PROVISION FOR PROTECTION Natural desires are what knit us to the world. The Spirit will now categorize these for us. These are basic classifications of unlawful desires, or lusts. All other sinful desires spring from these basic ones. Further, these are the areas in which Satan is active, and the means through which he allures dull souls into the condemned realm.
"But ye have an unction from the Holy One, and ye know all things . . . But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him. And now, little children, abide in him; that, when he shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before him at his coming. If ye know that he is righteous, ye know that every one that doeth righteousness is born of him." (1 John 2:20,27-29)
Devotion 3 of
THE BASICS
"For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world." (1 John 2:16)
"THE LUST OF THE FLESH" is the desire to satisfy the condemned part of us – the natural part of our persons. This is the part in which dwells "no good thing" (Rom 7:18). Jesus said of it, "the flesh profits nothing" (John 6:63), and "is weak" (Matt 26:41). Without any variation whatsoever, the flesh "serves the law of sin" (Rom 7:25). It is so utterly corrupt that those who walk in the flesh "cannot please God" (Rom 8:8). If anyone lives "after the flesh," or according to its desires, they will "die," being severed from Divine life (Rom 8:12,13). The Spirit, therefore, works with the people of God to mortify, or put to death, the inclinations springing from the flesh (Rom 8:13b). These are the unvarying facts in the case.
EVE AND JESUS
This is the lust that captivated Eve when she "saw that the tree was GOOD FOR FOOD" (Gen 3:6). It is also the lust with which Satan tempted Jesus when he said, "If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread" (Matt 4:3). Eve confirms to us what happens when we entertain such lusts. Jesus confirms the victory related with refusing their entrance into the heart.
THE FLESH
Even though we have been delivered from the world and its lusts, "the flesh" remains with us. From the standpoint of the individual, it is appropriately called "MY flesh" (Rom 7:25). While not confined to our bodies, it is primarily associated with that part of our persons. The flesh does have a "mind" of its own, and we must contend with it. Ephesians 2:3 refers to "the desires of the flesh AND OF THE MIND" (Eph 2:3).
To us, the flesh is like the wayward Israelites who longed for the fleshpots of Egypt AFTER they had been delivered from that "iron furnace" (Ex 16:3; Num 11:5; Deut 4:20). The "lust of the flesh" is the desire to return to the cursed realm. It is the strong craving to make the satisfaction of our temporal part the primary quest. Satan knows that he cannot lure us into sin without making us WANT to do so. Thus he uses the desires of our fallen nature to appeal to us. He knows that to satisfy our flesh, we must forget our God.
The "lusts of the flesh" are the prelude to the "works of the flesh" mentioned in the fifth chapter of Galatians. You may remember that dreadful catalog of transgressions. "Adultery (marital infidelity), fornication (all forms of sexual impurity), uncleanness (impurity), lasciviousness (unrestrained sensuality or lewdness), idolatry, witchcraft (sorcery), hatred, variance, emulations (jealousies), wrath (outbursts of anger), strife (selfish ambitions), seditions (dissensions, quarreling), heresies (party spirit, factions), envyings (ill-will), murders, drunkenness (intoxication in any form), revellings (carousing, rioting, unrestrained madness)" (Gal 5:19-20).
Simply put, the "lust of the flesh" is the desire to participate in such things. It should be apparent that every child of God will have struggles with such desires. That is what it means to be tempted. However, when such assaults are hurled at us by the wicked one, we are to refuse to entertain them, knowing they are of the world. That is the meaning of the exhortation, "Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, ABSTAIN FROM FLESHLY LUSTS, which war against the soul" (1 Pet 2:9).
I cannot leave this section without mentioning the danger of false religion in this regard. There are approaches to religion that allow for immorality and the indulgence of the flesh. These are chiefly manifested in the cults, and those religions that are more obviously sinful. However, there is an approach to Christianity that also is laden with lusts. These lusts do not appear as sinful as gross immorality, but are nevertheless classed with such sins. "Works of the flesh" that address this matter are "contentions," "dissensions," and "party spirit." When one's religion produces results like this, the lust of the flesh has become dominant. We are to "abstain" from these.
PRAYER POINT: Father, in the name of Jesus, grant me grace to see "the flesh" as it really is, and to abstain from its desires.