minds free from wanting all of these things?
It’s simple; just change what you are thinking about. WHAT, SIMPLE YOU SAY?
Yes, it takes self control but it is that simple. The hard part is doing it. When your eyes are looking at something that you like and want, it is hard to pull them away from it because you start imagining yourself with it and your fantasy makes it all that much more desirable. In other words lusting is fun and exciting.
The longer you let your eyes stay on something that they should not be looking at, the longer your mind has to build a fantasy and an imaginary world that you are the center of and is very desirable and exciting to your emotions.
Jesus mentioned adultery by looking and fashion today leaves very little for the imagination to work on. Women’s clothes are designed to exploit their feminine sexuality; something that is supposed to be reserved for their husbands only. [And so are men’s clothes designed to exploit their masculinity.]
The longer you let your eyes and mind dwell on your lust and desires, the more it wants to stay there and the harder it is to stop it. Only a love for God and His good morals towards Him and mankind [that is made in His image] is strong enough for everyone; to keep them from the bonds of their lusts and desires and can set their minds free from their wants of what they should not have.
