And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes,
and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat,
and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat. Genesis 3:6
The lust of the eyes.
There are many ways to be deceived, the way things look on the outside has to be at the top of the list.
The love of money is the root of all evil, and deception, its companion, takes many forms.
King David saw a beautiful woman he wanted and took her without regarding the consequences.
If you think you are immune from such desire, you are already deceived.
This can happen to any of us who think we have it all together without God.
One breach in our armour will cause an opening.
Keep your armour on tightly, always trusting in the Lord, and not yourself,
and not in your own strength and righteousness.
How might things had been different had Eve prayed and asked the Lord for help in that situation?
What about David?
The humility must come before the sin in order to triumph over it.
Humility after the sin is the 2nd best thing.
If you have the mindset: ‘Ah, well, I am just human. I’m bound to fall.’ You have already been deceived.
While it is impossible to be perfect, we are to strive for it. Don’t give yourself an out,
otherwise you are walking in error.
The humility must be there and your efforts to please God.
To say, ‘Oh, well, I will not please God’ shows pride. God looks at the intentions of our hearts.
Whether our intentions are to serve Him or to just let things happen, He sees our intentions.
He sees our desire to please Him, or not.
If we get lazy in our walk with Him, if we lay down our cross and forget to deny the flesh
or excuse ourselves for not denying the flesh, that is sinful pride.
Jesus did not die so we could enjoy the lusts of the flesh.
What is the answer?
Remembering that our righteousness is as filthy rags, in other words, meaningless and prideful.
As a man thinketh, so is he.
For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he:
Eat and drink, saith he to thee; but his heart is not with thee. Proverbs 23:7
Remembering that we can do nothing without Jesus is key.
Letting Him wash our feet and cleanse us as often as is needed will keep us in line.
Will we not sin? That’s not bound to happen. We will need Jesus to cleanse us as long as we are here.
Our recovery will become more frequent, no hiding from the Lord in our nakedness.
Remain humble and ask for strength as we cannot do righteousness on our own.
it is not easy. It will not be easy.
Walking with Jesus means denying ourselves. That is tough stuff.
It is constant. It is true humility. It is commitment to Him and denying ourselves and our lusty pleasures.
Scriptural References:
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
For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after,
they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.
1 Timothy 6:10
And it came to pass in an eveningtide, that David arose from off his bed,
and walked upon the roof of the king’s house: and from the roof he saw a woman washing herself;
and the woman was very beautiful to look upon.
2 Samuel 11:2
Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
Ephesians 6:11
Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.
Matthew 5:48
For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword,
piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow,
and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
Hebrews 4:12
And He said to them all, If any man will come after Me,
let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.
Luke 9:23
But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags;
and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.
Isaiah 64:6
I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in Me, and I in him,
the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without Me ye can do nothing.
John 15:5
Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.
Psalm 51:10
Peter saith unto Him, Thou shalt never wash my feet.
Jesus answered him, If I wash thee not, thou hast no part with Me.
John 13:8
But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.
Matthew 24:13